Anyone who knows the center of Barcelona knows well that the area around Plaza Catalunya is an inhospitable area for eating, crowded with franchises, fast foods and restaurants that offer international cuisine, almost always aimed at tourists. This is not the case of the La Esquina bar, which opened less than a month ago precisely at the confluence of Pelai and Bergara, after the owners of its predecessor La Esquina, the space that the Pulitzer hotel and the Regina hotel had dedicated to brunch In those times when having lunch at the wrong time was still popular, they decided to rethink the gastronomic direction of this place.
The owners of both hotels had always closely followed the cuisine of the Catalan Alexis Peñalver in La Pubilla (Plaza de la Llibertat, 23), so they decided to ask him to advise them on offering a local proposal that would break with that of the rest of the neighborhood. Without giving up the spirit of breakfast, the first thing Peñalver did when accepting the challenge was to change the avocado toast for the fuet sandwich, and the eggs Benedict for the fried eggs with ham that have been eaten for lunch in our territory forever. The only thing he didn't touch was the coffee, which is still a specialty.
Things became more lively and the new La Esquina bar no longer only serves breakfast, now obviously from a fork; But Peñalver has also designed a menu with a lot of bar and little tablecloth that, although at the moment it is only available at midday because they are not open in the afternoons, from next November it will be offered uninterruptedly from 1 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
There are charcuterie and tavern dishes for vermouth time, among which the "corner" salad of tuna belly that is accompanied with a delicious paprika mayonnaise or the roast chicken croquette and beef shank that has a curious touch of pepper. They are preparations that coexist with more elaborate dishes, among which there is no shortage of those stews or sea and mountains that have always been part of Peñalver market cuisine. See, for example, the squid stuffed with sausage that they serve with their sauce and with French fries to accompany.
The salads are also no longer typical of any healthy establishment adjacent to the central Plaza Catalunya. At La Esquina, the tomato dish (with herring) tastes exactly what it should taste like – the last tomato of the season – and more than interesting is the roasted eggplant dish they serve with sobrasada, green romesco and mata.
Portuguese chef Vasco Suárez is in charge of the kitchen and Chema Martínez, who a few months ago led the opening of the Barcelona Florería Atlántico, is in charge of the dining room.
The new space, designed by Bárbara Aurel from Espacio en Blanco, with large tables and windows, is reminiscent of an old tavern, although with a renewed hipster look. In the winery you will find mainly natural wines, quite funky, although they have a little bit of everything at quite affordable prices: between 20 and 50 euros per bottle.
