A Taste Of The Costa Brava At Tast Cuina Catalana

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of joining the Costa Brava tourist board for a taste of the region at Catalan restaurant Tast. As you know, I have been to Tast a few times to try their food, but this time it was all about the region of Costa Brava and what is has to offer.

Did you know that the Costa Brava is a year round destination? Yes, they have some incredible beaches, but in the winter months when the weather is a little cooler, there is still lots to explore. If you want to continue to enjoy the coast, the beaches are obviously still there complete with cycle trails, coastal walking paths and swimming lanes.

If winter sports are more your thing, you will find 5 ski resorts in the Girona Pyrenees to soak in the epic mountain views and those fast slopes for the ultimate adrenaline rush.

Turning to the food, you will find 20 Michelin stars across 16 restaurants in the Girona area, including 30 wineries offering a tourism experience, to sample the local wines and visit the vineyards.

For 2020, there is a new winery opening and an exciting project by the 3 Michelin Star owning restaurant El Celler de Can Roca. The brothers are opening Casa Cacao, a boutique hotel and chocolate factory in Girona. There will be a chocolate workshop, visible from the street as well as a shop underneath the 15 room boutique hotel. I can’t imagine a more decadent place to stay.

Manchester is lucky to be home to the restaurant Tast, owned by the Catalan chef who has 6 Michelin stars, Paco Perez. Paco brings the taste of the Catalan region to Manchester, having lived on the Costa Brava for the majority of his life. With this in mind, we enjoyed a taste of the Costa Brava through a variety of small plates.

We were treated to a selection of nibbles before a full tasting menu. Croqetas are so popular in the Costa Brava and are filled with any number of meats, cheeses and vegetables. I tried the chicken and red pepper versions at Tast and they are both delicious. The coating is golden and crisp with a super smooth filling that is rich and well seasoned.

I had previously tried the ‘Duck’in Donuts’, which is a white chocolate shell containing duck pate and dusted with raspberry powder. I have previously commented that the chocolate was too much and I was delighted to find that they have been improved. The chocolate shell is much thinner, making it less ‘in your face’ and more there to compliment the duck pate in the centre.

My favourite nibble of Sandwich De Formatge Trufat was also on the menu. The sandwich element is an aerated layer that melts in the mouth to reveal a smooth and creamy cheese filling topped with slithers of truffle for a deeper flavour. Combined, it really is an explosion of flavours and something that I continue to order when visiting Tast.

Onto the main dishes and we kicked things off with Esqueixada De Bacalla. Shredded raw codfish is layered on the plate with thin slices of tomato and olive spheres, made with both Kalamata and Manzanilla olives. The whole dish screams ‘fresh’. From the juicy tomato to the soft codfish, the freshness takes over and almost transports you to the sea. There is an element of the salty air present and the individual elements of the dish just melt in the mouth. It is almost like being sat on that beach.

Next was Ou D’Anec, Xipirons I Salsa Tartar, which was my favourite course of the meal. Deep fried baby squid and the crispiest pillows of potato are piled atop a fried duck egg with a drizzy of creamy yet tart tartar sauce. We were encourage to pop the yolk and mix the dish together for the full flavour and, damn did it work. I wish I knew how to make those potatoes at home, with the well seasoned case and almost hollow centres.

Papillote De Musclos is, in theory, a really simple dish of mussels, chilli, basil, white wine and citrus, steamed in a bag before being opened at the table. The mussels are imported from the Costa Brava so it really is a taste of the region. They are fresh and plump, taking on the flavours they have been infused with when cooking but not taking away from the primary flavour of the seafood itself.

Arros Cremos De Bolets was not a favourite of mine, but not being a fan of mushrooms I am sure this won’t be a surprise to anyone and certainly shouldn’t be a testament to the dish. I tried to nibble around the mushrooms and tried the creamy rice that sat beneath. Cooked with a touch of bite remaining, there is a real earthiness that cuts through the creamy rice to balance it out.

I was told that the Canelo La Barceloneta is a dish that families on the Costa Brava create for special occasions, predominantly because it is so time consuming. The cannelloni, filling and sauce are all made from scratch by hand and it can take days to put the final dish together. Let me tell you, it is totally worth it. The cannelloni is that thin, it almost melts in the mouth to reveal a rich, coarse filling of guinea fowl. It has then been doused in béchamel that, despite its richness, still manages to be light enough to be able to taste the cannelloni coming through. I am not entirely sure how they manage to do that, but then that is the magic of home style food I guess!

Dessert was Pessic Fluid De Xocolata, a dark chocolate fondant style dessert served with a tart orange sauce and spiced ice cream. The casing of the cake is fair thin yet robust, holding the molten bitter chocolate inside. The ice cream has a light spice, which was almost a nod to the festive period that is only around the corner.

The whole meal was a delight and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Costa Brava from their team. It isn’t somewhere I would have normally considered visiting outside of the warmer months, despite that being 10 months of the year, but I think the cuisine and array of other activities moves it high up the list as somewhere perfect to explore all year round. I’ve started my list of wineries ready to tick them off the ever expanding bucket list. You can start planning your trip here.

I was invited to dine at Tast by the Costa Brava Tourist Board and was not asked to pay.