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Chef de cuisine Joan Piqué Navarro, since 2002, is not only a fine chef but his very enthusiasm for combining the traditional tastes of his region (Catalan) with modern flair makes this restaurant of the 5 star Hotel Mas de Torrent a “must” for every foodie who comes to this lovely region of Costa Brava on the very north eastern tip of Spain not far from the French border. His food is full of the vibrancy created between dishes steeped in old Spain but interpreted within a modern esthetic.
Born just a bit further south in Barcelona, he has a passion for the tastes of his home counties. Located in a broad, fertile valley located in the corner of the Costa Brava known as Baix Empordà just a few minutes from the coast, Joan Piqué Navarro makes full use of the range of fresh products from the succulent locally grown vegetables to the marvelous array of local fish as well as such traditional meats as kid, salt-pork and ox-tail amongst others.
His inspiration starts with the traditional Catalonian recipes of this lovely region of Girona within which the Costa Brava with its rugged, rocky coastline sits. The time he spent at the two Michelin star Restaurant “Les Trois Marches” in Versailles, France (the restaurant of the famous four star luxury hotel “Trianon Palace” just outside Paris) brought to his native style an interesting French influence readily apparent in his dishes.
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The restaurant is located in the very lovely and beautifully restored “Mas de Torrent”, a 5 star luxury hotel and member of the Relais et Chateaux hotel chain. The ambience of the dining room with its high, open beam ceiling, like the cuisine, is modern with its style firmly set in the feel of old Catalonia. The glass walls on the outside open as doors onto a covered patio for fair weather dining. Both the dining room and the terrace have an uninterrupted view first over the lovingly maintained and decorative kitchen herb garden on a slight rise to the left and then north out over the open valley to the medieval hilltop village of Pals that glows golden in the evening sun. A 2nd dining room was being constructed for summer (god be willin’) looking out over the pool. Filled with windows and light, it will be a marvelous spot for summer dining.
We had arrived in pouring rain after a day on the Auto Route, so after a brief palate teaser to get our digestive juices going, the nice hot Fish Soup Empordà style really appealed to Linda to set the tone of the first meal at Mas de Torrent. First the bowl arrived with a thin finger of steamed white fish with a wafer of toast sitting on top and a single large shrimp lounging negligently across the whole arrived followed by the waitress and a large bowl of steaming, dark, fragrant fish soup which was carefully ladled around the fishy island in the middle. A dollop of aöli was spooned next to the fish finger. I was eager to try the Broad-Beans and Peas prepared Catalan style. It was (as we once described the food of Alain Ducasse’s Bastide de Moustiers)“haute-rustique”; a sophisticated version of a country dish prepared in a delicious broth with blood sausage and generous slices of salt pork. Rustic enough for authenticity and a delicate balance of tastes to elevate it above Grandma Vega’s home cooking.
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The wonderful bread rolls with many new and different flavors.
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Guinea fowl à la royale with turnip-celery purée.
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Roasted Kid (baby goat). A traditional recipe from Catalonian cuisine rendered in a modern style.
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Roasted Rouget (Red Mullet) with black olives, roast veggies and basil.
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Linda ordered a light and excellent fish dish of Hake in a papillote of leeks, citrus juice and licorice which, as a licorice addict, was perfect. At this point my meal started to go in a strange direction. I am glad we were there for more than one meal, because the next two courses would have sent me off to the nearest taverna otherwise. I ordered the Guinea fowl à la royale with turnip-celery purée. I think menus, even in high end restaurants, should have photos for each dish so menu challenged diners like myself could save ourselves folly. The plate arrived with the Guinea Fowl meat and entrails removed from the bone and abdominal cavity and cooked wrapped in bacon in the form of a hockey puck, though not of that consistency. A leg was propped against it and baked mushrooms served on one side with the turnip-celery purée smeared on the plate on the other. Perhaps some lovers of exotic tastes might enjoy the concoction, but the distinct gaminess did not appeal to my taste buds in the least.
I then ordered the delicious sounding Banana Crêpes flambée with rum and coconut ice cream. Sounds great, no? The bananas were round mini-hockey pucks with a taste and consistency of cardboard served open face on the two mini crêpes. The rum and coconut ice cream were fine, and managed to cover up the strange, gooey texture of the crêpe combination. Linda, sensible being that she is, ordered and received a fruit dessert that was an artistic wonder to behold. Every day, the dessert chef changed the way the fruit was designed on the plate, so while the tastes may have been similar, the visual delight was changing.
While my two course missed my mark, I more than made up for them by wolfing down a wide assortment of bread rolls all fresh and hot from the ovens and of an interesting variety of tastes some totally new to us. The local olive oil that we enjoy in place of butter complemented the breads perfectly. Perfect also was the friendly and yet professional service from young people representing the European community all working smoothly under the watchful eye the maitre d’.
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Just a small part of the lavish breakfast buffet that is one of the best we have ever experienced. This table is devoted to diet concious guests with high fiber, low fat choices.
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Hake Fish in papillote of leeks, citrus juice and licorice..
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Chef de cuisine Joan Piqué Navarro picking fresh herbs for the evenings meal in the formal herb garden that is designed into the landscaping of the hotel.
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Biscuit of Tuna with smoked eggplant vinaigrette and salt pork.
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Since we were at the hotel for several days we had the opportunity to sample much of the menu, and I have to say that my two disasters were not repeated with the subsequent dishes although to our taste, the chef showed a particular talent for fish. What he also demonstrated was an uncanny ability to make sautéed fresh vegetables taste better than any chef we have yet encountered. But what we wanted was not exactly offered on the menu but the chef was more than willing to make them the way we wanted – just sautéed, without any embellishments, farcie, soups or frills. Mind you, if you like Spring Greens stuffed with minestrone of fine herbs or a Salad of Tender Vegetable with beet vinaigrette, you will love these renditions.
You can also start with anything from a Salad of Langoustines and veal sweetbreads with almond praline, Salt-Pork and Truffle canneloni with tender onion fondue, Mille-Feuille with fried egg and fresh foie gras, Smoked Cream of spring onions with codfish and rosemary, Sea Cucumbers and Asparagus with black rice juice or a Foie Gras Sandwich with watercress mayonnaise. Well you get the idea. All his fish are fresh from the fishing boat so both the selection and the preparation may change a bit from day to day. We got to choose from Baked Codfish with ganxet white beans, Roasted Red Mullet (Rouget) with black olives, greens and fresh basil, Sea Bass with beer and apple sour, Baked Scorpion Fish with potato, onion and tomato, Rice with Lobster and Clams, Sea Bass Saltimbocca with fondue of tender onions and sweet-pepper vinaigrette. And, of course, Joan Piqué Navarro will make any changes you want unless the restaurant is swamped.
The meat dishes, depending on season, can be Veal Tenderloin cubes with Sherry juice and olive oil, Crispy Port Trotters with ratatouille, walnuts and blueberries, Roasted Kid (a very traditional local favorite) with blood sausage parmentier, Guinea Fowl à la Royale (already discussed), Roasted Squab Pigeon with foie gras blinis, Braised Ox-Tail à la mode with olives, Crépinette of Veal Tail and Snout with celery purée, Dartois of Lamb Loin with onion, Muscovado sugar and anchovy sauce, Beef Émincés with Maldon salt and virgin olive oil. Something for every taste.
Desserts range from an excellent Chocolate Coulant with Bourbon Ice Cream, a great improvement over the already mentioned Banana Crêpes, the glorious Fruit Salad, Hazelnut Cream with PX ice cream (never did find out what PX ice cream is.), Ullastret Cottage Cheese and ratafia ice cream, Pears au Gratin with almond frangipane and cacao sorbet, Lemon, Cinnamon, Mint and Passion Fruit Sorbets and the ubiquitous Cheese Platter.
Restaurant of the Hotel Mas de Torrent
17123 Torrent
Girona
Spain.
Tel: 34-972.30.32.92 & 34-972.30.11.50
Fax: 34-972.30.32.93
E-mail: reservation - information
Web site: http://mastorrent.com
Member of Relais et Chateaux.
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