The Massana restaurant in Girona celebrates three good news

I’ve heard that the Massana restaurant in Girona is celebrating three pieces of good news and I want to go there to be able to explain it and, of course, to eat some of its classic dishes again. While I’m there, a woman comes in and says: “Hello, Pere! I’ve come to book a table.” And Pere Massana greets her by name and diligently notes down the customer’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 demonstrates once again that the human factor is – and always will be – unbeatable.

The restaurant has held a Michelin star for almost twenty years (it was awarded in 2007) and this September it will have been open for forty years. Figures that, in themselves, are a small miracle in the restaurant sector. This is the first piece of good news: a family restaurant that has lasted four decades without betraying its principles. But this brilliance has not made it lose an iota of closeness with its customers. I eat at a table and see a good number of repeat diners. People enjoying dishes they know, and others who let themselves be surprised by the tasting menu. Around the tables, Pere Massana moves with the grace of Vàtslav Nijinski. A chef who has just turned 66 and who has found his place in the dining room. Why? Here is the second piece of good news. The Massana restaurant has its continuity assured. His son, also named Pere, has taken over in the kitchen.

“It’s not that I’m starting to see that I have to retire, it’s that I understand I have to see it naturally. If you have young, prepared people around you, be self-critical and don’t think you are indispensable,” he explains. He says that there are many people blocking the way and that this also harms the children. “I don’t want to be the Maña at the end of El Molino. There are Mañas in hospitality. I now give my opinion when asked and they have me for whatever they need.” In this regard, Pere the son appreciates the peace of mind he has in the kitchen knowing that he has the best ambassador in the dining room.

and people thought she was a lady. We were going to Andalusia, to Galician farms, to Valladolid.“When the star arrived, everyone was going for siphons, foams, and spheres. Not us. Product cuisine, as we had always done. We have improved the technique, the cooking, and all the dishes come out the same, that's for sure”. However, receiving it had a “discomunal impact”. “From then on, we worked a lot. With customers you wanted and customers you didn't want. I did what I always did. People who were well-off also started coming. We made a baked potato with aioli that I wrongly removed. I only caved in on that. And they still ask for it now”, says Pere Massana, as his only regret. In fact, we don't rule out that it might return due to popular demand. At this point, there's no need to prove anything to anyone.

The secret of duck magret

At Massana there are several iconic dishes, such as porcini mushrooms with prawns and truffle, which they make when in season; hake made with potato, onion, olive oil and thyme, or duck magret. They make it thinly sliced like carpaccio and it has an herb oil, the recipe for which only Pere senior knows. In fact, it is the only secret he keeps, and everyone agrees that it should be that way. When Pere junior needs it, he just has to ask for it.

The young chef knew he would be a chef from a young age. He has never considered anything else. He studied pastry and cooking and has worked in great establishments. He has also lived in the Philippines, where he took charge of a catering project in a luxury tourist complex. He has taken on various challenges before taking over the main establishment. Although he is young, he has reached very mature conclusions. “When you get into the kitchen, the first thought is to give rise to new things. Then you go out to talk to the client and you find that they tell you that what they liked most is the magret. One after another. And in the end you say: if knowledgeable people tell you that it is the best magret they have ever eaten, believe it, it must be so. There are things that are not touched so as not to regret them, like with baked potatoes. It is a show of respect for the father and for the client that keeps us open today,” he says. It cannot be described better.

However, the baked potato gets a second chance, because the third good news arrives. The Massanas have taken over Can Xiquet, a restaurant in Campllong. From the farmhouse there are incredible views of practically 360 degrees, they explain. They serve popular Catalan cuisine “less stuffy.” The other son of Pere, Eduard Massana, captains it, and it is a project they have just started, with which they are very excited. For many years to come.