D’aquí: local products and daily menù

Elena Mazzoni Wagner

* Update: Since 24th March 2014, D’aquí is at number 3, Carrer de Venus (200 meters away from the old address in Carrer de Santa Tecla, 8) with more space, more tables, more delicious and healthy dishes! * [The PHOTOS are of the old address].

BARCELONA If you love food, the good and healthy one, which is from the near garden and not from the other side of the world, you must come here. At number 3, Carrer de Venus (Gracia), there is D’aquí: a sustainable cuisine of quality, which uses only bio and local products. Vegetables, fruits, meat and fish: all locally produced and fresh. The daily menù, which changes depending on season and market, offers (not only) Spanish and Catalan dishes; other rule, there is always a vegetarian option. I’am not vegetarian but I love vegetables and here I ate the best humus ever eaten in my life, along with couscous and a mix of vegetables cooked in a delicious sauce. With up to 9/12 euros (+ 1 euro for drink), you can really have a memorable lunch.

* Philosophy: D’aquí se compromete a elaborar sus platos con productos catalanes, productos de aquí. Así colaboramos con el desarollo de la economía local y disminuimos nuestro impacto ambiental. Siempre que sea posible, incorporamos productos biológicos para cuidar tu salud y la del entorno. Un consumo responsable pasa por un consumo local, por un consumo de aquí.

And this explains the name! D’aquí (“from here”) because all the dishes – soups, quiche, gazpacho, paella or fideuá de mariscos (seafood), fruit salad, natural yoghurt and cereals, puddings, muffins, magdalene with pistachios and honey, catalan cream, etc… – are rigorously prepared with Catalan products, from here! And when the product is good, even the simplest recipe turns food into something special.

The person who have created all this piece of culinary heaven is Cécile. She’s French but has been living in Barcelona from years and she says that waking up in this city, full of light and colors, makes her happy every morning. Few years ago, she started welcoming locals and travelers from around the world, cooking with true love and always serving with a smile.

With a simple and friendly design, the little place offers few places to sit: if you want to be comfortable, avoid the rush hour of lunch time or take away! Among the kitchen and the counter, the large transparent glass tell us: “here we cook with love”. While the right wall, as you enter, show photographs of people and details mostly from Barrio Gracia.

D’aquí is a 2-minute walk from the metro station Diagonal, right at the beginning of Gracia, one of the most creative neighborhood of Barcelona, characterized by small squares full of kids playing – during the day – and bars with terrace where tapear and drink cerveza (beer) – in the evening; while, crossing the little streets, it’s impossible not to stop to look at inside the many independent stores, some really unique; here is the place for local craftsmanship and creativity by young artists and designers.

From Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 7 pm, you can meet Cécile or check out the daily menù on the website and order (before 13.00) your meal at home, which is delivered by bike! So, the environmental impact is zero. And that’s not all. If you ask in advance, here you can also go for shopping: you can have fruits and vegetables, meat and eggs, bread and olive oil, tomato sauce and various jams, etc… from the local farmers that daily serve the kitchen of D’aquí.