Nectari

Outside, the Esquerra de l'Eixample keeps up its mid-morning hum, delivery vans and neighbours with shopping trolleys, and Nectari sits in the middle of it without raising its voice. What struck me this visit was the wine: a short list, sensibly priced, and a waiter who asked what we were eating before recommending anything. The glass came at the right temperature, poured without ceremony, topped up before we noticed it was low. That care carries into the kitchen. The cooking is Mediterranean at heart, the creative touches belonging rather than stuck on, the flavours clean and the cooking points where they should be. No fireworks, and none needed; the pleasure is in the balance, kept steady the way a good household keeps its accounts. It stays a neighbourhood table despite the ambition, the harder trick by far. Next time I'll let that waiter choose the bottle; he earned it.