Casa Platos: the first restaurant with hi-fi music and signature cuisine in Barcelona

A restaurant where vinyl records are played. And they're played with exceptional quality thanks to a sound system worthy of a music lover willing to spend a few thousand euros. It might seem like the latest hospitality eccentricity, but this has actually existed in Japan since at least the 1950s, when so-called listening bars became popular. Barcelona already has cocktail bars and pubs that fall into this category, but a few months ago Casa Platos became the first restaurant of its kind in the city.

Signature cuisine, cocktails, and hi-fi music. That's the combination at this restaurant, which, it must be said, has an unbeatable name. Dishes on the table and music spinning on the turntable at this project by Ot Salvans, along with his partner Víctor Martínez, who opened the highly recommended Manda Huevos in Les Corts just a year ago.

Here they seek a more personal and, in a way, complex cuisine for this beautiful place in the Gràcia neighborhood where, of course, the light and decoration seem to invite more to afternoon or evening plans than to midday.

Good food, good music

Specifically, to liven up weekday lunchtimes, they've launched a new special menu on Thursdays and Fridays, combining two of their most popular dishes, creamy rice and yakitori. They're closed Mondays and Tuesdays, open only for dinner on Wednesdays, and open for lunch and dinner the rest of the week.

With the practical information out of the way, the important thing to remember is that beyond the music, the decor, and the cocktails, the food here is excellent. This is important to keep in mind because the overall atmosphere surrounding the dishes might deter those who are only interested in what's on the table.

The cuisine here, however, is somewhat elusive if one tries to assign it a label that summarizes it, because they might prepare a capipota of veal tendons and prawns, or a marine carbonara based on squid noodles with Iberian ham pil-pil and smoked eel, or a skate meunière with chili and yuzu.

Salvans' experience in the kitchens of DiverXO and Disfrutar helps explain the technique and somewhat unorthodox approach to the menu. It features high-quality ingredients, Asian influences that remain true to local recipes, and a seemingly daring reinterpretation (hake cheeks in all i pebre pil-pil sauce with 'wrinkled' potatoes) and bold flavors.

And behind that casual appearance suggested by the decor and the huge speakers on the walls, we find a kitchen that aims high and a menu that makes you want to try everything.

A pigeon Wellington and liquid cuisine

The average price of dishes is around 20 euros, although some meant for sharing, like the pigeon Wellington, go up to 35 euros. So what's a Wellington like you doing in a place like this? The question makes sense, but we insist that beyond the music and the very expensive speakers that allow for something miraculous in many restaurants—that the music doesn't disturb, but rather complements—here the cuisine is serious business.

It's not the best Wellington we've ever had, that's true. But it's tasty, and it's not exactly a common dish on menus these days, so the mere fact that they dared to offer something like this is a statement of culinary intent. There's a difference between making a good macaroni dish and this puff pastry filled with pigeon in this version. The average bill, by the way, will be around 60 or 70 euros, depending, as always, on your appetite and what you want to drink.

Although the wine list is interesting (if they have grass wines, those fresh and light unfortified sherries, it's clear they know what they're doing), the idea here is to pair the food with cocktails. 'Liquid cuisine,' we read on the menu. Yes, like at DiverXO, although without the prices and without a dedicated menu for skipping the meal. But hey, it's not a bad idea to end up at the bar listening to music and having a drink.

There's a side A featuring classic cocktails with a personal twist, and a side B showcasing original creations. While the first side offers a sakura negroni or a hibiscus spritz, the second raises the bar with a vodka 'skalivada' featuring plenty of smoked ingredients, anchovy colatura, and roasted red pepper soda, or an old fashioned with black trumpet mushrooms. Clearly, the "liquid cuisine" concept wasn't just poetic license.

"Refined cuisine," its creators claim, for what can boast of being Barcelona's first hi-fi restaurant. It certainly won't be the last. // Casa Platos. c/Fraternitat, 37, Gràcia, 08012 Barcelona