It is enough to take a walk around El Born to understand that this central neighborhood is missing, gastronomically speaking, traditional houses. There are few, although there are some left (such as Bar del Pla, Cal Pep, Carballeira, Passadís del Pep or 7 Portes), which over the years have resisted the rise of tourism without ending up becoming a hamburger restaurant.
A couple of months ago, Bar Pimentel landed on Carders Street, which precisely aims to recover that lost spirit, although with a different narrative. Located in the premises previously occupied by Piel de Gallina, dedicated to fried chicken, this new establishment was born as a tribute to Don José Eugenio Pimentel Lister (Chujo for friends), a Dominican merchant who during the Trujillo dictatorship opened his house in Puerto de Plata to their acquaintances to serve them as if it were a restaurant.
Don't expect to find Dominican cuisine there, because Chujo's grandson, Martín Pimentel, among the group of chefs and businessmen who have opened this business, was born and raised in Barcelona. You will, however, find a great nostalgia for our traditional recipe book, to which chef Victor Serrano (who worked in the kitchens of Celler de Can Roca, Share in Cadaqués or the Claris hotel in Barcelona) gives a twist.
At Bar Pimentel there is Catalan cuisine, but also Andalusian and Castilian, which is presented in portions to share and in snack format, with the intention of transmitting to the diner the flavors of childhood. “We have lost a lot of direction and forgotten our gastronomy,” explains José María Ferraz behind the bar, also a partner of the establishment, who during these first months is taking great care of the room.
On the menu there are snacks such as shrimp croquette, which are served with a sauce made from the juice of the head, or scallops seasoned with tomato, garlic and parsley, among the selection of seafood. We also find genuine dishes from the art of tapas, among which there is no shortage of gildas, marriages or even cocas de recapte.
In our opinion, the star dishes are the poached egg with potato parmentier and torrezno and the grilled squid with garlic, parsley and kimchi sauce. Don't forget if you visit this place that Bar Pimentel's cuisine is simple and without great artifices.
Among the desserts we recommend trying the mel i mata cheesecake with walnuts, with which they have fused the international with the local.
The winery is supplied, above all, with natural and minimal intervention wines, although they do not want to pigeonhole themselves. In terms of liquids, they also have their own beer: Chujo, an IPA that they have created in collaboration with the Girona craft brewery B de Gust.
