Mà de Morter

Sometimes it's a bit tiring hearing about how the food in a restaurant is just like your mama used to make. Here's a change: At Mà de Morter it's the kids cooking the food. Well, grown-up kids – it's not like you're going to get hot dogs and chips and nothing else. The Bonavida siblings, Josep (in the kitchen) and Mireia (in the dining room), however, do work along with the help of their mother, also named Mireia. 'But I do what my son tells me to do, because he's the chef,' says Mireia the mother with a laugh. Mà de Morter, in the Les Corts neighbourhood of Barcelona, is set in lovely brick and wood surrounds, and for about €11 you can get a joyful meal to perk up your mood and keep your stomach satisfied. The value for money is impressive, with a sort of 'best of' of Catalan cuisine, using slow and precise cooking methods and fresh products. You'll find 'trinxat' (a dish made with potatoes, cabbage and pork) and glazed rabbit; chickpeas with calamari and 'botifarra' sausage with 'pisto' vegetable tomato sauce; caramelised apple salad; and grilled sea bream with vegetables. Josep says, 'I have a small charcoal grill, and what it does for fish is spectactular.'

I can confirm: it's tender on inside and crispy on the outside. The fish is fresh and cooked with care on a set lunch menu for only €11. 'Every day I go to the market and the supermarket nearby and I always buy everything fresh', Josep says. 'Not everything can come from the market, but I always try to find a balance between freshness and price.' He adds that working with family also helps to that end.

Josep has chef experience both here (Talaiot and Bar Bas) and abroad (Maito, a top restaurant in Panama), the former being traditional spots where they value slow cooking and where they work to pleasantly surprise their clientele but always value creativity and especially taste. And hallelujah, at Mà de Morter the lunch menu is against fried items: 'Coming from where I come from, I always opt for slow cooking,' says Josep. 'Instead of chips I'll prepare some vegetables or pisto for you.'

And if you want a Menorcan 'caldereta' (meat or fish stew), they make a fantastic one. And here you always get the pleasure of good food without worrying about your wallet (you will pay around €15 on a Saturday, but you also get more on your plate for it). There's a crema catalana foam among their desserts even. This is a business, sure, but it's got an undeniable character of public service.