Les Templiers

In Les Templiers Hotel Cuisines: Spanish

About

The charm of Les Templiers derives from the bar, where every inch of the wall is covered with paintings, and from a well-established role as the town's most popular card-playing venue for retired Catalan-speaking local gents. After an aperitif in the bar, you'll be prepared for a meal in the dining room, where stone vaults, more paintings, and the possibility of sitting at a table on the pavement in front add to the allure. The menu is entirely based on old-fashioned Catalan traditions. An excellent starter is a platter of grilled anchovies drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with parsley and other herbs. Other options include a platter of fried fish incorporating whatever was hauled in from the Mediterranean that day, a savory bouillabaisse, fresh codfish served with a "caviar" of mashed eggplant, shoulder of Pyrenean lamb with a spicy onion jam, and seafood paella. Dessert might include a time-tested crème Catalane or an unusual form of ice cream: flavored with steamed and pulverized fennel served with spice bread and saffron sauce.