La Boscana: where fruit is more valuable than caviar

You might think I'm spoiling the surprise, but that's impossible. When you get to The BoscanaThe impact of the entrance is so great that, no matter how much I tell you about it, the shock will be the same. The farm where this Bellvís restaurant is located warns us: here, Lleida's fruit is dressed up for the occasion. The project is beautiful and full of purpose. There are areas where very good work is done, but they struggle to sell themselves. However, at this excellent restaurant, they have no problem proudly serving the produce of their neighbors.

This is the restaurant of chef Joel Castañé and María Ángeles Chiriboga, an agricultural engineer with a PhD in postharvest. Castañé comes from a family of restaurateurs and knows what it means to work hard. With great effort, they have managed to create this restaurant with creative cuisine and a surprising menu that also participates in scientific research thanks to the Fruit Project they launched. Can you imagine a Michelin-starred restaurant where the star ingredient is fruit from Lleida? Well, you'll find it in Bellvís.

We go back to the beginning, to the striking arrival at La Boscana. You cross the fence and find yourself in a green, flowery setting with ducks strolling by. You are greeted with freshly made cider and an original persimmon sausage. And from here, you are transported and end up buying what Castañé has always championed: why should a prawn from Palamós be better than a pear from Lleida? Here, what the trees give us takes center stage, and you miss nothing more.