"Cesspool” is not a word with which I would ever have thought to begin a food-themed article, but it is a fitting description of the festering nature of Barcelona’s Carrer dels Escudellers, where weekend nights bring a whole new level of debauchery to the area skirting Plaça Reial. Though this street is grim, the new food offering at the tenacious neighbourhood restaurant, La Castanya, is a light in the darkness, putting up a fair fight towards changing one’s perception.
I’ve spent plenty of time on Escudellers during my tenure in Barcelona, and even have friends who live there (though you’d never know from the vantage point of their quiet rooftop terrace). I would not have recommended a meal on this infamous street (other than a slice of midnight pizza or greek gyro for the famished partygoer), until I was invited to sample La Castanya’s new and improved menu.
The Italian-born longtime chefs Nicola Drago and Matteo Bertozzi recently took La Castanya’s menu, concept and decor in for a total overhaul. The restaurant was formerly famous for its burgers and cheap tapas, but now diners have some very interesting options (for a slightly higher price, of course), with the “0km” local foods movement at its core.
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Highlights of the evening included Bloody Mary Oysters (clean, plump and briny), a rich and creamy Ensaladilla of Lobster, a tangy and light Trout Tartar with sour apple and herb mustard, and the Osso Bucco Croquettes. The latter are made with slow-cooked, shredded osso bucco (veal shank) fried into crispy, delicious balls and topped with a bright citrus gremolata (citrus zest minced with garlic, salt and pepper), the most typical osso bucco garnish in Italy.
The more substantial dishes on this diverse menu include grilled Secreto (a popular, tender cut of Iberico pork), served with a yoghurt sauce, dehydrated yoghurt flakes and lavender, and Fried Polenta wedges with creamy interiors, covered in a veritable confetti of smokey scamorza cheese cubes, red and green pestos, and fine filaments of shaved, aged parmesan.
La Castanya still has burgers, but they are now of the “gourmet” variety, as well as a list of affordable cocktails, both classics and creative proprietary blends. You could now easily spend €30 or more per person at La Castanya on date night, but the value they bring to this area otherwise lacking in such restaurants is priceless.
La Castanya. Escudellers 30. Tel. 93 667 1617. Opening times: Sunday-Thursday, 9am-2.30am. Friday-Saturday, 9am-3.30am.