MICAT, a New Perspective on Menorcan Cuisine from Cala en Bosc

Itziar Lecea/Cala en Bosch - MICAT, the gastronomic restaurant at Lago Resort Menorca in Ciutadella, has received the 2026 Foodies on Menorca Award for Best New Menorcan Cuisine Restaurant. Under the gastronomic direction of chef Luis Valls, the project champions local produce, seasonality and the island's culinary heritage through a signature cuisine that combines the precision of fine dining with deep roots in the territory.

MENORCA, THE ORIGIN OF EVERY DISH

What does it mean to cook Menorcan cuisine today? The answer can be found both in a traditional recipe passed down from generation to generation and in a contemporary dish that transforms an island ingredient into an unexpected gastronomic experience. Between these two extremes lies a creative space in which tradition is not an unchangeable formula, but a source of inspiration. MICAT, the gastronomic restaurant at Lago Resort Menorca in Cala en Bosc, has made this idea the centre of its approach and has just received recognition that endorses its work: the 2026 Foodies on Menorca Award for Best New Menorcan Cuisine Restaurant.

The award was presented on 19 September during the second edition of the Foodies on Menorca Gastronomy Awards, held as part of the Fira Arrels in Es Mercadal.

In MICAT's case, the recognition highlights an approach to cooking that places Menorca at the heart of every creation. It is not simply a matter of incorporating local ingredients into a fine-dining menu, but of developing a gastronomic concept rooted in the land, the sea, the seasons and the people who make these products possible.

Foodies on Menorca particularly highlights this commitment to placing culinary technique at the service of the territory. MICAT's cuisine reinterprets Menorca's gastronomic landscape from a contemporary perspective, without losing touch with the roots that give it meaning. It is an approach to innovation that does not require abandoning identity in order to look towards the future.

LUIS VALLS, LEADING THE GASTRONOMIC PROJECT

MICAT's gastronomic direction is entrusted to Luis Valls, a Valencian chef whose career has been closely linked to fine dining and who is particularly well known for his time leading El Poblet, a restaurant that achieved two Michelin stars under his direction.

His involvement in the Menorcan project brings extensive technical experience and a working philosophy in which attention to detail, balance of flavours and precision in preparation are fundamental. However, MICAT's challenge is not to reproduce in Menorca a gastronomic model developed elsewhere. Rather, it is to place this experience at the service of an island with its own distinctive culinary personality.

This is one of the keys to the project. Fine-dining techniques provide tools for exploring textures, concentrating flavours and presenting ingredients from different perspectives. Menorcan produce, meanwhile, provides the starting point, the identity and the narrative that give coherence to the proposal.

In this way, signature cuisine does not become a technical display disconnected from its surroundings, but a means of interpreting them. Creativity has meaning when it allows new nuances to be discovered in a familiar ingredient, revives a remembered flavour or establishes a different relationship with foods that form part of local culture. The award recognises this combination of knowledge, sensitivity and deep local roots. It also acknowledges the work of the team supporting the chef, whose efforts make it possible to bring this vision to life every day, both in the kitchen and in the dining room.

THE LAND, THE SEA AND MEMORY

MICAT's philosophy can be summarised in three concepts that the restaurant itself highlighted when celebrating the award: the land, the sea and memory. These three elements help explain how contemporary Menorcan cuisine is created.

The land refers to agricultural produce, fields, livestock farms and the people who work to keep the primary sector alive. The sea connects us with fishermen, the seasonality of catches and a maritime culture that has shaped much of the island's gastronomic history. Memory, finally, brings together the knowledge, customs and flavours passed down over time.

In signature cuisine, these elements may be reinterpreted through creations that surprise diners, but their value depends on the ability to preserve their essence. The product is not simply an ingredient to which a technique is applied: it is the protagonist of a gastronomic story.

This philosophy also invites us to understand tradition from a dynamic perspective. Menorcan recipe collections have developed over the centuries according to the availability of food, cultural exchanges and the adaptations introduced into cooking by each generation. In this sense, innovation does not necessarily mean breaking with the past. It can also mean continuing that same evolution with new tools.

MICAT finds its own place within Menorcan gastronomy through this relationship between origin and transformation. Its aim is to offer a contemporary gastronomic experience, but with a narrative born from the territory that invites diners to discover it from a different perspective.

LOCAL PRODUCE AT THE HEART OF THE EXPERIENCE

One of the aspects most highly valued by Foodies on Menorca is MICAT's commitment to the island's producers. Fishermen, farmers and other professionals working in the primary sector are part of a chain that is essential to any gastronomic project seeking to champion local sourcing.

This relationship has consequences that go beyond the quality of each dish. Working with local produce means respecting the rhythms of nature, seasonal availability and the characteristics of the foods Menorca has to offer. It also means recognising the value of producers' knowledge and their contribution to preserving the island's landscape and economy.

One example of the restaurant's gastronomic approach is its croquette made with Menorcan scarlet prawn, known locally as gamba carabinera. This creation demonstrates how a familiar and popular preparation can become an exercise in culinary precision when made with seafood of distinctive character. The croquette, found in many gastronomic traditions, thus becomes a meeting point between a recognisable format and a contemporary interpretation of local produce.

A GASTRONOMIC EXPERIENCE IN CALA EN BOSC

MICAT is located within the Lago Resort Menorca setting, in the Hotel Casas del Lago complex, in Cala en Bosc, in the municipality of Ciutadella. Its location places it in a tourist area on Menorca's south-western coast, but its gastronomic offering aims to go beyond the experience associated with hotel accommodation.

The intention is that a meal should not be limited to a succession of dishes, but should become a journey through different expressions of the island's gastronomy. Each creation can offer a particular perspective on an ingredient, a season or a culinary reference, while the overall experience encourages attention to detail.

In this type of restaurant, the dining room also plays an important role. Service, the pace of the meal and the way dishes are presented all contribute to giving meaning to the experience. The kitchen and front-of-house team must work together so that diners can understand the connecting theme of the menu and enjoy it without rushing.

NEW MENORCAN CUISINE: INNOVATING WITHOUT LOSING ITS ROOTS

The award given to MICAT also invites reflection on the meaning of new Menorcan cuisine. For a long time, traditional gastronomy was mainly associated with home recipes, popular dishes and preparations linked to celebrations or family customs. Today, this same heritage is also a source of inspiration for chefs working with contemporary techniques and new gastronomic languages.

This evolution is important because it allows the island's culinary repertoire to continue attracting interest and connecting with the expectations of a diverse audience. Traditional cuisine keeps alive the flavours and preparations that form part of collective memory; new cuisine opens up possibilities for reinterpreting them, combining them with other ingredients and discovering new dimensions.

In this respect, MICAT represents a path towards innovation based on respect for the territory. Its approach does not seek to distance itself from Menorca, but rather to use technical knowledge to express the island's uniqueness in a contemporary way.

AN AWARD THAT ENCOURAGES LOOKING AHEAD

The 2026 Foodies on Menorca Award for Best New Menorcan Cuisine Restaurant comes during the project's first year and represents significant recognition for MICAT and the team that has made it possible.

From Cala en Bosc, MICAT enters the gastronomic landscape with an approach that places Menorca at the centre of the plate and understands innovation as a way of exploring the island's identity more deeply. The award recognises this commitment and helps give visibility to a new Menorcan cuisine that does not forget where it comes from.