A culinary gem in Spain&#;s far north east
A version of this article is published by the Financial Times.
My ideal restaurant table is table 32, or any of the four tables along the window of the Miramar restaurant in the Catalan resort of Llançà, just up the coast from its better-known neighbour Cadaqués.
This restaurant is no more than 20 metres from the sea, separated by a path along which passers-by stroll as though they were in more fashionable San Sebastian. In the distance are the Albères mountains, the foothills of the Pyrenees. At one end is the harbour where the fishing boats and the more expensive yachts are moored.
Through another large glass window at the back of the restaurant is the kitchen. Here it is possible to follow the tranquil workings of the young chefs, immaculately turned out in their spotless white uniforms.
A great deal has changed since Montse Serra’s grandparents decided to settle here, rather than over the border in France, in But the sea and the mountains, and their collective bounty, have not.
This was what attracted the young chef Paco Pérez, who had trained under Michel Guérard at Eugénie-les-Bains in South West France, to th
Food: innovative fish- and seafood
Address: Passeig Marítim, 7, Llançà. Girona (Spain)
Phone Number: +34 38 01 32
Website:
Guide Michelin: 2 stars
What I paid: € (tasting menu per person, including water and wine)
Visited: September 30,
The MIRAMAR story is the story of Julia Cisneros and Alfons Serra. In , they moved to Llançà and built a humble beach-side restaurant. In the post-war years, a traveler asked if they rented rooms, and without hesitating, Julia said yes. That night, Julia slept on the beach, and the Miramar Inn was born. The Inn continued to grow. It started serving food and had a total of 45 rooms.
Chef Paco Pérez grew up in Llançà and in the s he fell in love with the granddaughter of the Miramar founders. Together, they converted the restaurant into a 2-star Michelin venue, and the Inn become an exclusive five room hotel.
Miramar is located on the beach, facing the Mediterranean, in Llançà, a small fishing village on the Spanish North Costa Brava coast.
The restaurant serves an avant-garde cuisine with a dedication to both the Catalonian land and sea, but with a focus on latter (i.e. fish- and seafood).
Paco Pérez dis
Miramar
Llançà, Spain
The position of this reputable restaurant with rooms gives a clear hint of what’s to come. Sitting on Llançà’s promenade, the fine-dining menu is Paco Pérez’s ode to the ocean. Rooted in the town’s fishing tradition, humble and unique ingredients are given top billing here, with panoramic windows drawing the water in further. For starters, imagine Nardin anchovies with onion petals and tomatoes. Next, a marriage of tuna and albacore with a roe garum, caviar, almonds and escabeche. A couple of pastoral dishes keep carnivores happy – pigeon ‘pie’ with hazelnut-truffle miso, irony Wagyu tartare, and the nation’s love affair with rice gets an avant-garde twist each season. While Perez continues to hone his craft, short list of classics from the Nineties prove the art resisting the superfluous. Five bedrooms, each named after a seaweed, continue the theme.
Key Information
Location
Passeig Marítim, 7, Llançà, Catalonia ,
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