Javi Martínez, a cook fit for a castle (and a cheese cart)

Javi Martínez's job isn't easy. Running a fine-dining establishment, defending a Michelin star, or dealing with the usual problems of a restaurant at this level is never easy. But to that list, you have to add the pressure of being in a unique location, a castle, no less, and sharing space and a menu with the most acclaimed and photographed cheese cart in the country.

Because at Restaurant Castell Perelada, Toni Gerez's experience and expertise in the dining room, he won the Michelin Guide's award for service in 2002, and his cheese selection coexist with Martínez's refined culinary approach, rooted in local produce and tradition. Dining room and kitchen, or vice versa, create that balanced equation so many establishments strive for, and which this restaurant has long since achieved.

“There is some pressure because everything must live up to the environment and this emblematic setting, although I don’t see it as a competition, but as a way to help create a wonderful whole” explains Martínez.

Honest cooking

It's easy to guess that many will leave Castell Perelada talking about the cheese trolley and Gerez's mesmerizing explanations. "Toni's expertise with cheese is clearly in a league of its own," acknowledges the chef, who professionally accepts the restaurant's reputation as a mecca for cheese lovers and asserts that it is the combination of the tasting menu and that wonderful trolley before dessert that makes Castell Perelada a unique place.

Martínez's elegant discretion is unusual in a sector like haute cuisine, which is typically rife with male egos. "I think that in the end, what matters is the whole; we're a team, and we all strive to ensure our customers leave satisfied," he says.

This way of thinking also translates into a deliberate cuisine, one that understands its place and what the customer expects. In a castle, it's not acceptable to jump on the "casual eatery" bandwagon, nor can you play the cheeky card so prevalent in Barcelona. When discussing seasonality, market ingredients, or local produce, it must be done without losing sight of the elegance of the place.

Honest cuisine is the label the chef uses to describe what he offers at Castell Perelad a. And, without a doubt, that word perfectly encapsulates what one finds on the plate throughout the seasonal menus offered at the restaurant.

Sea and mountains, a landscape of contrasts

Throughout the year there are three menu changes, which coincide with the spring seasons, another that will arrive in summer and the third that encompasses autumn and winter, including the two months (January and February) in which this house closes.

The products and dishes change, of course, but the sequence and consistency in form and message remain. Garden, tradition, history, fish market, and contrasts are words that shape the menu sequences and with which Martínez sets the script for his narrative. And the cheese cart before dessert, of course.

The appetizers are dictated by the produce available in the garden, while tradition is reinterpreted here in the form of bites such as, for example, the crispy pig's trotters with snails that are being served right now.

The castle, whose history dates back to the 14th century, is the perfect excuse to review the period recipes and opt for dishes such as a delicate onion and mushroom soup that we tried in season or, in the spring world, a trout with aged wine escabeche and green asparagus.

The cuisine and products of the Empordà region and the classic "surf and turf" are another of the pillars of the menu, with proposals that seek maximum mellowness such as squid tripe or pork rib with sea cucumber -exquisite- in the winter proposal or a lamb terrine with spider crab.

Although it's hard to arrive hungry after the obligatory stop for the cheeses and desserts, fresh and light, which is appreciated, it's always interesting to take a look at the petit fours to see if the attention to detail continues beyond this point or if it's just a formality. The ingenious "vi to bar" bites (referring to the wine and the bean-to-bar chocolate) offered, a nod to the house's wine cellar, confirm that this is indeed the case.

In addition to the à la carte menu, Castell Perelada offers two tasting menus: the shorter one for €135 and the "EX EX Exceptional Experience" for €165, which includes nearly twenty courses. Besides strolling through the gardens of this beautiful castle, a visit to the recently renovated Perelada winery, located just a few meters away, is well worthwhile.

The Peralada Resort also includes a nearby 5-star hotel with a golf course, wine spa, and the L'Olivera restaurant, overseen by Paco Pérez. This impressive list of attractions has made it a leading destination for gastronomic and wine tourism in L'Empordà.