52 replies to this topic

[Silly Disciple]

sockster,
remember that most of the market is closed on Monday, save for the stalls in the front which are more oriented to tourism these days.

mar,
we'll be there for a long time, hopefully, so there should be plenty of occasions.

[Dan Ryan]

Well, I'll definitely stop by on Saturday then, maybe even at the same time as Steve. Get that extruder going, and good luck...

[Silly Disciple]

I'm typing this sitting in our stall, in the Boqueria market. Pretty much everything is in place, plus or minus a few details.
We just finished lunch and are about to start producing what should be the first batch of stuffed pasta, to be sold tomorrow morning... I am a happy man.

[docsconz]

I'm typing this sitting in our stall, in the Boqueria market. Pretty much everything is in place, plus or minus a few details.
We just finished lunch and are about to start producing what should be the first batch of stuffed pasta, to be sold tomorrow morning... I am a happy man.

Fantastic! What is the first batch going to be?

[Silly Disciple]

I'm typing this sitting in our stall, in the Boqueria market. Pretty much everything is in place, plus or minus a few details.
We just finished lunch and are about to start producing what should be the first batch of stuffed pasta, to be sold tomorrow morning... I am a happy man.

Fantastic! What is the first batch going to be?

Today we're making both veal ravioli and eggplant pansotti (triangular ravioli).

[Chris Amirault]

Great news. I'm sure I speak for many here in saying that -- if you can hand a digital camera to a by-stander while you toil! -- I'd love to see the production in process.

Now that you're about to open, can you share with us some of the business information? What is your price range? How does your supply chain work? Who's staffing it?

[Gabe Quiros]

Hey Silly

Congratulations on the opening of your stall. I'm not sure exactly when I will be back at the Boqueria, most likely some Tuesday or Thursday when they send me again with the driver from elBulli to do the weekly shopping there. I'll let you know a few days before. If not then in early October when I leave Spain I will go by Barcelona for a few days so I will definitely go by then. Good luck.

[Silly Disciple]

Chris, to answer your questions:

The plain pasta, such as spaghettis, are in the 7-10 euro range per kilo, depending on the ingredient( plain egg, beetroot, spinach, squid, saffron, pumpkin, etc.)
The stuffed pasta (ravioli, pansotti, etc) is in the 15-18 euro range, also per kilo and also depending on the filling, and it can go above these prices for things like Xmas specials, like foie ravioli.

We also have a lunch menu, for a price that will be around 6-7 euros, for a bowl of pasta, a drink, a piece of bread and either a starter (ie we're making gazpacho now) or a dessert. We haven't started serving the full thing yet, as we need to adjust the logistics of our main product, the pasta itself.

As for the supply chain, we have the best produce we can ask for, coming from the market itself. Most of the ingredients we use, save for flour and some cheeses, are not 50 feet away from our stall. We can daily adjust our production accordingly, and offer the freshest products right at their peak. We're so lucky to have the opportunity to do so, as I think there are very few establishments (save for high end or product oriented places, of course) who can do this. In a way we are doing market cuisine, from within the market!

[Dan Ryan]

A successful opening gathering yesterday evening for the privileged invited few, and the even-more-privileged blagging many. It was great to meet Silly Disciple and chat about their ideas and prospects. There'll be no problem getting customers if they continue to give away such delicious free wine, but I suspect it won't form the basis of a very stable business model. Anyway, the stuffed pasta was coming out great - I'll be interested to see how they keep up with the volume there - and there were some nice variations in the long stuff: cuttlefish ink, beetroot (one of my favourite tricks too, that one). The stall also looks even more striking than the photos suggest: those fabulous tiles really do stand out. So good luck to Silly, Pedro and the boys, and I look foward to renewing a bit of England/Argentina rivalry with them on the football field, with many days of pasta-based refuelling.

No photos because, well, I haven't got a camera. But there were at least a couple of journos there, so expect coverage soon...

[GeordieSteve]

I'll endorse what Dan said: thanks very much to Silly and Pedro for the hospitality. The pasta was first class and they certainly proved that they have the ability to keep it coming when demand is high!

Best wishes for the future of the stall; I'll certainly be going myself when I treat myself to some complex carbohydrates and I'll spread the word of the good things that you are doing as well as I can.

[RichardA]

Hi Silly:
Do you have a menu in English online? I will be in Barcelona in Oct. and will stop by your stall.

Richard

[Silly Disciple]

Hi Silly:
  Do you have a menu in English online?  I will be in Barcelona in Oct. and will stop by your stall.

Richard

Hi Richard,
Since we change our menu following what we find fresh in the market every week we don't keep an updated menu online, although perhaps we should.

On any given day we will have three or four different types of plain pasta (as in not stuffed), like egg, tomato, spinach, squid ink, beet root, whole flour, etc.

Then for stuffed pasta we usually have at least one meat filling (it might be pork or veal), one or two seasonal vegetable options, and one special.

For instance, now we have a Butifarra (Catalan sausage) with mushrooms and onions ravioli, a spinach and Ricotta ravioli, a beetroot and goat cheese panzerotti, and an eggplant and Pecorino panzerotti.

We also have at least three home made sauces to choose from, as well as soup and an alcohol-free sangria.

Also, we do have the daily menu in English in our stall, so do stop by when you visit the Boqueria, I'm sure you'll find something you like.

[RichardA]

Thanks Silly. See you at the Boqueria in October!

[skiter53]

Silly Disciple, I will be in Barcelona next week, and I'll stop by to check out your stall!

[nathanm]

I was there this week - the smoked ricotta ravioli and the beet ravioli were both excellent!

[caseyell]

Just read this thread through from the beginning. I adore your wonderful market, but since I only get to barcelona every couple years I'm e-mailing dear friends there to alert them to your stall. I know they'll love your pastas.

[IrishAdventurer]

Just back from BCN, and visited the stall last Wednesday. My wife and father both agreed that the pasta was top-notch, we really enjoyed it, and it was very good value too. Keep up the good work!

[Kenbo]

I would just like to add my congratulations to Silly and also a big thank you. My wife and I were in Barcelona in June, a couple of days before he was due to open. I called in to say hello and he very kindly spent some time giving us both advice and directions on where to eat during our stay. We had a great time with a very memorable meal at Abac amongst other highlights. Life has been very busy since we got back and I'm ashamed at how long it has taken me to get round to thanking you Silly. The stall and samples you had out that day (it was the Friday just before you opened I think) looked fantastic.
We will definately be returning to Barcelona!
Ken

[Silly Disciple]

Thanks everyone for the comments, it's always a pleasure!

[Brett Emerson]

I'm coming to Barcelona at the end of September and I'll be sure to drop by your stall.

[Silly Disciple]

I'm coming to Barcelona at the end of September and I'll be sure to drop by your stall.

great, we'll be waiting for you!

[Matthew Grant]

I Hope your still waiting when I get there at the beginning of October

[Vinotas]

Are you guys around next week? I'll be on Carrer Valencia in a rented apt (I posted above about good stalls at Boqueria then saw this thread), so I'd love to swing by.

I get in on Sunday night, FYI.