Mater Terrae, the Terra Dominicata restaurant

Mater Terrae is the restaurant of Terra Dominicata, the hotel and winery in Escaladei, and occupies the old farmhouse that was part of the Carthusian monks' estate of olive trees and vines. On the hotel's website it now appears as Restaurant Terra Dominicata, although the menu still carries the name Mater Terrae. It is at kilometre 13 of the T-702, among vines, with the Montsant cliffs above.

The farmhouse of the Carthusian estate

The kitchen is run by chef Fran López, with local produce and contemporary technique. The dining room is in the historic house and, when the weather allows, there is a terrace. The rule of the whole estate applies: over-14s only, also for those who come from outside to eat.

Rice, sea and land: the menu with prices

The menu published on its website, with a lunch and a dinner sitting, gives an idea of what it costs:

• To nibble: glass coca bread with tomato (€4), wild boar civet croquette or crispy oxtail (€3 each), Santoña anchovies (€18), acorn-fed Iberian ham (€35, half portion €18).
• Starters: warm roast vegetable cannelloni or fried duck egg with squid (€17), almadraba bluefin tuna tartare (€28).
• Rice dishes, at midday: vegetable risotto with goat's cheese (€25), young pigeon rice (€28), creamy cuttlefish and red prawn rice (€35).
• From the sea and the land: sea bass with citrus or octopus (€35), roast chicken cannelloni (€25), Iberian secreto or beef sirloin (€32); in the evening, confit cod with sanfaina or bluefin tuna parpatana from L'Ametlla (€32).

A roast vegetable cannelloni, an Iberian secreto and bread come to €53 per person, without wine or dessert.

A cellar for comparing villages

The wine list has more than 300 labels from the DOQ Priorat and the DO Montsant, designed for trying the differences between terroirs and villages. Ask the dining-room team for a wine from Porrera and another from Gratallops, with one from the estate itself alongside. The house wines, such as Umbra or Garnatxa Peluda, are also sold in its shop.

Opening hours and booking

Lunch from 13:00 to 14:30 and dinner from 20:00 to 21:30. The website does not say which days it is closed: confirm when you book, on the booking page of its website, on 877 91 22 92, by WhatsApp on 661 24 26 57 or at [email protected]. It is open to those not staying at the hotel.

Before or after

The Terra Dominicata winery visit, with four wines for €20, fits before lunch, and the Escaladei charterhouse is about 40 minutes' walk among vines. To stay, the hotel is in the same house.