With a country that has over 75% of its perimeter bordered by water, you would hope the Spanish know a thing or two about fish. Travel to almost every seaside town in the country and you can expect to find some pretty decent cooking. But how to choose? When a restaurant is recommended by a top nearby winemaker whom you respect highly and features in the Michelin guide, then that’s a good starting point.
Located in southern Catalonia close to Reus, La Llotja ticks both these boxes. Local chef Marc Miró says humbly that the “flavour and produce” are the main stars at his restaurant. The success of the venue lies in having developed long-standing relationships with nearby fishermen and other producers. The same principle applies with La Llotja’s approach to wine, favouring careful selection and partnering mostly with producers from nearby Priorat and Montsant.
The best way to experience La Llotja is to sample its tasting menu (a veritable bargain at €79 per person). This allows Marc Miró and his team to paint with the broadest palate, based on what the fishermen bring in and what is seasonally available. It also explains the restaurant’s name: “Llotja” in Catalan comes from the Latin “loggia.” Think of it as a lodge, or an exchange, where artisan products are transformed into culinary magic. The alchemy is less show, and more a philosophy. Keep things simple, execute well and let the quality speak.
Over three hours (which could happily have been longer) our group of five traversed through La Llotja’s tasting menu. Although the first group in, soon every table was taken – even in out-of-season January – and it soon became evident why. An amuse bouche duo of pumpkin soup topped with prawn oil accompanied by a mouthful of the venue’s take on bacalhau (salt cod and potatoes) spoke volumes in terms of quality. Flavour intensity was off the scale.
The sign of a great venue was that our quintet voted each subsequent dish across our eight-course menu as potentially being the best so far. Miró and his team certainly ramped up the quality as the meal progressed. If forced to choose, your reviewer would call out the sardine fillets and sautéed baby squid as the most memorable plates. The former (pictured) sees the fish marinated in a traditional local style, served with almond oil and raspberry vinaigrette, then topped with a Catalan flourish of tomato crostini. The squid was an exercise in masterful simplicity: fry, add caramelised onions, and enjoy. Word to the wise for all visitors – keep asking for bread. You will want to mop up the sauce from each dish.
Were there quibbles then they would be minimal. The catch of the day (an intriguing black scorpion fish) was somewhat underwhelming, a rare anomaly across an otherwise great spread. Or group all felt too that a bit of relief, in the form of accompanying vegetables or salad, would have been welcome. Nonetheless, we left the restaurant smiling, helped by lovely service, great wines and memorably good cups of coffee with which to conclude. Mark this name, there’s llots to like about the venue.