Catalonia Restaurants

[Pranian man]

Thanks to everyone who has posted information on e-gullet regarding eating out in Barcelona and the Costa Brava at anytime in the past. The chances are that I have read it. La Guia Roja was, naturally, my starting point. However, as some will no doubt agree, it is by no means perfect as the recommendations tend to favour only certain types of establishment which results in many omissions (however, I have never been disappointed with anywhere that it has listed). Rafa’s is a case in point. Thanks to these sources, I was able to assemble a diverse itinerary including both the rustic and the nouvelle. I was also reassured by postings on this site regarding how one should not be concerned about taking young children (aged just under 2 in our case) into restaurants in Spain. In general, we found that the more upmarket the restaurant, the warmer the welcome she received and the more likely she was to be given treats and complementary dishes. The only downside about Spain is that the restaurants don’t even open until after her bedtime at around 9pm, so all the below refers to lunchtime menus.

So, in brief, the two main highlights of the trip had to be the meals at the fabulous El Celler de Can Roca in a most unlikely suburb of Girona and the restful Mas Pau near to Figueres. Also excellent were the egullet recommended Rafa’s in Roses, La Xicra in Palafrugell and Hostal la Granota near Sils. I can also heartily recommend the star worthy and probably up and coming El-Roser 2 in L’escala. In Barcelona, for those with a limited budget, the 7 Euro lunch menu at the very pleasant Atenu (St Miguel Pl) is unmissable and the old-school Can Culleretes is also excellent value. Having only gone to so many of these restaurants due to egullet postings, I feel duty bound to elaborate a little on some of my experiences for the benefit of others planning a similar trip.

The meal at Can Roca was not only probably the best meal I have ever had, but also the best value. The four course seasonal menu at just over 40 Euros was amazing. I can hardly wait to return to sample either the tasting menu (around €50-60 I think) or the “surprise” menu (at €75). We kicked off with a flute of local cava and a selection of snacks including a (what I imagine to be) Ferran Adria style “lollipop” that seems to be quite the thing at the moment as we were served the same thing, but with different flavourings at Mas Pau. It consisted of a very thin disk on the end of a metal stick with a texture similar to that of a real lollipop but inset with sesame seeds. Also on this platter came black “olives” still with their stones, but the flesh actually made from a kind of tapenade lattice. The amuse-bouche was a platter of three distinct and tiny dishes including a multi-layered, teaspoon sized tower of very fine, delicate sheets of ….god knows what except sardines were definitely involved at one level or another. Another dish contained a few barely cooked and ever so fresh peas covered in a kind of frothy Hollandaise sauce or bechamel. The last was a small glass of a fresh vegetable and herb veloute/soup that had obviously been sieved and reduced to an almost jelly-like consistency and topped with trout caviar. The first official course of the menu was an astonishingly successful soup of foie-gras (the dominant flavour), artichoke and golden swirls of truffle oil with hints of a very fine black truffle paste. One remarkable aspect of this soup was the care that had obviously been taken to ensure that that it was served only just luke-warm, at a temperature that seemed to maximise the impact of the delicate combination of flavours. Another was that the consistency subtly changed to become almost mousse-like at the bottom of the bowl. As I say, astonishing. The fish course was delightful, even if not as clever as the soup, and consisted of a chunky fillet of (barely) roasted cod with two small cubes of a very mild tasting macaroni cheese bound with an almost invisibly thin lettuce type leaf on top. There were also a few small, translucent balls of some type of very tasty fat (?) that I was unable to identify, and the dish was decorated with a few dribbles of a some kind of sweet, possibly balsamic very sticky, reduction. Having been given a brief chance to admire this work of art, the waiter then produced a metal jug filled with an apparently traditional Catalan thin, fish soup which then swamped our bowls leaving just the tips of the cod and its unlikely accompaniments protruding like islands from the surface. The meat course was a kind of duck terrine, served hot, bound with tender, generous slices of well cooked breast meat and containing a blend of what seemed to be minced duck with chopped black truffles and larger segments of duck liver. A delicious, intensely flavoured jus (probably with red wine and meat stock or the like) covered this and much of the rest of the plate, save for a seemingly yin-yang shaped area of whitish pear and cardamon puree that, needless to say, superbly complemented the rest of the dish visually, as well as in flavour. Next came my introduction to the “concept desert”, in this case a “Trip to Havana”, but there were also other novel creations on offer such as a recreation of a perfume with some local connection and another that I think was just called “Orange”. The Havana excursion consisted of a delightfully refreshing, frozen mojito in a small desert dish with a floating, rum soaked cake and, bizarrely, a relatively large, trapezoid, frosted glass ash tray containing a (naturally) Cuban cigar made of (naturally) cigar flavour ice cream surrounded with a slim, plain chocolate coating. For anyone planning to try this, I would suggest eating the ice-cream first as its taste is not really the hint of dried, aromatic tobacco leaves that I expected and rather, was suspiciously reminiscent of the ash tray it was served in (and not a flavour that I expect to find Dino’s serving on my next visit to the region). However, the frozen mojito washed it all down nicely. The fun continued with petit fours served on a whisk embedded, mini-chopping board with sheets of chocolate lattice between the blades.

Another highlight of trip was the much praised Rafa’s in Roses. Having read so many plaudits, I couldn’t help but wonder how it could be so much better than any other place of its type. On entering, the left hand half of the long, thin, simply tiled room is taken up with a chiller cabinet and counter with the kitchen behind and on the right, a line of about eight tables with basic, wipe-down blue tablecloths, each with four pine chairs. Fortunately we had reserved a table as even on this Tuesday lunchtime, all the tables were taken and several groups of chancers turned away by Sra. Rafa(?). There was a discernible “locals”, (especially of the male variety) meeting place, feel about it, with big, strong men helping themselves to nuts from the jar on the counter. Anyway, despite my huge expectations, I was still astonished at how such simple and simply prepared ingredients could be so full of flavour. I have eaten many a langoustine that looked identical, but in comparison were almost flavourless. Chiperones, simply and probably quickly fried in olive oil were probably the highlight. The rock fish I ate subsequently, also so prepared but salted to crisp up the skin was, again, bursting with flavour. I can only assume that they somehow have access to a supplier of the very best possible ingredients and everything is literally straight out of the sea.

[Bux]

Thank you for a most welcome first post. We look forward to your continued participation here and of course, in other forums on this site. I will be the first to agree that the Michelin Guia Roja has never misled me to a restaurant I didn't enjoy. Its faults seem to be of omission and of not recognizing some real talent properly or not soon enough. The far more physically clumsy Campsa guide is a good counter balance.

[Pranian man]

One thing I forgot to ask: Does anyone know what was I expected to do at Mas Pau with the 3 types of olive oil, 3 types of salt granules and the small squares of bread that accompanied their fine section of cheeses (plus quince jelly)? Is it a case of simply dipping the bread in the oil and salt and then covering with cheese or something more esoteric? If so, why? I would usually trust the cheese makers to decide on the correct balance of flaours for their produce.

[pedro]

Thanks for your post, pranian. I'm curious about what you had at La Xicra.

Regarding your question, most likely you were just supposed to try the different types of oil, adding some salt if you felt like to. However, some cheeses in Spain are preserved and cured in oil. It's not totally uncommon to add some oil to manchego cheese. Just a little.

[Bux]

What kinds of cheeses were they? Pedro has mentioned olive oil with Manchego cheese and I've seen the combination of cheese and quince paste quite commonly in Spain and not so rarely in New York. I have also seen French goat cheese served with olive oil and fresh cheeses served with salt and pepper.

I don't know if we've discussed this before on eGullet, but I've had the sense that cheese in Spain has traditionally been a snack and tapas food rather than a last course before cheese [read dessert as Pedro suggests below] or in lieu of cheese [read dessert as Pedro suggests below]. This seems to be a more recent import from Spain. Can any of our Spanish members refute or support that.

Edited:

[pedro]

I don't know if we've discussed this before on eGullet, but I've had the sense that cheese in Spain has traditionally been a snack and tapas food rather than a last course before cheese or in lieu of cheese. This seems to be a more recent import from Spain. Can any of our Spanish members refute or support that.

I don't think we have. I assume your sentence should be read as "a last course before dessert or in lieu of dessert", I would say that's the case. In fact, it's still common in many restaurants to see cheese as starters.

[vserna]

Until very recently almost all the cheeses that are popular in Spain (with one major exception, 'picón' blue cheese from Cabrales, Tresviso or Valdeón) were hard cheeses: manchego, castellano, idiazabal, roncal, mahón... I've noticed that in most countries where hard cheeses are prevalent, they tend to be eaten as snacks or at the beginning of a meal: think of an English ploughman's lunch... Or the smoked cheese served with 'crudités' and pickles at the beginning of a Hungarian dinner.

In contrast, soft pungent cheeses will dominate (but not exclusively, of course) a French cheese plate, which is eaten near the end of the meal. BTW, in the British tradition, it was sweets first, then cheeses and other savouries, whereas in France they have cheese first and then dessert. Yet in France, centuries ago, as we're reminded by the saying 'entre la poire et le fromage' ('between the pear and the cheese'), they also had their fruit first, then the cheese.

Now that we have access to a much wider variety of domestic and foreign cheeses, including a number of great soft cheeses (the Extremadura 'tortas' made with sheep's milk in El Casar de Cáceres, Castuera, Monroy... and also some great new Catalan cheeses from unpasteurized cow's milk, and the Las Garmillas cheese from Cantabria...), the attraction of cheese as an end-of-meal course has increased in Spain.

But manchego remains the perfect companion of arbequina or manzanilla olives, Guijuelo or Jabugo ham and 'lomo' (cured pork loin), salted and pickled anchovies, roasted almonds, home-made (fried in olive oil, of course) potato chips and a half bottle of chilled manzanilla sherry to start a nice summer lunch...

Edited June 23, 2004 by vserna (log)

[Pranian man]

Wow, that image of the summer lunch is making me really miss Spain now……especially as the weather here (in London) is currently more reminiscent of November. I will be looking out for some of those cheeses as well. Spanish cheeses seem, generally, much, much underrated and only manchego is commonly available here.

As it happens, I can name precisely the cheeses I ate at Mas Pau:

Maxorata (Fuerteventura), Mogent Cendrat (Catalonia) and Ibores (Cáceres), all of the goat variety. This is thanks to their fantastic system of providing each diner with a take-away copy of the complete list of cheeses on their trolley (as well as their oils and salts) with individual selections numbered by the waiter in accordance with their positions on the plate! However, there were numerous others on offer with large selections made from cow’s and sheep’s milk as well as a few mezcla de leches and two segunda fermentaciónes. The oils and salts were served with whichever cheeses were selected, not just the harder varieties. These were part of the “Any Dali”, menu gastronómico (at just over 50 Euros) and were served immediately after the meat course - roast guinea fowl with prunes and apricots - and before the first of the deserts – a chilled pineapple soup with coconut ice cream that was probably the highlight of the whole (delightful) meal. In fact, the whole establishment is a delight – pool, gardens and all. I haven’t seen the rooms, but am currently fantasising about spending a weekend there….without children.

Regarding La Xicra – again, it was a delight. The rustic bean dishes we had for starters really stick in my mind. The freshest imaginable beans (both white and broad) were involved and came with another dish of layers of white onion in olive oil that was so amazing, I just had to ask what was going on. Apparently, they literally had just come into season and were at their absolute sweetest. They had been marinated in salt and vinegar for two hours to remove any unwanted flavours and then cleaned and served in olive oil. I have never found any Spanish onions like that over here! If you keep them for yourselves….well, I don’t blame you.

One further question, does anyone know where I could get hold of a copy of lo mejor de la gastronomica 2004 by Rafael Garcial Santos? Internet searches have so far yielded nothing – a few mentions of the 2003 version, but nothing on this year’s.

[Rogelio]

One further question, does anyone know where I could get hold of a copy of lo mejor de la gastronomica 2004 by Rafael Garcial Santos? Internet searches have so far yielded nothing – a few mentions of the 2003 version, but nothing on this year’s.

Try it here or here . They are both in spanish but they'll probably deliver overseas.

[tjdnewyork]

A question for all of you Catalonia hands out there- A few friends and I would like to take a car trip out of Barcelona this week (mid-week) to somewhere in rural Catalonia with great places to eat, nice local inns, pretty towns and scenery, etc.

We've been to Girona and environs, Tarragona, and Vic and the Pyrennees seem too cold, so we're trying to figure out where to go. We like everything from Michelin recognized restaurants to great local haunts, and would ideally prefer a combination of both. In terms of places to stay we'd prefer cheaper local places and not grand paradores or the like. I've been looking into the Priorat/Penedes areas, but Id love any suggestions there or eslewhere in the region. What do you think?

Thanks for any leads.

[Rogelio]

I spent a few days last summer in Priorat and loved it, is a spectacular region, the landscape are amazing steep mountains with some vineyards on steep slopes and others on gentle slopes of high mountain valleys. And the and the eating and drinking are worth the visit.

It's plenty of lovely little villages like Siurana, Porrera, the ruins of Scala Dei...

We stayed in a rural house in Porrera called Mas Ardevol, they have different houses acording to the number of people you are.

Eating tips:

- Fonda Emilio in Les Borges del Camp (Avda. Sra. de Gener, 65 Tel: 977 817 025) is a must for local cooking with a modern touch with a very friendly service.

- Irreductibles in Gratallops Gratallops (c/ De la Font, 38 Tel: 661356766) owned by local winemakers, good modern cooking in big portions and great wines by the glass.

- Quinoa in Falset Falset (C/ Miquel Barceló 29 Tel 977 830 431) it's got interesting modern dishes and interesting wines.

Hope this will convince you

[butterfly]

Are the wineries in Priorat open to the public or does the best "tasting" get done at local bodegas/enotecas?

[Rogelio]

The wineries are open but you have to call in advance to arrange a date.

And the local bodegas/enotecas are almost unexisting, they are starting to open restaurants where you can have some wines by the glass, but it's still an underdeveloped rural area (for good and for bad)

[docsconz]

If you haven't been a trip to Montserrat is certainly beautiful and worthwhile. While in the area you could head to Manresa to dine at Aligue , a very nice little restaurant indeed. Also nearby is a lovely Parador called the Duques de Cardona in Cardona. It is an old castle with plenty of charm.

[Luis Gutiérrez]

I spent a few days last summer in Priorat and loved it,  is a spectacular region, the landscape are amazing steep mountains with some vineyards on steep slopes and others on gentle slopes of high mountain valleys. And the and the eating  and drinking are worth the visit.

Rogelio, if you liked Priorat you have to visit the Douro. It's like Priorat multiplied by ten!

Cheers,

Luis

[pedro]

Another area I enthusiastically recommend is the Empordà. Close to the sea but rural just a few miles from the coast. Villages like Torrent, Fontanilles and many others offer a wide range of lodging options.

I don't know if you consider that area as the environs of Girona, but certainly meets your requirements.

[tjdnewyork]

Thanks to all of you for the info. Priorat was excellent. I highly recommend the area to anyone seeking a getaway from Barcelona. We stayed in Gratallops at Hostal Elvira (30 euros for a clean, decent double room) and ate in Gratallops at Irreductibles. This place is gourgeous and I found the food very nice. Super knowledgable Swiss manager who was really really good on the wines. Food was Catalan stuff prepared by a Brasilian chef with flair and skill. Calcots Tempura, with Butifarra sauce, delicious rabo de toro in a orange sauce, a very good olive oil ice cream to end. Expensive for the location--32 euros each for the lunch menu, without wine--but I think worth it. We went to Clos de L'Obac vineyard and the person there was nice and very generous with his time. A bad restaurant is called Cassola, just outside Gratallops. Angry, embittered people who toss the wine and bottle opener on your table and present a dreary array of food. At least it's cheap. For runners or hikers there is an excellent trail through vineyards, forest, and fields from Gratallops to Torroja del Priorat. We also went to Fonda Emilio in Borges del Camp which was decent.

Go to the Priorat--it's great.

[pedro]

. . . . .

We also went to Fonda Emilio in Borges del Camp which was decent.

It seems you didn't enjoy much Fonda Emilio. Would you please tell us a little bit more of your meal there? It's the first non positive comment I hear about them (I haven't been there) and I'm curious to know more about your experience.

[tjdnewyork]

Pedro,

It was good but we were there quite late in the day and we were the only people at lunch in the huge dining room so it felt a bit weird. They didn't rush us at all but the place felt like it should have had 60 people in there, not just the three of us. The food...First a canneloni which was good, but not great. Then again maybe I am just horribly sick of canneloni after eating so much of it in Catalonia. I can't remember my main dish. It was better than the canneloni, whatever it was. The place is nice and the service was highly professional. The only problem is that the room has a sweeping view of the restaurant parking lot. They had a good selection of local wines--I think we drank a Clos Nelin. I suspect we would have had an entirely different experience if we were there when the place was in full swing.

[nathanm]

I will be traveling in the Barcelona area and the countryside evirons in mid May for about 5 days. I'd like recommendations as to the best restaurants to go to. My main interest is high end, cutting edge Spanish/Catlan gastronomy. In my definition this ranges from the extreme experimental end to the more modern classic.

El Bulli would be the ultimate example, but that is probably not achievable at this point without a direct act of God (I'm praying !)

From what I can tell from eGullet and elsewhere, I should visit El Celler de Can Roca, L'Esguard and Can Fabes.

Can Fabes is less experimental perhaps than the others but from what I have heard I really want to go there.

Abac and Alkimia are both recommended elsewhere on eGullet.

Apparently Sergi Arola of La Broche in Madrid has opened a restaurant called Arola in the Hotel Arts Barcelona. Any comments on it? Some early comments on another thread were extremely negative.

Are there other restaurants that I should consider?

OK, now here is the more difficult question - if I can't do them all, are they are comments on which ones I should definitely not miss?

Comments on any of these (either logistical, or cullinary) would be great. By logistics I mean if there are recommendations on places to stay nearby, or how to get there, or other information that is not otherwise obvious. I have traveled a lot in Spain and will be with fluent Spanish speakers.

[nimzo]

In Barcelona I would put Cinc Centits right at the top of my list both in terms of service and quality of food. Go for the Omakase menu and trust Jordi. I have had poor experiences at Alkimia, Hisop and Commerc but all due to appalling service rather than quality of food. Out of town I really enjoy Mas Pau just outside Figueres, good restaurant, comfortable accomodation and very good pricing.It is also handy for Bulli if you get lucky.

[Bux]

From what I can tell from eGullet and elsewhere, I should visit El Celler de Can Roca, L'Esguard and Can Fabes.

I would certainly include San Pau in Sant Pol de Mer. If your focus is on creativity and quality, perhaps Can Roca is the one I'd most recommend. We had a lovely meal some years ago at L'Esguard, but it would be my last choice of the four. Unfortunately, my visits to all those restaurants were not recent.

For Can Roca we stayed in Girona and took a taxi to the restaurant in the suburbs. Sant Pol has valet parking, or so I recall. It's also accessible by commuter train from Barcelona. The station is a block or so away. I don't recall seeing hotels nearby.

[Bux]

One member was unhappy, to say the least, with Arola in the Hotel Arts in Barcelona. Comments here.

I assume you've researched the forum, especially the recent topic on El Celler de Can Roca.

[Judith Gebhart]

One member was unhappy, to say the least, with Arola in the Hotel Arts in Barcelona. Comments here.

I assume you've researched the forum, especially the recent topic on El Celler de Can Roca.

←

I want to recommend Can Jubany, a restaurant just outside of Vic. We have dined there twice three years ago. At the time RGS was less than enthusiastic about this chef, rating him a 7. We found this chef to be very talented.

In 2005 Can Jubany recieved an 8 point status by RGS on his 10 point scale. Needless to say no one in Spain has achieved a 10 point status. Ferran Adria has been given by RGS a 9.75 rating for 2005. THis is the highest status RGS affords any chef in Spain. RGS is Basque.

Andoni Luiz Aduriz achieves a 9.5 rating in the Basque country as does M. Berasategui for 2005. For those unfamiliar with RGS ratings, Sant Pau ( a wonderful female chef without equal) is rated 8.5 by RGS . He also rates Santamaria, the truly talented chef of El Raco con Fabes with an 8.5. RGS is a respected reporter of the best of chefs in Spain. His Spanish guide book is named: Lo mejor de la gastronomia. The RGS is Rafael Garcia Santos. Consider his recommendations for any of your culinary evaluations when in Spain.

Can Jubany's chef has clearly advanced since our last visit. His talent was evident to us three years ago. We return to his restaurant in May 2005 to experience his latest culinary achievements. There are other new talents in the provinces north of Barcelona that deserve your attention. We are exploring them this next trip and hope to report our findings. With respect, Judith Gebhart

[Bux]

RGS has an extreme prejudice for creative cooking. My understanding is that his reviews are dependable in that genre, but he tends to dismiss traditional chefs. He considers Wylie Dufresne as the best chef in the US.