Colmado Wilmot, Catalan, Turo Park

Colmado Wilmot

You would think a 14:30 reservation on a Thursday in Turo Park would be playing it safe. Alas no, wedged up between the door and fridge we watch as servers bustle up and down in front of us. Some of them seemingly on the same quest, to get bread, to fetch a cheque. Slightly impending the journey of one server he looks up briefly and asks us to direct our attention to “la chica”.  La chica explains that the couple at our table is paying. In the meantime, an elderly Catalan trio is turned down for not having a reservation. A foreign woman ditto but not before snarkily commenting “If they are going to charge such prices, they should have better service.” She swivels on her heel and departs.

We distract ourselves by evaluating the dishes being set down on the tables. The peeled tomato salad with capers is a definite winner.

Finally, we sit down at our small marble table. The menu starts with eggs. Fried or a pincho de tortilla, combined with everything from sobrasada and cider txistorra to eel or boquerones. Then classic starters esqueixada, ensaladilla. Mains five each of meat and seafood. Snails feature, as does cap i pota and the hyper-local canyut (a small razer clam specific to these parts).

 

has only been open for 5 months. Their Instagram is two posts on the grid and a constant repost of other people’s stories. Social Media wiliness isn’t necessary in the choice streets off to the side of Turó Park and below Galvany Market.

We order, tomato salad, croquetas, esqueixada, medio racio of meatballs, tortilla with xistorra. Pan con tomate – always. Two glasses of white. The starters arrive before the wine. The coveted tomato salad has gone from large peeled chunks to skin on slices, suggesting that the kitchen too is not keeping up. We corner our male server with the sheer force of our eyeballs, he amiably drops his task (getting someone the check) to bring over a bottle for us to try.

That’s the general vibe of Wilmot. The servers are friendly when you can stop them, and the food is good, as it should be in flavour but suffers from being rushed. The meatballs are lukewarm in the middle though the gravy is fantastic flavourwise. The txistorra hasn’t been allowed to crisp up before the cider was added and it’s limp and flabby as a result. We dare not tread into dessert waters so we opt for cortados each. Happily noting that they have been sourced from the local roasters El Magnifico.

So there it is. Whatever delays we experienced were compensated by exceedingly nice staff, who for example let us take our coffees out on the terrace so one of us could smoke. If anything the conclusion is that this pocket next to Turó Park is underserved. There is Bar Omar over on Carrer D’Amigo and Bambarol two streets over on Santaló. Both are Catalan but Bambarol is somewhat frayed at the edges design and Bar Omar is more evening with drinks. Wilmot is bright in parts, cosy in the main dining room, well designed and who doesn’t want to sit amongst hanging Joselito chorizos bathed in the blue light of the glass-fronted refrigerators that are stacked with anchovies and ventresca? Judging from how busy it was. No one.

Colmado Wilmot
C/ de Calvet, 28,
08021 Turó Park
www.colmadowilmot.com