At a time when traditional Catalan cuisine is losing ground in Barcelona to offerings like brunches, poke bowls, and street food, a small establishment in the heart of the Sant Andreu neighborhood is raising the flag of resistance. This is L’Andreuenc, a restaurant located at number 87 on Neopàtria street, which just a few months ago won the award for the best "esmorzar de forquilla" (a hearty, traditional Catalan breakfast) in all of Catalonia. It achieved this at the first edition of the Pork and Fork League, held at the new Sant Miquel Fair in Lleida, known as the MOS Fair.
The winner was the chef and co-owner of the establishment, Juli Alcoriza, who in the final presented a surf and turf dish. Specifically, the proposal consisted of a "botifarra de perol" (a type of pork sausage) on boiled "mongetes del ganxet" (a type of white bean) and cuttlefish. "If you add up all the parts of the dish, it took about 15 hours of work in total," Alcoriza details, adding that it is a laborious dish that "the sofrito alone – also made from the cuttlefish – took about 6 hours of cooking."
So, although as soon as the chef won the competition he assured that he would not bring the dish to his restaurant's menu, the avalanche of new customers has made him change his mind. "At first I dismissed it because it requires many hours of cooking, but since so many people and groups of breakfast-goers have said they will come specifically to try it, I felt a bit obliged," he explains. "It's already decided, the dish will be included on the menu. I've just placed the order," he states.
Gaining visibility
This chef explains that receiving this award has marked a before and after for the business. "We entered because we wanted to promote our 'esmorzars de forquilla' (hearty breakfasts) and try to get more exposure, and suddenly, you win an award that places you on the Catalan national scene," he celebrates. "It's funny, because we fill up for lunch and dinner every day, but not for breakfast," he jokes.
However, it is now possible that this trend will change. Nevertheless, the owner himself warns that it is too early to know the exact impact the award will have on the establishment's sales, even though customers have already started asking about the dish. In any case, Alcoriza insists on the honor of having received the award. "Right now, we are in a very, very sweet moment," he emphasizes
Innovating within Tradition
The restaurant L’Andreuenc opened in 2023, spearheaded by Alcoriza and his sister Susana. From their establishment, they have always championed traditional Catalan cuisine, but with their own distinct mark to set them apart. In fact, the essence of the establishment and the dishes at L’Andreuenc lies in "not doing the same thing as everyone else." "We make traditional Catalan cuisine, but with a modern vision," says the chef, clarifying that they achieve this by "innovating dishes within tradition."
And what does this imply? Well, in practice, it means presenting typical dishes while respecting the traditional Catalan base, but experimenting with their ingredients. For example, at L’Andreuenc, they swap the veal and mushrooms of fricandó for monkfish and oyster mushrooms. Or they even use Iberian ham and peppers as the base for the classic cap i pota. "What we want is to give the dishes a little twist," he reflects.
Bringing Catalan cuisine to the neighborhood
One of L'Andreuenc's other cornerstones is its love for its neighborhood. The first business they started was also a Catalan cuisine restaurant, but in Sant Joan Despí. Although Alcoriza admits that the establishment took root well in the area after 13 years, he had always wanted to "return home" and to the streets that saw him grow up.
In this regard, he recounts with a laugh that one of the main objectives of his business was more "to bring traditional Catalan cuisine to Sant Andreu, not so much to Barcelona." "Compared to El Born, for example, our neighborhood isn't as strong gastronomically, and we're very excited to bring this type of cuisine to the neighborhood and put it on the map," he argues.
It may still be too early to assess the impact of the award he just received a couple of days ago. However, regarding his desire to put Sant Andreu on the map and make it stand out for its cuisine, there is no doubt that he has already achieved it.
Appreciating the Fork Breakfast
The Lliga del Porc i la Forquilla is the first Catalan-wide fork breakfast competition, aiming to highlight the region's gastronomic heritage and promote the pork production sector. It has been driven by the Grup de Sanejament Porcí, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health status of these types of farms.
Rafa Gimena, coordinator of the Lliga, explains to Línia that the competition "has exceeded all expectations" and that they did not expect the reception they have had from the public at all. "We were amazed by all the people who enjoy breakfasts in Catalonia, both the groups and teams of breakfast-goers who have them every week and those who don't," he says. In fact, Gimena recounts that, during the competition, dozens of users thanked the organizers for finally holding an event that recognizes the importance and all aspects of this meal. "They congratulated us for having paid tribute to this type of dish, so typical of us and with so much tradition," he insists.
Finally, Gimena emphasizes the importance of holding this competition in the interior of Catalonia, moving away from Barcelona's centralism. "It is important that a project of national and Catalan scope like this has been carried out from areas such as La Garriga, El Francolí, Santa Coloma de Farners, and Lleida," he states, adding that "it has great value in itself to move away from the big cities and demonstrate that there is also life in other parts of the territory."
