Restaurant review

Bar Le Pablo, Céret

18/11/21

Like many bars and restaurants, Le Pablo has used the Covid hiatus to its advantage, investing heavily in a brand-new look, new menu, new everything, and it is paying off already as customers are flocking to this modern, vibrant Catalan Trattoria which now has a bright new future to add to its artistic pedigree past (writes STEVE BRADY).

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Famous for being the haunt of Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali who allegedly (no-one who was there at the time can remember a single thing for some reason) swapped paint brushes, opinions and a variety of hallucinogenic eats, smokes and drinks in a back room, Le Pablo has always been a must-see for visitors to Céret whose conversations on cubism and surrealism were elevated by the arrival of cubes of chewy canard and salads of surreal simplicity – even Dali couldn’t make half a tomato and a slice of lettuce look interesting.

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It's safe to say that the Pablo was more famous for its art than its food, but its latest renaissance has painted a colourful new future for the busy little bar beneath the towering plane trees and ancient arches of the old town walls.

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The most creative and artistic of us couldn’t conjure up a more scenic spot than yesterday lunchtime with the low-angled autumn sunshine illuminating golden leaves which were spiralling from above and landing gracefully into our pre-lunch drinks.

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Le Pablo is now a ‘Restobar’ which might illicit shudders from anyone with ghastly memories of English ‘Gastropubs’ but beyond the trite terminology you will find fantastic food, genuine friendly service and the most satisfying of dining experiences.

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There is an Italian feel to the menu, with pizzas and pastas married with Catalan cuisine, Tapas, Iberican hams, Manchego cheeses and the obligatory entrecote, a real mixed palette. No fish to be seen apart from the odd anchovy seasoning the salads.

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We went for a double-decker pastry mille-feuille of cream cheese and Granny Smith’s apples (yes, really) and moules gratinées for starters, both as pretty as a picture and fantastic on flavour, texture and taste.

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Our mains were Lasagnes de Canard and pork cheeks in a Banyuls sauce, both served in frying pans and sizzling with satisfaction.

We were wary of our debut for duck with pasta but the softness of the sheets bedded in brilliantly with the subtlety of the poultry which was lean, loose and soft as duck down. As such a fatty meat, our concerns over its combination with glutenous pasta melted away with each mouthful.

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The pork had been slow-cooked for 12 hours so it had a similar texture to the duck and the crispy roast potatoes, mushroom and seasonal vegetable compote provided a perfect earth for the electricity of the sweet, sticky and shiny sauce made from the local vin doux.

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We needed a good half-hour to summon up any remaining appetite, so satisfying were the first two courses, and early ambitions of tackling the Pablo’s signature dessert, a banana, caramel and cream pizza (yes, really - again) and plumped for sharing a chocolate mousse with chantilly cream, candied peanuts and caramel popcorn.

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So far, so very good, but what elevated this meal above others was the modern presentation, pleasant youthful service and happy ambience at the new Pablo. It really is a revelation for a bar that could have sat on its artistic laurels forever but has chosen to reinvent itself.

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It’s one thing investing tens of thousands in giant pizza ovens, jazzy bar fittings and cutting-edge cutlery and crockery, you have to have a philosophy behind the project.

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It’s clear that patron Flavien Casellas has ploughed in as much thought as he has cash because the attention to detail at every level, inside and out, is incredible. He and his staff have all bought into a bold and bright new era for this famous little corner of Céret.

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The real joy is that it hasn’t abandoned its heritage either. The rumour that an original Picasso still hangs on the walls of the restaurant among the glorious new murals is encouraged and enhanced by the friendly chatter of the staff.

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Restobar, Trattoria, whatever you want to call it, this is still Le Pablo and it will always draw in many visitors sheerly because of its name. The difference now is that instead of a quick selfie at the door, people will sit down and enjoy some terrific modern food.

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We each had two and a half courses of great grub, a couple of beers and a demi-litre of house red at a total cost of 59 euros which we thought was good value for this standard of dining.

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Of course, there is a ‘formule’ price where you can have two courses and a drink for 19 euros (with additional costs for certain dishes) or the pizza special at 12 euros, details daily on the terrace chalkboard.

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Or you could just go into the back room with a bottle of absinthe and some herbal cigarettes, a la mode de Dali et Picasso, either way you are in for a stimulating experience at the new-look Pablo.

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We cannot recommend it ‘highly’ enough, bon appetit!