A BARCELONA restaurant targeted online by unionist trolls has shrugged off their insults to celebrate a quarter of a century in business.

Restaurant Semproniana, a haunt of pro-independence supporters in the Catalan capital, suddenly started receiving insulting reviews on travel websites after its owner, Ada Parellada, organised a sopar groc (yellow dinner) to raise money for Catalan politicians who have been held in jail by Spain without trial for more than three months now.

However, The National told how she bounced back with a Burns Lunch last week and this week the Semproniana marked its 25th birthday with a bash for its regulars.

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“It was a horrible shower of criticism on the networks, written by people who had not been here,” said Parellada. “But the reaction of the clientele has been one of absolute support. It has as many customers as it had at the best times – the restaurant became fashionable as soon as it opened. It’s funny, most clients have always been my age. When we opened, people around 25-years-old came, now most of them are around 50.”

Among the regulars are Scot Mike Thom and his wife Kirsty, who live in Barcelona with their three children.

He told The National: “We had a fantastic time. There was a band and a piano, and we thought Carles Puigdemont could be hiding inside. But the police didn’t look there – they were too busy searching the city sewers.”