Rels Restaurant's new Menorcan cuisine

Recovering from the gastronomic tour we took of the restaurants and chefs that make up this new gastronomic movement of the new Menorcan cuisine, this week we stopped at the "Rels" restaurant in Ciutadella, where its chef and owner, Joan Bagur Moll, is one of the main exponents.

This year Rels Restaurant has been chosen as a revelation restaurant in Menorca by the Asociación de Periodistas y Escritores Gastronomícos de Baleares, which wanted to recognize its work in favor of the new Menorcan cuisine and its commitment to local produce and recovery, all adapting it to the current cuisine, from the old recipes of Menorcan cuisine.

Joan Bagur is still young in the world of stoves but well experienced. In his formative baggage there are stays in the Celler de Can Roca, in the Roca Moo (under the orders of his cousin Felip Llufriu) and the "Dos Cielos" of the Torres brothers. On his return to Ciutadella, he takes charge of the kitchen at the rural hotel Morverdra Nou, on the Macarella road, where he begins to stand out with his signature cuisine of Menorcan roots, and with the transformation of the dishes of the island as new Menorcan cuisine . The experience gained in Barcelona gives him the necessary creativity and also the knowledge of the techniques.

The commitment to Menorcan cuisine, local and local products, as well as experimenting with the recipe book, have made Bagur little by little an essential appointment to discover this movement of the new Menorcan cuisine.

Since a couple of years ago, with his partner until last year, Toni Taltavull, he started a new project, the restaurant "Rels" which takes the name of his commitment to the roots of Menorcan cuisine, with the traditional recipe book and with the cuisine and the seasonal produce, this means that in his restaurant there is no fixed menu, but that it changes according to the seasons, just as he likes to experiment, give life to the old cuisine. He has recovered different recipes from Fra Roger, from Menorcan cuisine of the 18th century and also from books by local authors such as Ballester, Borràs or Bep Al·lès.

Winter menu

The "Rels" letter is not an extensive menu, but it is well formed and attractive. We will meet to share the fritters of cod in the style of Fra Roger, or their croquettes, as well as natural oysters, for those with more appetites.

Among the starters we can highlight their vegetable and legume casserole with light chickpea cream; the calçots thin coca with romesco and endive; Ciutadella red shrimp marinated and textured cheese; octopus garlic and pepper, and memorable pork ravioli with chestnut, mushrooms and dried tomatoes that are surprising.

Bagur, since his return to Menorca, has stood out for his rice, and in the winter menu he offers us a very traditional sea and mountain, rice with partridge and cuttlefish, where the taste of cuttlefish and the delicacy of the meat of the queen of game birds. Other local cuisine suggestions are his cochinillo con monaco (sweet potato) and chestnuts, in the same way that we can consult the fish plate of the day, because Bagur loves to go to the Plaza des Peix in Ciutadella, and look at the catch of the day to prepare their dishes.

For sweet lovers, their dessert menu is exotic, perhaps due to the influences received from the Roca brothers and the Torres twins. One of his classics is Asia, which contains coconut, peanuts, ginger and lemon; Also highly recommendable is its coulant de chocolate with walnuts and ratafia.

It also has a menu of the day for 19.50 euros and every Sunday stands out for its rice dishes, both of Menorcan roots, as well as fusing local products with gourmet or exotic products, which makes them unique, and which little by little is building a loyal clientele that wait for your arroz de la semana to enjoy a foodie experience.

"Barret" of San Antonio

With his passion for ancient cuisine and recovering Menorcan recipes from the 17th and 18th, Joan Bagur has given life to the lamb stuffed with San Antonio's barret, and he has done it using one of the most mellow parts of the lamb, its neck, creating small bowls filled with this stuffing that was one of the main protagonists of Menorcan and Majorcan cuisine 200 years ago.

The surprising result, and confirms that the cuisine of Bagur is a cuisine of "roots", and that it is one of the young and at the same time the main exponents of this new Menorcan cuisine, which is the ideal complement to discover Menorca out of season, where those who visit us will not suffer from summer crowds and will discover a greener, ecological, quiet Menorca, with its Talayotic, cultural heritage and a cuisine that goes much further than the lobster caldera.