Perpignan is the nearest large city to Collioure and where I took the train to from Paris. We went to Perpignan one afternoon for lunch and to explore the city. It’s a sleepy, kind of run down place but there is an old part of the city that had some history. We roamed the almost empty, shaded narrow streets of the St. Jean area with architecture dating from the 1500s. Of course, I ducked into deserted courtyards as I do in Paris. The centerpiece of the quartier is Cathédrale de Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Perpignan, a Roman Catholic cathedral built in Catalan Gothic style, erected in 1324 by King Sancho of Majorca and completed in the 15th century.
Perpignan has a large North African population and we thought Moroccan food for lunch would be in order. Blair had tried before getting into a highly recommended Moroccan restaurant but it was closed the last time he was here. We found out it was open that day, so scurried right over.
Right away I could tell it was an authentic Moroccan restaurant and had the specific elements and feel of the ones I had eaten in Morocco. I have had some very good Moroccan food in Paris over the years but none have been extraordinary or recreated what I experienced in Morocco. The interior of the restaurant was so inviting and warm, we felt like spending the whole day there. On the walls were a series of captivating, illustrated Art Deco travel posters of Morocco, which were so romantic, I felt like hopping the next plane to Marrakesh. We were the only customers, so we acted like we had the place to ourselves.
I ordered Pastilla, which is a traditional Moroccan dish of a crust of phyllo dough filled with pigeon, almonds, cinnamon, and raisins. It’s one of my favorite Moroccan dishes, a dreamy mix of sweet and savory, with the delectable phyllo dough surrounding it. Most restaurants serve a modified version with chicken, since pigeon is not high on the list of favorite foods of Western diners. This version had chicken and I have to say it was one of the best I have ever had. The outside phyllo, done to perfection, was crunchy and a bit buttery, and the inside was a mélange of juicy chicken, sweet raisins, and the tang of cinnamon. I can still taste it as I write this. Laurie and Blair had excellent lamb tagines. We spoke with the owner for a while and he was so hospitable, he made us feel like we were in his home
We didn’t want it to end but we had to leave since we had a date to meet some new friends in a small town about an hour a way.
Route de Tanger
1 rue du Four, 66000
Perpignan
Tel. 04 68 51 07 57
My unforgettable Pastilla
LOVE the graphic
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I have loved the Collioure pieces. It is a fantastic part of France and on my successful Lotto win, I will be buying somewhere in the area and moving in!!! Thanks for your wonderful insights. Really enjoy
Posted by: angela | March 14, 2012 at 12:11 PM
loved this little side journey...thanks for taking me to these semi-obscure places. You're a wonderful traveling companion!
Posted by: Laurie | March 14, 2012 at 12:53 PM
wonderful, looks like a great place to visit,
Posted by: Rosemary | March 14, 2012 at 12:54 PM
I love going to "The Perp," as we call Perpignan. It's a short, cheap train ride away from Collioure , great to go to for lunch and some poking around.
Funny aside: British people fly in and out of Perpignan so often that it's sometimes dubbed "Perpingham."
So....are you going to do Ceret? Great mountain town nearby!
Posted by: Chezbonnefemme | March 14, 2012 at 03:19 PM
Super photos! Super post. I've added Perpignan to my list of places to explore!
Posted by: carolyn | March 15, 2012 at 08:08 AM