Vermouth hour will be extended these next nine days; Barcelona's Plaza Real is preparing to host all bravas lovers. This Friday, November 25, a gastronomic and cultural adventure began, bringing together 16 establishments in the area, in an initiative with the motto La Real te tira la caña. It is a route to try the different bravas offered by the bars in this emblematic square in the Gothic Quarter. All of them are accompanied by a cold beer, for a price per serving of 5 euros in all participating establishments until next December 4. Don't panic, there's time to try them all.
The event is organized by The Association of Friends and Merchants of Plaza Real, with the intention of making this route a meeting point for all people, businesses, and entities that live or work in the area. La Real te tira la caña not only represents a tribute to the country's star tapa and its best friend, it also aims to maintain the social link of the entities that strengthen the cultural value of the square. The schedule is from 12 noon to 4 in the afternoon ---also at the Canarias establishment---.
The restaurant Ambos Mundos offers sweet potato bravas with pesto sauce and honey-mustard mayonnaise. "Being a sweeter potato, we try to give it a bitter touch with our traditional pesto sauce," explains Víctor Comanges, head chef. Greenco joins the ecological proximity of Maresme, but differentiating itself with a vegan sauce made with a special mayonnaise. For carnivores, Les Quinze Nits serves xoripapas, bravas with chorizo, at its table.
"We start from scratch, chopping the potato in its natural state. The sauce is completely homemade. There is no trace of any additive," says David Albá, head chef of the restaurant Rey de Copas. For the next few days, the establishments are preparing to receive more customers and movement on the terrace. "We already have the tira la caña button to notify the kitchen faster," says María José, administrative assistant at the Hotel Roma.
The pizzeria Rossini brings the spicy Italian touch to the Spanish tapa. Tobogán and Bar Tomate also join the spicy team alongside the brewery Colón. Ocaña, Expat and My Bar stick to the traditionalism of the tapa, dipping the bravas in alioli sauce. On the other hand, the establishment Canarias gives a special touch to its portion with pica mojón. Artisà has decided that not everything is black and white and mixes brava sauce with alioli, leaving the palate speechless.
At Glaciar they are not only preparing to face the hustle and bustle on the terrace: "next week we also celebrate a very special occasion, the centenary of the establishment," explains Javier Lluch, owner of the establishment. That's why the chefs have added a secret ingredient. "I can only tell you that our bravas have a sauce with a spicy kick and indeed, chipotle," adds Lluch.
La Real te tira la caña is an ideal occasion to resolve that pending get-together that never happened and contributes to revitalizing the emblematic shops and establishments in the oldest part of the city. An opportunity to enjoy bravas and beers during these pre-Christmas days in the iconic Plaza Real; definitely, life is a vermouth.