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Where to eat in Costa Brava

I will reveal one of my biggest secrets here.

 

I am in love!

 

I am in love with Costa Brava and also with its food. I usually don’t like the Mediterranean food that much, especially because I don’t eat seafood but the cuisine in Costa Brava got the best out of me.

My last time when staying in luxury villas in Costa Brava, we tried different kind of options when it comes to food – from healthy, to interesting flower meals, to traditional Catalan meals

 

Check out my favorite places where to eat in Costa Brava:

 

1. La Calendula

La Calendula in Girona with the owner and the main cook Iolanda who is very good on social media, expecially on Twitter and encourages the guests to tweet. She even has her own hashtag #gastroflors. Iolanda studied biology and all her meals are influenced by the nature. She uses flowers and herbs in all the meals and even picks them up herself in the forest.

 

The absolutely amazing menu I had there and will never forget:

Marigold tempura appetizer

cold tomato and strawberry soup with fresh cheese and flower petals starter

mint risotto with fresh broad beans with ecologic rice from Pals

Elderflower sorbet

forest herbs infusion tea

Gala de Flors – homemade beer of flowers ( I didn’t try it as I don’t drink alcohol but the oh-my-god faces my friends were making said it all)

 

cold tomato and strawberry soup in La Calendula restaurant

cold tomato and strawberry soup in La Calendula restaurant

mint risotto with beans in La Calendula

mint risotto with beans in La Calendula

dessert in La Calendula

dessert in La Calendula

 

2. Emporium

Emporium hotel and restaurant – run by 2 twins, one cooks and the other one serves, is a very special place. Situated in Castello d’Empuries so if you are visiting here, you just gotta have lunch/dinner at this restaurant. One of the best desserts I’ve ever tried (and I am a real dessert freak).

 

Our menu in Emporium hotel consisted of:

 

chocolate tender pinenuts

tomato biscuit with olive oil and romanin

beetroot cornet with anchovies and mustard – the smallest ”ice cream” I have ever had in my life

mackerel with vegetables and partridge

cod with Santa Pau beans

catalan custard with red fruit, cinnamon and moscovado – dessert

grue cacao truffle

 

beetroot cornet with anchovies and mustard in Emporium restaurant

beetroot cornet with anchovies and mustard in Emporium restaurant

catalan custard with red fruit, cinnamon and moscovado dessert in Emporium restaurant

catalan custard with red fruit, cinnamon and moscovado dessert in Emporium restaurant

 

 

3. private chef Jordi from I cook It

 

The great thing about Jordi and his wife Ana is that Jordi does cooking workshops and when cooking, he explains what he does and let you cook with him. Jordi is based in Figueres but he cooked for us in the third Charming Villas house.

 

Lola, Jordi and Leah cooking

Lola, Jordi and Leah cooking

 

We could taste typical Catalan dishes. We started with the simplest dish which sometimes is the best one – pan con tomate. Believe it or not, but it was there where I learned how to make it. Just make a toast, cut a tomato in half and rub the pulp it into the bread until only the tomato skin is left and then use a bit of olive oil and salt on top. Delicious! We accompanied the bread with anchovies and guys also with pork and sausages.

 

Why tomato bread is so famous in Catalunya? Tomato got to Spain only in the 15th century from the American continent but it is said that the Catalan cuisine started using tomatoes during the Spanish Civil War when people had not much more than tomatoes to go with bread.

 

Then Jordi showed us how to make cold Spanish gazpacho soup but not only with tomatoes but also strawberries. Gazpacho is a summer dish to cool down your body, that’s why it is made cold and not hot.

 

tomato and strawberry gazpacho Jordi from I cook it prepared for us

tomato and strawberry gazpacho Jordi from I cook it prepared for us

 

Jordi also showed us quickly how to make suquet juicy seafood stew but as I don’t eat seafood, he prepared a special one for me with just fish. Liked the combination with the potatoes.

 

The funniest thing was to learn how to make a very traditional Spanish dessert Crema Catalana (Catalan Cream) that is widely offered in the restaurants all over Costa Brava and also other parts of Spain.

 

I never realized you have to burn the sugar on top of the cream to caramelize it. Jordi used a heated iron with a spiral shape. You learn something new every day, right?

 

burning the sugar on top of the crema catalana

burning the sugar on top of the crema catalana

 

 

4. Compartir

This new restaurant situated in the old tow of Cadaques was my favorite one when it comes to starters and then all the different cheese used in most of the dishes. Founded by three friends who initially worked together in the famous elBulli restaurant, now put all the magic together to create Compartir meals. Very young and friendly atmosphere, together with modern design and lovely staff is all you can find here. And then all the delicious meals, OMG!

I fell in love with this place already when we were served beetroot appetizer with cream. I swear to God this was the best appetizer I have ever had in my life and even containing one of my favorite ingredients ever – beetroot. I could eat this every day, true story! Fish, other pica-pica and the desserts (e.g. the cinnamon-berry ice cream) were of high quality and taste too.

 

beetroot specialty in Compartir restaurant in cadaques

beetroot specialty in Compartir restaurant in Cadaques

anchovies in Compartir restaurant

anchovies in Compartir restaurant

delicious ice cream in Compartir Cadaques

delicious ice cream in Compartir Cadaques

with the Mayor of Cadaques and the Compartir restaurant crew

with the Mayor of Cadaques and the Compartir restaurant crew

 

5. MOS restaurant

Located just at the waterfront of Cadaques in a beautiful historic building with pretty ceiling, can be a great place to dine out if you are staying in Cadaques and would like something close by. I had fish, vegetables and tasty dessert – a home-made cake.

a cheese plate in MOS restaurant

a cheese plate in MOS restaurant

fish I had in MOS restaurant in Cadaques

fish I had in MOS restaurant in Cadaques

 

6. private chef Lee Pennington

Lee cooked dinner for us when we stayed in Sa Costa luxury villa in Cadaques the first night. I was pretty tired after all the traveling that day so I couldn’t enjoy the dinner as much as I would love to. But the spinach with chickpeas, potatoes and then apple pie with strawberries? I am sold!

 

Having dinner Lee Pennington cooked for us in Sa Cista luxury villa

Having dinner Lee Pennington cooked for us in Sa Cista luxury villa

spinach with chickpeas

spinach with chickpeas

 

 

7. El Celler de Can Roca

You won’t believe me but we did visit the second best restaurant in the world – El Celler de Can Roca! It was founded by three brothers, Jordi, Joan and Josep Roca and the restaurant was awarded the third star by the Michelin Guide. We had a little tour of it to see the behind the scenes, how busy everyone there is to make every experience there the best ever! We were also lucky enough to enter their wine cellar. OMG, so many wine bottles!

in El Celler de Can Roca

in El Celler de Can Roca

truffle balls in El Celler de Can Roca

truffle balls in El Celler de Can Roca

 

8. La Barretina d’Orfes

This restaurant situated in the little village of Orfes. This restaurant doesn’t have a website and is pretty non-existent on social media too but if you find your way there, you should definitely pull over to get the most traditional Catalan food here. Very rustic, but so delicious. It is not the best place for the vegetarians though. But meat was pretty tasty (I had chicken and fish as I don’t eat red meat)!

 

one of the meat dishes in La Barretina d’Orfes in Orfes village

one of the meat dishes in La Barretina d’Orfes in Orfes village

 

 

PS: If you want to taste the most delicious vegetarian paella ever, ask Joan 🙂 It was as finger-licking as big it was!

the biggest vegetarian paella we had in Sant Mori castle

the biggest vegetarian paella we had in Sant Mori castle

 

PS 2: If you are staying in Cadaques, or anywhere close by, and would love to meet up with the most handsome guy of the whole town, go to Can Rafa and ask for Rafel 😀 He can really cook as he did cook for us in their wineyard Celler Martin Faixo. Loved the white beans and the tomato bread with anchovies, my favorite there (I mean after Rafel’s pretty face :)) And the whole family of Martin Faixo are sweethearts!

 

traditional Catalan dishes we had for lunch at wineyard Celler Martin Faixo

traditional Catalan dishes we had for lunch at wineyard Celler Martin Faixo

Around the world – Castillo de la Glorieta in Sucre

main gate to Castillo de la Glorieta

I think that Castillo de la Glorieta is one of the places you should visit in Sucre, Bolivia. At least I mentioned it as one out of 12 things to do in Sucre.

The castle is open from Tuesdays to Sundays from 9 am to 4.30 pm. The entrance fee for foreigners is 20 Bolivianos with 10 Bolivianos if you want to take photos/videos. You can get there by a local bus number 4. The castle is situated just 5 kilometres from Sucre on the road to Potosi.

main gate to Castillo de la Glorieta

main gate to Castillo de la Glorieta

the entrance to the Castillo de la Glorieta

the entrance to the Castillo de la Glorieta

The Castillo de la Glorieta in Sucre was the home of Don Francisco de Argandoña and his wife Clotilde. It was built in the end of the 19th century (finished in 1897) in the eclectic style by the architect Antonio Camponovo together with and Argentinian architect. The castle is one of the most curious buildings from the republican period and mixes the styles, such as Gothic, Manierista, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical and Spanish Mudejar. It is one of the most important buildings that the husbands left behind and that reflects the places they visited in Europe.

one of the three main towers of Castillo de la Glorieta

one of the three main towers of Castillo de la Glorieta

The husbands were made Prince and Princess of the Glorieta in 1898 by the Pope Leon 13.

Castillo de la Glorieta was declared a ”National Monument” in 1970.

the view of the Princess Tower of Arab style

the view of the Princess Tower of Arab style

the view of the Gothic Church Tower of Castillo de la Glorieta

the view of the Gothic Church Tower of Castillo de la Glorieta

There are three towers in the castle: the English Gothic Church Tower reminds of London Big Ben, it’s 25 m tall and has 4 watches. The second tower is the one of the Princess Tower of Arab style and 30 m tall. The last tower is the tallest one – the Prince Tower (of Russian Byzantine style) which has 108 steps and is 40 m tall. I climbed it up and got a cool view of the surrounding areas and the military base outside the castle.

Prince Tower of Castillo de la Glorieta

Prince Tower of Castillo de la Glorieta

at the Prince Tower of Castillo de la Glorieta

at the Prince Tower of Castillo de la Glorieta

finally climbed 108 steps to the top of the Prince Tower

finally climbed 108 steps to the top of the Prince Tower

Apart from the towers, the garden and the chapel, there is not much to see inside the castle. The rooms are mostly empty, just some beautiful old mirrors and remains of the beds are there.

what is left in one of the bedrooms of Castillo de la Glorieta

what is left in one of the bedrooms

a beautiful old mirror in Castillo de la Glorieta

a beautiful old mirror

But from outside it is a very unique building because of the mixture of the styles. I am not sure if the castle is worth visiting from the inside as you have to pay, but definitely recommend you to see it from the outside at least. Castillo de la Glorieta in Sucre has also a lovely patio with a garden with palm trees.

at the patio to the garden

at the patio to the garden

the garden of the Castillo de la Glorieta

the garden of the Castillo de la Glorieta

Nowadays, Castillo de la Glorieta first owners – the Argandoña husbands are buried in one of the mausoleums of the cemetery in Sucre.

 

I am happy my plans changed completely when in Sucre I had to give Sucre – white city of the America a third chance. Only because of it I was able to visit Castillo de la Glorieta.

 

Around the world – Llafranc coast

view of Llafranc

I never thought Costa Brava would be THAT beautiful. I mean it is a well-known part of Span, no doubt, but its coasts? Let me tell you I could spend days just observing the coastline with the boats on the horizon and sunbeams touching my skin. During my trip of exploring Palamos, Llafranc and Calella de Palafrugell, I was happy to get at least a small part of it.

view of Llafranc

view of Llafranc

Around the world – Tossa de mar

beautiful views from Tossa de mar

Tossa de mar was always on my bucket list. Yes, each time I visited Barcelona since the first initial disgust until it changed to my favorite city, and each time I visited Costa Brava too. I just never had time for Tossa until September 2012. I heard it was a beautiful place to visit and it proved to be right! Check out more details about my trip to Tossa de mar.

beautiful views from Tossa de mar

beautiful views from Tossa de mar

pretty sea seen from Tossa de mar

pretty sea seen from Tossa de mar

Tossa de mar walled city

Tossa de mar walled city

Torre d'en Joanás

Torre d'en Joanás

Villa Vella buildings in Tossa de mar

Villa Vella buildings in Tossa de mar

Mar Menuda beach of Tossa de mar

Mar Menuda beach of Tossa de mar

 

Around the world – Capela das Almas in Porto

blue Capela das Almas in Porto

blue Capela das Almas in Porto

I visited Porto twice – in April 2009 and then again September 2012 during which I passed along this pretty blue Chapel a few times. Capela das Almas is definitely one of my favorite landmarks of Porto.