The everyday heroes of the city are undoubtedly the people who make today’s menu. I believe that a plaque, a sculpture, or, for that matter, a party celebrating achievement, offering a full meal every day at a reasonable price, well prepared, and very good, will feed the workers, students, retirees, and slackers. One of these epic menus can be found where Barcelona almost changed its name, in the La Bordeta neighborhood, and is served in the restaurant half-cheek. Let’s see an example:
First
Starter salad with lettuce leaves, sausage, tomato, red onion, olives, and vinaigrette
Cold lentil salad with pork cheek and paprika
English vegetables, briefly cooked, with Chistorra crumble
Spaghetti with pineapple pesto, walnuts and parmesan
seconds
Japanese sliced entrecôte, whole grain, approx. 125-150 g, with baked potatoes with thyme and chilli (pre-cooked and ready in the oven)
Fresh longline hake with vegetable tagine and couscous
Creamy chicken rice, peanuts, cilantro and lime
dessert
Yoghurt cream with Oreo biscuits
Cheesecake
yogurt and honey
Chocolate Mint Rice Drink Smoothie (also dairy-free desserts)
Banana with coffee and orange caramel
I think a plaque, a sculpture or for that matter a party celebrating achievement, a full meal, reasonably priced, well prepared and very well presented would be needed.
The menu for the last week of Mitja Galta is a clear statement of intent: “We want to upgrade the daily menu and make it as good as a la carte, but much cheaper.” Furthermore, they say, “We try to do it differently; it’s not what you can eat at home, and there’s something for everyone.” Says Elisenda Castellón, co-owner and chef of the sweets. “We try to always have it lettuce, spoon legume (which is most difficult at home), pasta, vegetables, fish that is fresh and little handled, meat (both with side dishes), rice, and four desserts to choose from: yogurt with a dressing that changes, a cake, a fruit, and an elaborate one in which the sugar is kept to a minimum so as not to be too sweet.
Calling this menu a “miracle,” as Elisenda does, is no exaggeration. It costs €16, a price they keep to fit the neighborhood’s budget. And this miracle has been working together with the director of the room, Xavier Insa, for nine years. And the newly added head chef, Robert Salamó, is also part of the party.
“We do the things we like. When we traveled to France and tried it Cassoulet, We try to prepare it and instead of the duck – which would break our budget – another meat. Or when we are attracted to one, We cook Thai soup based on Catalan. The good response from foreign dishes is even nicer: it is priceless to see how you enjoy them with an 80-year-old customer”.
Mitja Galta is defined as a neighborhood, open, attentive, and affordable grocery store. “We have a particularity: we are very fast and efficient because we know that the menu formula requires it because customers have to go back to work. And that’s why we try to make it as healthier as possible.” low in fat, with few sauces to make it easy to digest. At the same time, everything has to be tasty, and when life has to be complicated, we make it complicated and make sure the dishes are well prepared.”
The Mitja Galta restaurant has survived a crisis. “We lost our jobs at the same time,” says Castellón, referring to her and her partner, Xavi. Being a draftsman, I have been in the world of engineering, architecture, and urban planning for 30 years. And Xavi managed more or less the same amount of time he spent on the bench. We really liked cooking and eating, and we blindly relied on this passion. We both did chef training and put in a lot of hours of work together with our nephew, who accompanied us for 8 years.”
Even nicer is the good response from foreign dishes; it’s priceless to see an 80-year-old customer enjoying a ramen
During that time, Castellón and Insa have experienced the rigors of the hospitality industry firsthand. “He gives me and takes me in more or less equal measure,” says Castellón. However, this is not enough to prevent them from proposing initiatives such as the creation of monographic menus on specific dates, such as Sant Jordi, a festival for which they organize a tour of literary dishes in general, dishes from detective stories, or dishes inspired by dishes prepared by Ignasi Domenec. Also, For Women’s Day week, we invited moms from across the team to explain to the chef the dishes their kids liked best, and we put them on the menu by name. In addition, as a tribute, we hang their photos, and they still hang on the walls of the restaurant today.” Castellón explains that the reception of the monographs was spectacular and that customers really appreciated it as a way out of the routine. “Dealing with people is very pleasant; the presence that we have gives me the feeling that we have established ourselves as a restaurant in the neighborhood.”
