Restaurant Origens at the Rallye Hotel, L'Escala

In a different timeline in a different world, this could have been a review of Bo.Tic, a potentially exciting (and double-Michelin-starred) restaurant in Corçà, one of a number of small towns occupying the land between Girona and the Costa Brava coast. Compared to the medieval beauty of Peratallada, Palau-Sator and the extraordinary Pals with its 10th century watchtowers overlooking the paddy fields, Corçà is, well, if not exactly unremarkable then certainly subdued. Its medieval centre is barely a couple of streets, and there's no dramatic riverfront location - it's essentially a few buildings lining a road to somewhere else - and yet this sleepy little town is host to a restaurant that many (who've been) would consider world class.

Thanks to Covid restrictions keeping half of my family the other side of the world (the half who would happily drive half an hour and drop a ton on lunch at least), Bo.Tic was not on the itinerary this time, but its very existence is further evidence that in this part of the world, everywhere from the flashiest seafront joints to the unlikeliest stops on a dusty road to the middle of nowhere, stand an equal chance of offering up a decent feed. You can still go wrong in Catalonia when it comes to food (or rather service, which is far more often the issue) but in the ten years since my last visit it feels like everyone has upped their game, and wandering around any small - or large - town in between mealtimes is an exercise in gastronomic torture. You just want to eat EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE.

Back in our base in L'Escala, then, a particular new place on the seafront caught my eye. The menu, unusual enough by L'Escala standards and positively mindblowing for this Londoner, contained a list of ingredients that you'd not find in the UK unless you had some serious connections - local anchovies of course, but also red prawns from the Roses bay, suckling lamb from Ripol, and - wonder of wonders - mantis shrimp. And while the A La Carte was keenly priced if not quite bargain-basement, the €25 "Origens" lunch menu, three courses and a glass of wine included, seemed like an absolute steal.

If I told you that the meal began with sardines in tomato sauce, you'd probably wonder why I'd bother travelling 1000 miles for something you could get from the shelves at Tesco's, but of course this is Spain and their technique with canned fish stretches all the way from the supermarket shelf to the heights of Michelin-starred gastronomy. These were pleasantly positioned somewhere between those extremes, the sardines having a nice flavour and bite, and the tomato sauce giving them a bit of a zing.

Of the starters proper, causa limena probably had the least going for it, although it was still nice to see a bit of South American influence creeping into places where traditionally only local cuisines reigned. The prawn and avocado mix on the top was lovely - sharp and sweet and containing lots of juicy prawns bound with a nice light mayonnaise - but I'm afraid there's a very specific amount of cold mashed potato I want to eat, and that amount is zero. Still, it was worth a try.

Scallop and bean salad with Jabugo ham was a very enjoyable experimentation with surf and turf, and despite my love of both seafood and cured pig product almost the most impressive thing here were the buttery, soft white beans which seemed a cut above any I'd tried before. Admittedly, the scallops would have benefitted from a more aggressive sear and were a little on the cold side, but it was still, overall, a very pleasant thing.

Best of the starters though was a quiche, or rather more of a savoury cakey moussey thing, a soft, light filling of spinach and egg bound with a delicate crisp, golden-brown casing. Straightforward ingredients, perhaps, but there was quite the technique on display here because despite the potential to be rather stodgy, it was beautifully light and easy to eat.

This is two fillets of striped red mullet, each boasting a bright, gently oily flesh and a nicely crisp skin. They came dressed with "white garlic cream" which performed its task admirably, and sticks of crisp leek which added a gentle smokiness as well as texture. Technically faultless, elegently proportioned and presented, this was a great showcase for the mullet, a fish which (in the UK at least) doesn't get much love on menus.

For sheer novelty value alone, the mantis shrimp were definitely worth an order. I expected nothing more than different-shaped langoustine, but in fact the flavour of the flesh was more pronounced, sweeter and saltier, albeit much more difficult to eat than their North Atlantic cousins. In the end, having failed miserably to tease the meat out with the end of a fork, I resorted to scooping lengthwise inside the shells with my fingers, which did a much better job tearing holes in my fingers than it did producing a significant amount of mantis meat. No regrets, though, and with the added bonus of a gorgeous thick, dark rice stew studded with red wine-braised cuttlefish and who knows what else, it all added up to a hugely enjoyable experience.

I've had some very good steaks in L'Escala - I shared the story of the 1kg Chuleton on Twitter, and Cal Galan just round the corner also do a great fillet from Girona, so the relatively bland flavour of this "timbale" (not sure of the meaning of that word to be honest, but it was the texture of porridge) came as a bit of a surprise, and a disappointment. But the truffled mash underneath was lovely and rich, and it came with a good sauce, so not all was lost.

All the desserts were very good, starting with this chocolate and almond cake which had irresistable layers of salted caramel woven in between the ganache. Some ice cream on the side would have been nice, but you can't have everything.

Turns out "torrijas" in this context means soft, warm sponge cakes, the sweetness of which (and the caramel mousse on top) balanced with a dollop of fresh, sour mascarpone, a really clever touch.

But my favourite of the desserts was watermelon soup, not just because it had vodka in (though that probably helped) but also thanks to a lovely cherry sorbet it surrounded. Colourful and summery, not to mention completely delightful to eat, it was a fantastic way to finish the lunch.

Whether by accident or design, despite having an extra glass of wine each on top of the included one, these didn't show up on the bill, so this pleasant and inventive three-course lunch came to €25 each precisely, about £22. Which is, I'm sure you'll agree, pretty impressive, even for a part of the world known for value for money when it comes to good food. True there were bits and pieces that weren't perfect but these all came in the context of a perfectly-timed lunch, generous of size and spirit, and when it was all over it was memories of that gorgeous rice, the beatiful mackerel and that watermelon soup we were left with, not to mention that gobsmacking view over the Roses bay, rather than any minor annoyances. Yes, in many ways Origens was a backup "Plan B" meal but had such heart and personality we couldn't fail to enjoy it. Oh and as for Bo.Tic, I've rebooked for June 2022.

7/10