For fifteen years, the El Cul del Món restaurant, situated in Sant Daniel, has become a gastronomic reference in the area. Its owners, Montse Juanola and Lotfi Bousatta, have maintained a distinctive culinary line that combines Catalan dishes with Moroccan preparations, a commitment they had already started in their previous establishment, El Cul de la Lleona, in the old quarter of Girona.
The restaurant's menu reflects this fusion, featuring everything from snails to hummus, seasonal battered artichokes, tabbouleh, free-range chicken cannelloni, lamb tagine with vegetables, cod with ganxet beans, and chicken couscous. This diversity aims to offer a broad culinary experience that satisfies all palates.
The Moroccan origin of one of the owners, Lotfi Bousatta, born in Larraix in 1968, is the basis of the proposal's exotic touch. His arrival in Catalonia, initially to visit a brother in la Bisbal, was a cultural and linguistic immersion that led him to settle in the Girona region. After a period in the architecture sector, he transitioned to hospitality, joining the kitchen of the restaurant that his partner, Montse Juanola, had opened.
“"My country was going through a politically and economically confusing time, and I told myself that if I found something with prospects here, I would stay."
Lotfi Bousatta's cooking, self-taught and inspired by family traditions, evolved at El Cul de la Lleona, where they began to introduce the combination of Catalan and Moroccan cuisine. This formula gained popularity in Girona in the 2000s. Over time, the transformation of the old quarter and the search for a new space led to the creation of El Cul del Món in Sant Daniel in 2011, a project that consolidated their gastronomic vision.
The restaurant stands out for its market-fresh cuisine, with a blackboard of suggestions that changes almost daily, adapting to seasonal products. This flexibility allows them to offer dishes such as lamb terrine with morels, rice with cuttlefish, or scorpionfish stew, maintaining the interest of regular customers. Furthermore, there is a growing interest in more traditional Catalan cuisine, which is being revived in their offerings.
The setting of Sant Daniel, near the Font del Bisbe, contributes to the restaurant's appeal, offering a weekend atmosphere that invites relaxation. This factor, along with the increase in international tourism, has consolidated El Cul del Món as a gastronomic destination. The restaurant is open from Wednesday to Sunday, with capacity for a hundred diners and a terrace operational all year round, even in winter, thanks to post-pandemic adaptations.
