Whenever we get the chance (which, admittedly is not that often) we will partake of the tasting menu offered at La Plaça in Madremanya, Catalonia, Spain. While there is a full menu as well, this prix fixe option is a simply stupendous way to experience your lunch.
Served over a variety of small, tasting courses, Chef Vicenç Fajardo takes diners on a wondrous journey over the course of the meal. Trying to describe it doesn’t really do it justice and the photos below only illustrate the deft plates that Vicenç and his staff turn out. One should really go taste it to experience his take on traditional Catalan dishes that reflect a great deal of interpretation coming via Vicenç’s time at other restaurants such as La Cuina de Can Pipes and in Australia prior to starting his own venture. It’s not cheap at ~46€ but at the same time, given what is offered, it’s very well-priced. Toss in to that the fact you’re dining in a 15th century stone farmhouse in one of the most beautiful villages in the region and you have little reason not to go.
Also noteworthy is the wine list which has one of the finest collections of Empordà wines that you’ll find in any restaurant thanks to the work of Vicenç’s wife, Mònica Farré. Especially curious is a new addition to the menu which is “Erm de les Serres”. It’s a wine made by the owner of the La Plaça hotel (which the restaurant is part of), Jaume Vidal. We’ll be writing up more about this in our Empordà wine guide shortly. Until then, enjoy the photos.
