Gloria Osteria

The Big Mamma Group's first restaurant in Barcelona

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  The venue, which had previously been occupied by Bellavista del Jardín del Norte and Salvaje, has more than 1,000 m2, with three rooms and two floors.

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  The interior, glamorous and with a touch of daring stravaganza, with photogenic corners ideal for selfies and a multitude of details that will amaze the avid eye -as a collector of fruit stickers, I particularlly noticed a collection of vintage orange wrappers-, was designed by Studio Kiki, Big Mamma's in-house design studio, who chose Italian marble, Murano glass chandeliers and light sculptures by designer Jacopo Foggini, mirrors, glassware à gogo, velvet, neon, and a life-size porcelain Deutsche Dogge and Afghan hound. By the way, dogs are welcome.

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  In the kitchen of this unique place is Gilberto Renna, who comes from Puglia and works under the direction of the Genoese Daniele Tasso, who started out as a pastry chef. The menu is a succession of suggestive statements, one sexy proposal after another, which complicates the task of choosing. It celebrates the gastronomic glories of the transalpine country, updated, as well as its products, which have been selected and purchased directly, without intermediaries, from 170 artisans they consider exceptional, for example Salvatore Montrone, who provides the burrata, Paolo Gennari's 24-month Parmesan, Lorenzo Bagatto's D. O. P. San Daniele prosciutto or Maison Kaviari's caviar. But they also deal with local suppliers, such as Balfegó, whose tuna is served as Tonno Tonnato, with its own sauce and capers.

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  The Brioche, mushroom cream, Spanish Wagyu and caviar bites, the Fine de Claire No. 2 oysters and the Potato millefeuille with sea bass tartare marinated in crab flesh and - yes - Ligurian Taggiasche olive powder are surprising for escaping the typical Made in Italy imagery.

  The Neapolitan pizza of red prawn carpaccio and pistachio - I don't know if from Bronte - on a base of sour cream and fior di latte mozzarella, with citrus dressing, flew.
  
  The pasta, fresh, handmade every day, is the star of essential primi piatti such as the Casoncelli stuffed with lobster sautéed in beurre blanc or the Carbonara of spaghettoni al tartufo per due, which arrive at the table on a wheel of pecorino cheese and accompanied by guanciale.

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  Secondi options: grilled fish and meats, such as a delicated turbot with pilpil and butterflied gilt-head bream bathed in mint and parsley oil with garlic chips, tagliata di manzo, the Iberian rack and the imposing 1.2 kg tomahawk to share, with two sauces and a choice of two garnishes, or the Filetto alla Rossini with fake foie gras of yearling.

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  And to finish, desserts such as the house classic “Tigramisù” with a touch of Marsala, The Incredible Lemon Tart (with a stratospheric meringue dome 18 cm high), the Baked Alaska XXL (sponge cake, gelato al cioccolato and stracciatella covered with meringue and flambéed with Grand Marnier) and for applause, Choco Clap Clap, the chocolate cake with salted caramel and crunchy coffee praline, floating in a bowl of whipped cream, pleasure at its best! A trolley of liquori e sciroppi - advertised on the street awning - appears at the end, with more than 15 references including amari and grappa.
  
  All this, and the attentive service provided by the squadra (wait staff) - the team is made up of about fifty people, most of them Italian - ensured a second visit.

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  Partners in wine? Around 70 labels, some biodynamic, from prosecco to lambrusco, including Barolos D.O.C.G. from Piemonte, and bottles of Tignanello verticale, a Tuscan wine rock star, available in various vintages.
  
  And in the cocktail bar or the sunny terrace on Enric Granados, they offer a fun list of cocktails, including a twist on the Negroni with thyme-infused gin, the Horchata Bloom or an Espresso Martini with pistachio, a nut in full bloom, as well as non-alcoholic cocktails, another emerging trend, such as the Fully Monada (infusion of fresh strawberries and camomile, lemon juice and sparkling water), the Primo Bacio (refreshing watermelon mojito, basil-lemon and soda) or the Amaretto Sober.
  
  To wit: Big Mamma has 27 trattorias with their own personality spread across Europe, including Libertino or the 4,500 m2 food market La Felicità in Paris, Coccodrillo (Berlin), Jacuzzi (London) or Circolo Popolare (Madrid). And they explore new aspects of Italian cuisine in each of their spectacular openings.
  
  Photos: Joann Pai

• GLORIA OSTERIA
• C. Enric Granados, 86
• 08008 (Eixample)
• Open daily
• gloria-osteria.com