Els Tinars

Impressive: 350 tables a day and still maintaining this level. A definite plus. Even though the kitchen resembles a luxury banquet room and has a team of 40 people, it remains surprising that such algebraic precision can come from such a large machine. In fact, the dining room managers work with covert earpieces. As with the menu, in each of the tables a harmony and syncopation resounds. It is the small revolution that Marc Gascons, together with his sister Elena, have brought to life in this classic restaurant of the Empurdà area for the past five years, with the father’s consent. No joke. Reverse osmosis filtering for the water, a flashy wine list (complete with tasting notes for everyone at the table), and impeccable service. What’s more, the menu integrates daily dishes, traditional recipes and a creative tasting menu. The global feeling, however, is pristine: fresh cuisine, spontaneous, vigorous, and sensory with natural combinations. The raw preparations are sublime: Norway lobster with squid tartar and roe of trout and of the Norway lobster itself: a subtle, supple texture. Psychedelic. Palamós prawn tartar with mashed potatoes and tomato. Supreme quality. Delicacies. Dazzling textures. Silkiness. Incredible! But this palatable game doesn’t stop there… Cold tomato soup with mustard ice cream, exquisitely and essentially unrefined. Or the warm cannelloni with Parmesan, lobster, tomato, pine nuts and guacamole: elegance, succulence and gourmandise. The guacamole is employed here as a natural flavor enhancer. Or on a more traditional note: paella of sea cucumbers. Perfect textures. The strengths are well understood. Another classic: nothing more, nothing less than the salmon with caviar, a vulgar pun. With a low temperature preparation, and a celestial feel, it is the contemporary rediscovery of a forgotten luxury. The tuna belly with crab is a little excessive, perhaps in its attempt at harmonious contrasts. And the steak tartar with poached egg should free itself of the hindering potato quenelle that comes with it. Those are the only criticisms of a cuisine that demonstrates superior ingredients and concept.

If Marc continues this way… the sky’s the limit. Still in development.