When in the Pyrénées-Orientales department, you feel the Catalan vibes everywhere you go. Especially when going to a restaurant. I got a tip about this bodega style restaurant in Thuir: Can Marty. Located in the middle of Thuir, the town of Byrrh, the friendly staff serves local, straightforward dishes of good quality.
Catalan dishes
We went here with our family of five and we all loved the Catalan inspired dishes. The menu offers a selection of starters, meat and fish dishes and desserts, but we all went for the set menus. I hesitated between the tapas menu (24.80 euros) and the Can Marty menu (25.80 euros), and finally choose the later. Chéri ordered the same menu, but since there were two choices for each course, we ended up having different dishes anyway. As a starter, Chéri got the oh-so-typical Spanish slice of bread with tomato and serrano ham. As I am very keen on cheese and mussels, I couldn’t resist the gratineed mussels with aioli. Both deliciously good in their simplicity.
Boles de Picoulat
The kids already received their main dishes during our starters. I am a big fan of this, as – being a Dutchie who usually eats around 18h00 (I know…) – they are always hungry when we arrive in a French restaurant around 19h30. We are getting better at dining late, but the kids still need food before 20h00. The kids were happy- meaning no whining- so we could enjoy our mains peacefully. An entrecôte with pepper sauce for Chéri, which was nice and juicy. And I felt like ordering something I’d never tried before: Catalan meatballs, also known as “Boles de Picoulat”. It didn’t photograph well, I really tried, but it tasted better than it looks below (on the right) with its rich tomato sauce and white beans.
Classic
The desserts on the Can Marty menu were classic French ones. The kids had some ice cream with their menu, Chéri had a beautiful mousse au chocolat, and I enjoyed an île flottante. In the South of France it can be a bit challenging to find a good restaurant during the winter season, as many close their doors for a couple of months. So I was happy to have found this cosy, little restaurant serving robust food. And if a restaurant requires you to make a reservation during the low season, you know you’re at the right place!
