A few meters from the mouth of the Sénia river that delimits the border between Tarragona and Castellón, the Citrus restaurant aspires to be no longer an obligatory stop on the N-634 for those who seek to savor the Ebro Delta, but a destination in itself. Located in the Tancat de Condoniu hotel, the Valencian Aitor López aims high with a kitchen that claims product, territory and room. It is true that it sounds exactly the same as the three arguments that almost any restaurant currently champions, but here they are true. And that shows.
That the beautiful pebble beach located a few steps from the hotel is popularly known as “the last beach” -at least that’s what Google Maps says- says a lot about the place and about that kind of border feeling in the area. Of course, in reality, that same beach could also be the first in Catalonia and not the last, but once again the meaning of the trip, from north to south, seems clear.
We are on the outskirts of Les Cases d’Alcanar, where Tancat de Codorniu has earned a well-deserved reputation in Terres de l’Ebre for being a regular venue for events and celebrations. In fact, the rice that López en Arròs prepares
For space -it even has a pool for diners who dare- price and quality, they are one of those places that very pleasantly surprise those who come from much more expensive and crowded cities. Wow, if it caught us closer we would be here every weekend, we joked with the chef, who also takes care of this area, where it is not easy to find a table during the summer.
But the big bet of the place is Citrus, the restaurant that wants to turn this beautiful and quiet hotel – former summer house of Alfonso XII in the province – into a gastronomic destination. The more than two thousand orange trees on the estate mean that the chosen name does not require much explanation.
Perhaps this is the case with the kitchen, because labeling it Delta is possibly oversimplifying when in reality, the pantry and the recipe book cover a wider portion of the Mediterranean, although without renouncing the uniqueness of the area’s ingredients.
In fact, the sequence of snacks and appetizers that the long tasting menu proposes is an excellent presentation letter for what is proposed in this house and that runs between the Mediterranean, the Tancat and the Delta.
The reception with a preserved tomato, a fine coca with tuna belly matured in anchovy strain and a shot of red pepper juice helps to situate itself in two bites and a sip: summer, product, and technique used to elevate flavors.
That this home-made canned tomato -that’s how it is presented- leads us directly to think of Valencia and Ricard Camarena’s cooking is no coincidence: he trained with it, worked at the Habitual restaurant and also as head chef at the biestrellado del Chef. Good references and very clear ideas for Citrus del Tancat, the first project in which he takes the reins.
The menu ranges from the most expected (oysters, rice…), and such pleasant surprises as a mullet -a humble fish, but very tasty and well treated here- with leeks, or a delicious roasted onion. “We use zero kilometer products, but because they are good, not out of obligation,” Aitor López tells us.
Sea and vegetables seem to get along especially well. The white shrimp tartare served in the peel of a lemon and accompanied by burnt orange is one of the most iconic snacks in the house. Also noteworthy are the whiting with green beans, and the monkfish, with a micuit of its liver, and a carob sauce. The harmony is such that the meat dish that closes the salty part (mouflon with Mediterranean mole) of the menu seems almost forced, despite integrating well into the general discourse.
It is a kind of concession, admits the cook, who assumes the toll of being far from almost everything. Both for the tight prices (the longest menu is 79 euros) and to understand that some customers would miss a bite of meat on a tasting menu.
But López’s cuisine and the spectacular location are not the only pillars of a restaurant that from minute one seems to give the dining room the prominence it deserves. Another of those recurring themes but that here, once again, is demonstrated in practice thanks to a three-way team that, together with the chef, makes up Susanna Krcivoj, in charge of the magnificent work in the dining room, and Alex Nolla, responsible for making Citrus drink extraordinary way.
It is not a way of speaking: the wine list allows you to go through the more than remarkable cellar of this house, over 84 pages, where surely one would not expect to find such an offer.
The fact that Nolla has been sommelier at El Celler de Can Roca for more than a decade surely helps to understand it. It also encourages people to put themselves in their hands – the long menu pairing costs a very reasonable 55 euros – and, once again, demonstrates the hotel’s strong commitment to this gastronomic aspect.
And we do not forget the desserts. Especially since the preserved peach with almonds and saffron flan is, once again, another good portion of the Mediterranean and summer that invites you to go for a walk among the orange trees, to reach that last beach.
