Prize-winning restaurants: “Mala Hierba”, the sustainable restaurant whose cooking has won an award for its quality

When

28/08/2018

It is not unusual in vegetable gardens and allotments to see vegetables growing alongside a lot of plants which, in spite of having a bad reputation, fulfil a useful function. Some of them are edible (purlsane, dandelion and goosefoot). Others are used as a phytosanitary barrier, as they stop some insects from damaging crops. They also facilitate pollination and help to create ecosystems that provide support for crops. In fields where ecological agriculture is employed, it is easy to see that they are a natural resource in the fight against some pests.

There is no such thing as weeds. Roser and Fabio can prove this in their restaurant,“Mala Hierba” (literally “weed”). They opened the restaurant two years ago at Carrer Funoses Llussà 2, in Gràcia. This June, they received the Barcelona Restaurant Award for Best Quality. A great success for this couple who manage a restaurant that describes itself as sustainable and ecological.

Counterpoint In reality, "Mala Hierba" makes the contradiction clear. There is an urban vegetable garden on the terrace roof where they grow edible plants and flowers which are then used in the restaurant. These include garlic flowers, cherry tomatoes and a young avocado tree in its own pot.

An edible wood

Also on the terrace, there is a composting container for vegetable waste and coffee grounds. This reduces the volume of waste that is generated and provides nutritious humus for the garden, so that there is a natural terrace, making the most of the sloping ground. In the pipeline, a small, edible wood. Near an umbrella pine, they are going to create favourable conditions for wild mushrooms and make good use of the acidic soil to grow strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and junipers.

Roser will be in charge of this, and her idea is to create a system with native species, in order to favour biodiversity, control pests and foster natural cooperation and interdependence among species. This is permaculture: observe and reproduce natural systems with minimal human intervention. Their water comes from the city network, and they use a purification and decalcification system.

In the kitchen since he was 16

Fabio is the chef. He has been working in restaurants since he was 16, and until he opened his own restaurant, he worked on various continents, in the kitchens of chefs with stars. Roser defines his cooking as Mediterranean, because of the ingredients, the contrasts, the knowledge of other cultures applied to the dishes they make, "with an Italian touch" when pasta is the main feature. Fresh produce, most of it ecological, in season and locally produced. Faithful to the natural taste of each product, taking care with the presence and function of every ingredient in the dish.

Meat, in moderation, fish, risottos and vegetables. Because the restaurant also prepares dishes that are vegetarian, vegan, with vegetable protein only, without gluten, without lactose and without allergens. The fruit and vegetables are supplied by an ecological producer from the Baix Llobregat Agricultural Park. This is the way to promote local produce.

This Barcelona restaurant is in the higher part of the Gràcia neighbourhood, next to Parc de la Creueta del Coll. It is where the old Casa Fausto used to be. As Roser explains, the restaurant is the result of two people's desire to put their own idea about cooking into practice. Two people who met approximately two years ago while they were doing the Camino de Santiago.

As often happens, the beginnings were anything but easy. To start with, there was a landslide on the upper part of the land where the restaurant is located. Fortunately, apart from the shock, it wasn't very serious. Then they noticed that many of their customers, especially local residents, were expecting to find the tapas and meat dishes that the previous establishment had always served. And some people even asked for a well-known brand of soft drink that they do not stock. Because they have a different philosophy. "We had a different idea, for example, we thought that stocking those drinks would be a betrayal." They offer other refreshments instead. And thanks to word of mouth, they started to gain a foothold in the restaurant business.

“Weeds”? You only have to take a look at the restaurant menu to understand what it's all about. Delicacies.