This is our favourite hotel and restaurant and we have been to a few!

Why is that?

Well first, it is utterly charming. We have been to some beautiful hotels but quite often “professionalism” can overtake warmth and humanity leaving the place with beautiful photo opportunities, but not much heart. La Torre del Remei majors on heart.

This was a family home once, built in the early 20th century by a Catalan industrialist  for his wife. They loved Modernism and this is reflected throughout the main building.

And it still has that family feel. Everything done in this hotel is down to the passion of the owners (including the original owners) rather than a business formula – the age-old sequoias in the grounds, some of which are unique, the comfort without flashiness of the rooms, the oh so pale blue monogrammed swimming pool towels, the calmness of the restaurant, we could go on!

 

Before actually going on (we will do that later!), let’s move to the second reason for La Torre del Remei being our favourite. The restaurant. You can see in the slider above some of the delicious dishes created and prepared by chef Josep Maria Boix. absolutely scrummy!

Josep Maria is interested primarily in taste and authenticity. The rest comes later. All of his dishes are seasonal, created to make best use of the freshest available ingredients and also  compliment the weather outside.

In Summer there are lighter dishes taking full advantage of the freshest, ripest tomatoes, the greenest beans, the plumpest summer fruits. In Autumn, game abounds along with many varieties of mushrooms harvested from the nearby fields and mountains…

 

Take this amanida de mongetes amb pernil d’anec i foie gras (salad of tender green beans, duck ham and foie gras).

Served in summer when the beans are at their best – we have the beans, of course, squeaky and al dente.

They are bathed in a fresh tomato salsa which lifts the whole thing with a zing.

Then the main event is accompanied by shavings of home made foie gras and slivers of duck ham.

Not only is it beautiful, it tastes fresh and light. What a fabulous dish.

 

 

Also from the Summer menu is the souffle de Grand Marnier. Look at those bubbles in the souffle! How light!

It is served with a refreshingly tart mango sorbet and one of the Torre del Remei’s own chocolate discs (chocolate just happens to be Josep Maria’s thing…)

 

 

 

OK, enough of the restaurant for now. Until we provide more information about this exquisite place, here is a small gallery of pictures of the hotel, restaurant and grounds. More later…