English
According to social anthropologists, all human groups create microworlds in their habitable spaces, among them, those secret places which joins couples and which generally look to differentiate themselves from the rest or escape power and its ability to co-opt uniformity. Maybe because of that, Barcelona is a city full of secret places, since we have to remember that this city has distinguished itself for being one of the cradles of anarchism in Spain and being culturally open to all avant-gardes, even to present ones.
So, down to the point, let´s tell you how to get to know Barcelona and understand its culture and history from those secret worlds which attract us like a magnet.
One of these places with a whiff of clandestinity is ´Tintorería Dontell´. Behind rows of hung clothes there´s an enigmatic door which takes us to the best guarded secret by its owners, the restaurant. Founded in 1909, it´s located on Carrer Aribau. It´s a place of prestige and its visitors play with this wonderful clandestine complicity. You can take your clothes to be washed, but disappear in the back shop and see its complete and special services. To their Mediterranean cuisine they add private concerts, secret wine tastings and other activities. To access this place there are two ways: one is that you integrate as a member in the clandestine network and that has privileges in discounts, and the other is to go as a normal citizen with your clothes to the dry cleaners and go to the restaurant through the secret door.
From Monday to Thursday you can order a complete ´lavado´ (menu) for 35 euros, and there´s a special programme at night called ´lavado Urban´, to take a break from your everyday chores. We do recommend making a reservation in advance so that you can have a table, and to do that you just have to send an email to this address: info@tintoreriadonatell.com.
Jezebels Wine is a clandestine bar which has the singularity of having menus according to the events which are stated on their webpage. The dinners are according to the season and the unique will of the chef Katleen. This bar restaurant is a true clandestine place, where the chef prepares impressive dishes which mix flavours and sensations that make the visitors addicts to this type of cuisine. And so, your visit will happen many more times. You can make reservations and pre-pay with Paypal or directly write to this email address: info@jezebelsclandestinedining.com
El Mutis is a clandestine cocktail bar whose location is in a flat without any signs and that the attendants cannot talk or reveal its secret, so that it doesn´t break the circle of mystery and magic which surrounds it.
Also magic is the clandestine restaurant ´Kokun´, where the experimented chef Xavi Manero and Montse, the economist and administrative manager of the restaurant offer the unique service of one private dinner per week at their home. The cuisine is based on specialities of the Basque-Catalan cuisine and it´s limited to groups of 8 to 14 people
Enjoy December in a different way renting apartments in Barcelona and looking for all those fascinating places that this magical city keeps.
Translated by: aleixgwilliam
