'Foghorns' of delight!

John & Elaine · Post by **John & Elaine** » Sun 04 Oct 2009 13:43

Here's a real find of a restaurant - 'Els Fogons de Canadal' (0034 972 556 951). In La Jonquera of all places!

The menus are only at lunch time - it's only a la carte in the evening. We chose the 28 Euro menu and ate very, very well indeed. The starters were all preceded by complimentary and humungous amount of tapas which we grazed gratefully. The starters we chose were all salads - generous and tasty. By the time it came to the mains we were beginning to wilt but bravely persevered!

The ladies shared a huge turbot and Robbie and I had a Desperate Dan-size steak each. After that I was replete but the others managed to see off portions of profiteroles (6 each!) but Elaine went with the less calorific fresh fruit salad. Cava is served with the tapas (or sangria), wine is included - we had a bottle of red and another of white (both on the wine list at 14 Euros each). Coffee is included. Remarkable value and as Winner would say 'historic'.

But is so hard to find I wonder how it survives without any passing trade. It's left off the roundabout before exit 2 of the motorway as you head south having passed through the town. You follow the road and there are some signs as you skirt behind the back of the shops, passing (or not, as you choose!) a dubious night club whose name I forget and then you take off left again up a steep concrete track which seems to go on forever but has reassuringly placed signs for all those thinking 'it can't be up here'.

Very highly recommended.

john · Post by **john** » Sun 04 Oct 2009 14:04

Sounds excellent John. If you are prepared to scratch beneath the surface in LJ,avoiding the places on the main drag,those doing a "buffet" and those attached to sex shops etc,there are some quality bargains to be had.

Do you know the opening days/times of the Foghorn? I'd like to give it a go.

Sue · Post by **Sue** » Sun 04 Oct 2009 15:02

Would just like to confirm what John and Elaine have said. We have been to Fogons many many times for lunch. Only on one occasion have we gone for anything than the most reasonable menu, which I think is about 18 euros and includes aperatif, wine and a digestif plus starters, main and desert plus in between nibbles. Excellent value and a lovely setting to sit outside on a good day. Any difficulty in locating it then head for the rear of the Blue Turtle Supermarket and the track to Fogons is to the left.

opas · Post by **opas** » Sun 04 Oct 2009 20:19

Well knock me down with a fog horn!

We went to the vide grenier at le Boulou today with our girls in tow, my plan was a picnic on the beach somewhere near Roses(after filling the fuel tank) Mr o and the girls had other ideas.

Going through LJ after being given `vouchers` for Quick at the border...shouts of I`m hungry came from the back seat

Mr O concured that he was `starving`

and proceeded to start a riot about needing to go to a Resto, he followed the long and winding track to the Rest mentioned (not Quick

) and was greeted by a very happy to help chappie who ran us through the menu.

It sounded lovely but at nearly 30 euros per head for a family of 4 was not on our lunch time budget, he explained that they did a menu during the week at 19 euros, so we will either return en famile dureing the week OR slip off and tell the kids we have to work one saturday and leave them with bus fare and money for McDo or Quick

Sue · Post by **Sue** » Sun 04 Oct 2009 22:14

Sorry forgot to say the lower price menu was weekdays only. OOps.

john · Post by **john** » Fri 27 Nov 2009 09:13

Finally got round to visiting this place last night,and all the above plaudits are true.

Absolutely EXCELLENT. Not cheap by Spanish standards ;the lack of "menu" in the evening pushed it up to 40€ a head all in,but you'd never get anything remotely as good as this in France (let alone UK !) for that.

Not easy to find,but if you see the dubious looking "Desire Club"(doubtless a temperance and celibacy centre),by the lorry park,the turning up the hill is by there.

opas · Post by **opas** » Sat 26 May 2012 12:19

We enjoyed this restaurant yesterday for our anniversary lunch.
We chose to sit inside near the rear terrace because we wanted some air, but not inhale the cigarette fumes from other outside diners.
The menus wr presented to us and all were explained out in great length, the waiter then left us to choose in privacy. We ordered and sat chatting and admired the building and gardens and out of the corner of my eye saw a waitress approach, I thought the sevice was quick if our starters were here already, but no the apperatif was presented, salami and chorizo, olives, little potato/cheese croquettes and pan tomate plus extra bread; after we had nibbled our way through those I joked that I did not need any lunch !
I ordered Moules and Ian the Tuna salad- with the idea that we share, both were beautifully presented and plentyfull.
Mains , Ian ordered steak which was accompanied by fresh (i bet double fried) crispy chips, stuffed baked tomato and courgette slices, he was warned by the waitress that the plate was hot.........scorching in fact!
My ains was fish, I did not know realy how it was to be presented but knew it was mixed fish. It arrived in an oven dish, paella style but with potatoes in the sauce, muscles, langustine, 2 types of fish(white) clams and cut up octopus/squid..........delicious, but ian commented and joked with the waitress that it was a huge single portion.

After about 10 mins we were asked what we would like for desert, streight away I chose strawberries flambè in armangac because It sounded light!
Ian orded garpacio of pinapple.

Mine arrived in a huge sundae dish filled and topped with a scoop of vanilla icecream, the bottom hlaf had warm suculent sweet strawberries, the top ones from the fridge mmmmmmmmmmmmmm
yumy but definatly not light!
Then Ians arrived on a huge glass plate, thin slices of pinapple on a bed of cream catalan then bruleed, a scoop of ice cream and chantilly.

Excellent, just over 40 euros including a bottle of wine, but we also bought a bottle of water.

opas · Post by **opas** » Sun 09 Nov 2014 08:51

Another visit last Saturday for my birthday. surprisingly the price was still 19 Euros.
Againa fantastic menu, Prawns from the plancha for him, gaspachio for youngest ,salad for eldest and duck and cepes canelloni for me. all were beautifully presented and shared, the sauce with my cannelloni was devine. The only snag at out table was the salad, she cannot stand fruit or nuts in a meal - but that's just her taste.
mains were 2 steaks and a shared paella, again wonderfull.
deserts, the choice was endless - we had tirimasu , ice creams in varying flavours and lemon mouse ;
bottle of house wine, water and gaseose(sp) the lemonade type drink always served in spain.

The restaunant was very busy and the only downside was when the bill was presented, Ian did not have his reading glasses and let Jennifer check the bill, she just told him what the bottom line was and he assumed it was more expensive because it was a Saturday, then she spotted Martini and 3 other drinks under apero - not ours! so the very red faced waitors spent the next 10 minutes trying to work out which table had those aperos.

FORUM