Perpignan is the capital of the Catalan region in France (Barcelona is its capital in Spain). For those of you who don’t know, Catalan is a language where French and Spanish combine, so it’s a really cool language to hear because it has influences from both.
I spent the afternoon exploring around the city and it was so incredibly colorful. I had never heard of this city prior to my cousin moving nearby, but it is truly an underrated French city. In fact, Salvador Dali called Perpignan “el centre du mon” which means “the center of the world” in Catalan. It was an economic, political and cultural center of the medieval Mediterranean.
My cousin took me to her favorite restaurant in Perpignan called Nikkei by Ruben Gomez. The food was some of the best Asian fusion (Venezuelan-Japanese) I've ever had. My favorite plate was a bao bun filled with shrimp tartare, a sauce, greens and orange marmalade. Everything was so good and I understand why this is her favorite restaurant! The coolest part about Nikkei was that it’s located in a Mercedes’ Benz dealership, so it’s very tucked away from the center of Perpignan, making it a true off the beaten path restaurant.
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