Quick Bites: La Esquina
Just when you thought you had to venture outside of the city centre to track down the latest and greatest of Barcelona’s soulful, healthy cooking and coffee geekery, London chef Alan Stewart arrived on the scene. Together with long-time friend and coffee connoisseur Louis Gill and his team of food and design professionals, chef Stewart has lifted an otherwise all-too-generic city corner to new heights of modern, homely comfort.
The tagline of La Esquina is ‘Kitchen & Coffee’, and they take both elements very seriously without unnecessary formality. “This isn’t just a café or a restaurant. This is like being in my home,” Stewart explained. When creating the aesthetic of this high-ceilinged space, Stewart and the rest of his team put the decor in the hands of graphic designer Emilio Lekuona and photographer Elena López Lamadrid, rather than interior designers. The gorgeous space is meant to be photographed and, with natural light streaming in through expansive windows and rows of hearty glassware behind the coffee station, the dreamy snapshots of your afternoon brunch practically take themselves.
Situated just one block from La Rambla and Plaça de Catalunya, La Esquina is really one of the only restaurants of its kind in the area, serving fresh, creative food and top-notch, locally roasted coffee.
Before moving to Barcelona, Louis Gill was running Noble Espresso, a business that began as a mobile coffee cart outside King’s Cross railway station in London. Eventually, this little operation was recognised as crafting one of the best cups of coffee in all of London, launching them into a hospitality events service, which saw them pull espresso shots by the thousand for the likes of Google, Nike, Facebook and Uber.
On a recent visit, as I sop up the last streak of velvety hollandaise sauce with the homemade biscuit of my classic Eggs Benedict, chef Stewart outlined his food philosophy in the simplest terms. “We don’t do much fried food,” he explained. “Instead, we focus on having lots of vegetables, grains and legumes. We make as many things from scratch as possible. Basically, our motto is that we do it here and to the best of our ability.”
Though La Esquina has rapidly gained fame for its well-rounded brunch menu of irresistible offerings—pancakes with pear, apple and caramel; poached egg with avocado, goat’s cheese and dill; house-smoked salmon toast with butter; Kedgeree (an Indian-style dish of rice, apple, flaked fish, curry, parsley and egg, which is popular in the UK) and Bloody Mary cocktails made with chilli-infused sherry wine—the weekday lunch menu and evening dining options are equally interesting.
Those who have already popped into this inviting corner spot have discovered that it is perfect for a wide array of occasions, from the afternoon coffee and email catch-up to a boozy Sunday brunch or leisurely weekday lunch. The La Esquina team comes from all walks of life, but together they bring a unified passion and liveliness to their work, and it shows.
La Esquina. Bergara 2.