Can Roc - Calonge

On a Sunday in May 2019 my wife asked me to select a restaurant for lunch after a visit to a plant nursery in Platja D'Aro on Spain's Costa Brava. I thought we should expand our restaurant list beyond our normal reliables and as meat had been in our diet more than usual for almost two weeks, I did an internet search for a seafood restaurant in or around Platja D'Aro. I came up with a place on the seaside in Sant Antoni de Colonge, the town immediately north of Platja D'aro. Can Roc was not the restaurant I had selected. In fact, it had not even shown up as a possible choice during my search. However, we happened to park in front of the restaurant, which is on a street that parallels, but is not on, the seafront. Both the location of the restaurant and its outside appearance (more of a bar/cafe than a proper restaurant) did not attract us, so we proceeded to walk to the restaurant I had found on my internet search. However, we ended up rejecting that restaurant as we realized when we approached it that we had been there some years before and were not impressed. Then we inquired about a table in the restaurant next door to our aborted choice, but were told it was fully booked until late afternoon. We were not inclined to start driving around in search of a restaurant that would have availability on a warm and sunny Sunday during a spring that had to date been unusually cool. Therefore, as we walked back to our car we decided we would check out the menu we had noted was posted on a railing separating Can Roc's terrace from the pavement. What we found posted was a daily menu that provided starter, main dish, wine, water and dessert or coffee for 19.90 Euros. For a Sunday set menu the price was quite reasonable. Moreover, the menu contained a nice selection of starters and main dishes, including steamed muscles and chipirones Andulucia among the starters and grilled sea bass, baked dorado and a fish/shellfish stew among the main dishes. It was warm enough to sit on the terrace, but the umbrellas had not been opened so there was no shade from the strong rays of the early afternoon sun. We went inside to find a bright dining area with tablecloth covered tables of varying sizes. Most of the smaller tables were already occupied, but one of the two remaining tables for two persons was still available (the other was reserved). My wife had the steamed muscles and grilled sea bass while I had the chipirones Andalucia and the fish/shellfish stew. The freshness of the food and the manner of preparation were indicative of a kitchen better than the outward appearance of the restaurant had suggested. We have often found Catalan cooking to be over-seasoned (namely with too much salt). To the contrary, (1) Can Roc's steamed muscles seemed to have nothing added (not even garlic, white wine or parseley), but were naturally tasty and (2) the chipirones were fried with a light flour coating that was not overly salted. The whole grilled sea bass had a crispy skin, but soft and succulent flesh. Only the stew reminded us we were in Catalunya as it had a thickish sauce. However, the sauce was lighter in taste and texture than it looked. Moreover, the selection and volume of fish and shellfish in the stew were impressive, particularly as part of a set menu. Even the wine seemed of better quality than is usually included as part of a set menu. The meal was not entirely free of criticism. My wife, who usually raves how potatoes are cooked in Spain, complained the potatoes accompanying the sea bass were tasteless (they were unseasoned). She also believed the fish and shellfish in the stew had not been cooked in the sauce, which she believed had been prepared separately and then poured over the fish and shellfish. I was not in a position to challenge her, but however the dish was prepared, I enjoyed it. While perhaps not qualifying as extraordinary, our lunch at Can Roc was certainly better than ordinary.

Not the best food around this area but the service make an enjoyable lunch. The red wine of the menu was not ok for my taste.

Lugar muy acogedor y familiar. Hicimos menú de fin de semana, a 24.90€ muy bueno, con varios entrantes a elegir y un principal que elegimos arroz, para dos personas. Calidad precio muy correcto, lo recomendamos.

Hemos disfrutado de una excelente comida, el servicio fue muy atento y el ambiente muy agradable. La única crítica que tengo es que el allioli era de bote, pero en general, todo fue excelente.

Local familiar y muy agradable. Nos atendieron muy bien a un grupo muy grande