The expression proximity cuisine, or zero kilometre cuisine has been gaining traction in the last few years. So much so that it’s about time we looked at a more precise definition of what it actually is to avoid any confusion. A lot of restaurants often use the terms somewhat inaccurately.

Proximity cuisine is more complicated than it seems. You need to use local, seasonal produce. And – where possible – produce that’s been hunted, fished, reared, or cultivated using traditional methods.

Seems simple, no? Not exactly. Proximity produce varies according to the seasons. And this means having a meticulous, masterful approach to culinary techniques, to ensure you always get the same results with the produce available.

For example a paella, at least in Begur, should always be cooked to the same point and have the same flavour. Among other things, this is reliant on the produce used to make the sofrito (base sauce), the fish, seafood, vegetables, and the rice itself… It all needs to come together in such a way that the paella always comes out exactly how we want it to.

This means we need to pay constant attention to each and every one of the ingredients: how ripe they are, how they’re sliced, and the cooking times. In cooking, the whole is always different to the sum of its ingredients. And proximity cuisine calls for a serious dose of imagination and expertise to guarantee you get the right results.

At the Restaurant Costa Brava we’re proud of the emotional relationship we have with proximity cuisine and its principles: a love of the earth, produce, sustainability, and of course gastronomy.

You can see evidence of this commitment on our actual premises, with a kitchen garden where we tend to aromatic herbs and vegetables destined for our pots.

Eat proximity paella in Begur

It’s logical. If we buy foods at source and cook them straight away, the dishes we create will be more flavoursome, natural, sustainable, and healthy. When we cut our food miles we save energy, and the ingredients retain their optimum qualities.

Luckily the overwhelming majority of foods we use in our cooking can be found right by our side in Empordà. We have the perfect combination: a sea rich in fish, seafood, and shellfish; the finest quality beef, lamb, pork, and fowl; and incredible agricultural produce such as vegetables, fruit, wines, and oils. All within arm’s reach. Our paella, and rice dishes with lobster, crab and mussels, or vegetables and saffron, are all made with rice from the delta; fish and seafood straight from the market; and sofrito made with our home-grown olive oil and vegetables from Girona.

Enjoy 0 kilometre market cuisine at Restaurant Costa Brava

But that’s not all. We’re in pretty close proximity to our fish suppliers too. Every morning we go to the Lonja de Palamós market and snap up the best, so we can bring the freshest and tastiest fish to you, along with our invariably excellent suquet stew, Palamós monkfish, Roses sea bass with potatoes and onions, or a mini shellfish platter with lobster, prawns, Palamós langoustine, clams, and mussels.

If you’re more of a meat person, our restaurant can offer you stunning plates of Empordà lamb and Girona beef. Our wine list covers almost all of the Catalan PDO wines: Empordà, Penedès, Costers del Segre, and PDO Cataluña.

And now for dessert… We make all our artisan ice creams in-house for you to try on their own or with other desserts.

Grab any chance you get and come and visit. You’ll find a kitchen that shouts, loud and clear, “WE’RE FROM SA RIERA”.