Carthusian monks were onto a good thing 900 years ago when they settled in Priorat. Located in the foothills of Catalonia, this remote region was the source of a monastery called Scala Dei. Translate the Latin to English and you get ‘stairway to heaven’, an apt metaphor for the dining delights of the area. A burgeoning boutique food and wine scene is underway in the region, as your reviewer and his comrades discovered on a recent trip.
To get to Priorat does require extensive driving on increasingly narrower roads. The distance is around 150km from Barcelona, but Priorat could also be reached from Tarragona, Zaragoza or Lleida. The mountains do appear to be reaching towards heaven and the very remoteness of Priorat is part of its charm. The towns are small – Falset, the regional capital, boasts a population of less than 3,000 – and nature takes the centre stage. Vineyards and olive groves stretch towards the skyline. There appear to be more birds and insects than people. Those whom we did meet exhibited a distinct pride for their region, and rightly so. Several told us they had made a conscious decision to settle in the area (from countries as far afield as Canada and Germany), while others described their return as a ‘homecoming’, after having lived and worked elsewhere.
The guiding culinary principle across the region is to work with all its elements. With mountains to one side and the sea to the other, both meat and fish feature. Vegetables are an equally important part of the story. Throughout, the concept of terroir features strongly. Understand what the land is giving you and then work with it. The Carthusians got this idea when they started planting vines in the 12th century. It has persisted ever since. The winemaking revolution accelerated with the ‘gang of five’ trailblazers at the end of the 20th century and is now being taken to another level. Pair new wave Grenache and Carignan with the local cuisine, and the experience could be described as heavenly.
Pieter Truyts, a Belgian, is perhaps the culinary trailblazer for the region. His restaurant, Brots, opened over a decade ago. Pieter, a much-garlanded Michelin chef in both France and Spain, says that Priorat is the region where he found he was able to “cook from the heart”. His tiny restaurant seating just 18 covers is in the village of Poboleda (population, 335). It has a Bib Gourmand from Michelin and arguably deserves more. Pieter was on hand to present the menu. This term is not accidental, for the amuse-bouches at Brots arrive on a plaster cast of the chef’s own hand. There is a quirky boundary-pushing vibe to the restaurant. It may not work for everyone, but Brots exhibits one of the truest expressions of marrying mountain and sea. One dish saw seaweed sit alongside smoked sardine and then paired with crisped pig head and neck. Another saw shrimp and sweetbreads combined. Your reviewer loved it and was left drooling.
If Pieter was early, then there are now followers. Most prominently, Relais & Chateaux opened the Gran Hotel Mas d’en Bruno two years ago. Beyond the open-air swimming pool that looks directly onto the stunning scenery, there is also a high-end restaurant, which we visited twice. Another feature for oenophiles to note is the stunning wine cellar and tasting facilities. Our group inevitably made us of these too. The food at the Gran Hotel was markedly less adventurous than at Brots, but the quality of the cooking more than made up for it. Freshly baked bread with local olive oil is a benchmark for success across much of the Mediterranean. Mas d’en Bruno passed it with flying colours. Dining highlights here included local tomatoes stuffed with tuna belly (pictured), cod cheeks cooked in a black garlic consommé and an amazing plate of veal.
To step up another level, visit Brichs in Falset. Opened even more recently than Mas d’en Bruno, it is a stunning piece of modern architecture located on the outskirts of the town. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows present guests with a view of the local scenery. Marvel at the mountains while enjoying a 10-course tasting menu (for the remarkable price of just €90/head). The culinary team here again work with the local but add a series of clever novel twists and touches. There was a playful take on the British classic of fish and chips. Substitute cod for prawn and battered potato for mashed. Execute both with panache, and what a joy. 30-day dry-aged beef with anchovy and romesco was another winner, while the deconstructed sticky toffee pudding was arguably the dessert of the trip.
End on a high. Sometimes the simplest can be the best. Our group of six were standing in a remote vineyard close to Alfarras (in the neighbouring Costers del Segre region) with the young, talented winemaker, Pilar Sallilas. While drinking her remarkable wines, she produced a ‘coca de recapte’, purchased moments before at the local bakery. A Catalonian classic, think of it as a cross between a focaccia and a pizza, without the cheese. Fine and flavoursome bread is topped with tomato, olive and local meat. Memories like this stay with one forever.