The establishment turns 40 in top form, with its succession secured and an exciting new project underway.
Word reached me that the Massana restaurant in Girona is celebrating three pieces of good news, and I wanted to visit to share the story and, of course, to enjoy some of its classic dishes once again. While I am there, a woman enters and says: “Hello, Pere! I’ve come to book a table.” Pere Massana greets her by name and diligently notes the client’s request. This lady could have booked online or by phone. But she preferred to come in person and was served with a smile. This establishment proves once again that the human factor is—and always will be—unbeatable.
The restaurant has held a Michelin star for nearly twenty years (awarded in 2007) and this September marks forty years since it first opened. These figures, on their own, are a small miracle in the catering sector. This is the first piece of good news: a family restaurant that has endured for four decades without betraying its principles. Yet this prestige has not caused it to lose a shred of closeness with its clients. I eat at a table and see a large number of repeat diners. People enjoying dishes they know, and others letting themselves be surprised by the tasting menu. Around the tables, Pere Massana moves with the grace of Vaslav Nijinsky. A chef who has just turned 66 and has found his place in the dining room. Why? Here is the second piece of good news. Restaurant Massana has its continuity guaranteed. His son, also named Pere, has taken over the reins in the kitchen.
“It’s not that I’m starting to see that I should retire; it’s that I understand I must see it as a natural progression. If you have young, prepared people by your side, be self-critical and don’t think you are indispensable,” he explains. He says there are many people acting as a bottleneck and that this also harms their children. “I don’t want to be like ‘la Maña’ at the end of El Molino. There are ‘Mañas’ within the hospitality industry. Now I only offer my opinion when asked, and they have me for whatever they need.” In this sense, the younger Pere appreciates the peace of mind he has in the kitchen, knowing he has the best ambassador in the dining room.
I sit down with the two of them. “When we opened, we cooked Catalan cuisine because we didn’t know how to do anything else,” says Pere Massana senior. He is from Sant Pau d’Ordal, but he put down roots in Girona because he studied here, and because here he met his wife, Anna Roger, who is from Blanes. “Fifty years ago, everything was ‘km 0’ and we had a trolley with twenty-five olive oils. We already had all that then, and now it’s popular again,” he says. In their early days, they had a large selection of grilled meats. “In ’88, if you mentioned a ‘rubia gallega’, people thought it was a lady. We used to go to Andalusia, to Galician estates, to Valladolid. It wasn’t given any value. It was just a grilled meat restaurant and that was it. And now the three-star restaurants serve it,” the veteran chef explains, providing context. In ’91, they carried out a major expansion. That was where the foundations were laid for the recognition that followed.
“When the star arrived, everyone was moving towards siphons, foams, and spheres. Not us. Product-based cuisine, as we had always done. We have improved the technique and the cooking times, and all the dishes come out consistently now, of course.” However, receiving it had a “colossal impact.” “From then on, we worked incredibly hard. With clients you wanted and clients you didn’t. I just did what I always did. Pretentious people started coming too. We used to make a roasted potato with allioli that I mistakenly took off the menu. That was the only thing I succumbed to. And even now, people still ask for it,” says Pere Massana, as his only regret. In fact, we shouldn’t rule out its return by popular demand. At this point, there is nothing left to prove to anyone.
The secret of the duck magret
At Massana, there are several iconic dishes, such as the porcini mushrooms with prawns and truffle, served when in season; the hake prepared with potato, onion, olive oil, and thyme; or the duck magret. They serve it thinly sliced like a carpaccio with a herb oil, the recipe for which only Pere senior knows. In fact, it is the only secret he keeps, and everyone is happy for it to stay that way. When Pere junior needs some, he only has to ask.
The young chef knew he would be a cook since he was a child. He never considered anything else. He studied pastry and culinary arts and has worked in great establishments. He also lived in the Philippines, where he managed a catering project in a luxury tourist resort. He took on several challenges before taking charge of the flagship restaurant. Although he is young, he has reached very mature conclusions. “When you start in the kitchen, your first thought is to give way to new things. Then you go out to talk to the customers and you find they tell you that what they liked most was the magret. One after another. And in the end, you say: if knowledgeable people tell you it’s the best magret they’ve ever eaten, believe it, because it must be true. There are things you don’t touch so as not to regret it, like with the roasted potato. It is a sign of respect towards my father and the customer that keeps us open today,” he says. It couldn’t be described better.
However, the roasted potato is getting a second chance, because here comes the third piece of good news. The Massana family has taken over Can Xiquet, a restaurant in Campllong. From the farmhouse, there are incredible views of nearly 360 degrees, they explain. They serve popular Catalan cuisine that is “less formal.” It is spearheaded by Pere’s other son, Eduard Massana, and it is a project they have just launched, which they are very excited about. Here’s to many more years.
Article published in Mengem from the Ara newspaper.
