This place is, in a word, brilliant! We stumbled across Can Batlle after deciding we were too, ahem, "hungry" to drive all the way home for lunch following a visit to the Mas Llunes vineyard less than a 1/2km down the road (another recommended stop in the area). The restaurant came recommended by one of the employees at the vineyard.
We paused outside to peruse the menu. A mix of lovely sounding salads, some classic and some more inventive starters and a range of main courses from lighter fish dishes through to some classic catalan fish stews and some seriously hearty sounding meat dishes. So far so good. We walked in to find the place PACKED! At lunch time on a random Thursday afternoon! Talk about a vote of confidence. The staff were very accommodating and somehow cleared enough space to set up a table for 5 people. The restaurant is actually quite large but is distributed amongst 3 or 4 different dining rooms so you don't feel lost amongst your fellow diners. Decor is simple with red and white checkered table cloths and wicker-seated wooden chairs. There was a vibrant energy to the place (not in a chaotic way) and the very friendly staff went about their business with an efficiency not lacking in attentiveness.
Luckily, everyone ordered a good mix of dishes so we got to sample a decent range of their offerings. Their lighter dishes were appropriately delicate but prepared wonderfully and full of flavour and finesse (portobello carpaccio and fois gras terrine were firm favourites of the table). The monkfish soup starter was rich and powerful and so good that I would happily travel back to this restaurant just to eat multiple portions for my whole lunch! Even the simplest sounding main course (roasted chicken leg and thigh) was extremely well cooked and full of wonderful flavour (I don't know what they marinated/rubbed it with, but it was good!). The grilled and roasted fish dishes were all top notch and the oven roasted lamb shoulder was simply heavenly. Portion sizes were really quite generous, especially for the price! Unless otherwise stated or appropriate, most of the mains come with homemade fries and some salad and vegetables, though they are happy to substitute the sides to your liking.
If I had to find one criticism of the food it was that the fries that come with a lot of the mains were not very crispy and were a little bland. This wasn't the end of the world though, and they functioned more like sauteed potatoes which, with a bit of added salt, were really quite pleasant.
If you find yourself in the area for some good wine tasting or you want to escape the more touristy and pricy food options in Llança, this place is an excellent bet and will almost certainly cater to the taste of everyone in your group. Based on our experience, I'd recommend that you book ahead if you can (I'm sure that booking even a few hours before lunch would be a big help). read more