Romain Fornell arrived in Barcelona at 22 years old and has found in this city the ideal place to express himself culinarily and develop his facet as an entrepreneur. His restaurant group, Goût Rouge, now has eleven establishments with the opening of the new Tejada Mar, a formula destined to triumph this summer and which the chef wants to turn into a reference when choosing where to eat a good paella on the beach.
Fornell took over the Tejada Mar premises just before the pandemic, in January 2020. Located in Barceloneta, below the podium that houses the spectacular pool of the W Hotel, the property had previously hosted the Segafredo restaurant. Tejada Mar opened for barely two months as a consequence of the coronavirus, but Fornell has taken advantage of the crisis to completely renovate the restaurant (with an investment close to one million euros), which aims to be "a maritime version" of Casa Tejada in Turó Park.
The new Tejada Mar, inaugurated this June, boasts an attractive decoration where wood stands out, along with the touch of color provided by some tiles and a large red octopus that presides over the room. Its 90-square-meter terrace under a reed pergola promises to be one of the most sought-after of the season. It is essential to sit and contemplate the views of Barcelona or watch people pass by, asking, first of all, for a bottle of the house cava, Terra de Marca, produced in Castellví de la Marca (Penedès).
Once the bubbles have been tasted, and depending on each person's budget, one can move on to the many appetizers that the chef has designed for Tejada Mar. The concept of quality ingredients, minimal intervention, and French influence marks the entire menu. As always, being at Romain's house, oysters cannot be missing (Sorlut special with mignonette), but if you really want to try something new and surprisingly flavorful, note this down: clams in Thai sauce. 100% recommended.
The bluefin tuna carpaccio, mustard and sesame is also spectacular. Alaskan king crab with wasabi mayonnaise, blue lobster with garlic or Robuchon langoustines with basil are other possible choices. But being in Barcelona, good ham croquettes or bravas can never be missing from the menu. Tejada Mar also works with the grill and there Fornell recommends a Txogitxu Japanese cut entrecôte or a Châteaubriand with Paris café sauce.
But we were looking for a beach and paella plan, weren't we? Tejada Mar lets us choose between a rice with red prawns, squid and rock mussels (22 euros per person) or a lobster rice. And let's not forget dessert: pineapple bites infused with Malibu and served on a bed of ice are the best end to a perfect plan, although the sweetest can opt for the Salvador Dalí cheesecake.
And to finish, good news: Tejada Mar offers "a formula", that is, a 45-euro menu that includes four starters to share, a paella and dessert (drinks not included).
In addition to the two Tejada restaurants, in Barcelona the Goût Rouge group operates, among others, the restaurants Café Turó, Épicerie and Caelis (in the Ohla Hotel). In addition, Romain Fornell is the chef director of Hostal La Gavina in S'Agaró, which houses the Candlelight restaurant. Among his upcoming projects, the management of the restaurant that will be in the spectacular Antares luxury housing tower, located in the Forum/Diagonal Mar area and designed by the French architect Odile Decq, stands out.