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It is always exciting to meet young entrepreneurs and to see the fire in their eyes and hear the passion in their words and Juan Daniel Sánchez Pérez (Juanda) is no exception to the rule. Talking to Juanda and his girlfriend Laura Salmerón Fernández there is a glimpse into the future of the food in Totana, and it’s a bright future.

Juanda studied Marketing and Public Relations at Murcia University and just after college he started to work in Marketing at the age of 23 and he currently works as a creative director in an advertising agency. Juanda’s passion for food and all things gastronomic saw him take a job in a local restaurant alongside his career and identified ways in which he could improve their digital marketing and social media presence. This had a dramatic effect on the restaurant and it wasn’t long before other interested restaurateurs came knocking at his door for similar assistance.

Juanda’s approach to their problems centred around the personal feel of social media and not the cold and corporate feel of a traditional website (for a gauge of Juanda’s influence you’ll notice the lack of restaurant websites in Totana) and he believes that “social media is more of an experience, I want people talking about ME”.

An opportunity came Juanda’s way when, based on his friendship and professional relationships with the best chefs in the area, the head chef and owner of the original restaurant he worked in -Luis López- approached him with an idea to start a new venture with them. The concept was to create a fusion of fine dining and street food, a place where you could find bank managers eating on the table next to teenagers.  Pedro Jesús Piernas and Alfonso Martínez joined the team and the Platea Burger Club was conceived.

An important part of Juanda’s ethos was that the venture should not only be a collaboration between the owners but also between the restaurant and the wider creative community. Two local artists were commissioned to work on a hand painted mural that already existed on the back wall of the premises and, in-keeping with the food concept, a piece of elegant artwork was given a distressed feel and lightened in tone to create a more contemporary feel.

Attention to detail has also been reflected in the restaurant's corporate image, that has been awarded a regional design award for Young artists  "Creamurcia". The 80 seater restaurant opened at the end of March 2019 and within six months was in the top five Totana restaurants on Trip Advisor.

The menu is also a collaboration of ideas with Juanda listening to the great chefs he has worked with and taking their ideas of the perfect burger back to the kitchen of Platea Burger club. Given that the local area is so rich in wonderful fruits and vegetables it would not surprise you to know that they are all locally sourced from hand selected suppliers. The beef used in the restaurant is from the Basque region and has been voted as one of the five best beefs in the world, Seguro Valley goat (the best Spain has to offer) is used and Chato Murciano is the pork which most locals consider to be the regions finest.

So, we have world class ingredients, a young and vibrant team and a real vision for the future which includes a monthly change of guest chefs having their signature burger on the menu and local artists designing front covers for the menus to reflect the month through their eyes. Oh….. did I mention that this is also available as a Menu del dia for €10, which always includes burgers from the main menu just slightly smaller in size ( the main menu burgers are huge). There are also vegetarian and gluten free choices and a 100% vegan burger. There is the option of a private room for parties of about 20 and for larger groups the entire restaurant can be taken over, but this would need to be between 60-80 people.

Under normal circumstances you would think that we’ve reached the end of the story but not with this one. Adjoined to the restaurant by a glass window is a 200 capacity bar which is the meeting point for crowds of young and stylish people at the weekends. At the weekends the cocktails are made by a top class mixologist (Coca-Cola’s official mixologist for Murcia) who has just been finalist in a european contest. He has indeed designed many of the house cocktails himself and the bar moves to the sounds of top local DJs who always seem to set the music at the perfect level for conversation and great ambiance.

This place is an absolute gem and a hint of the future of the young professional chefs this town seems to be producing in abundance. Juanda and his team are waiting to meet you, and it could possibly be the easiest place for anyone to find in Totana, it is opposite the coffee bars and ice cream parlours in the main plaza. So next time you’re in town for the market or any other reason give it a try………you won’t regret it.

Platea Opening Hours

Monday 12:00-16:00 20:30-23:30

Tuesday 12:00-16:00 Closed

Wednesday 12:00-16:00 Closed

Thursday 12:00-16:00 20:30-23:30

Friday 12:00-16:00 20:30-23:30

Saturday 12:00-16:00 20:30-23:30

Sunday 12:00-16:00 20:30-23:30

Phone  968 960 762

Address Plaza de la balsa vieja, s/n, Totana, 30850, Murcia

Facebook Platea Burger Club

Starters

Delicias de camembert Con confitura de tomate (8ud)

(Camembert delight-with tomato jam – 8 pieces)

Cheese Boom Bolitas de chile con queso y salsa ranchera (8ud)

(Chilli balls with cheese and a ranch sauce -8 pieces)

Aros de Cebolla con salsa tártara (10ud)

(Onion rings with tartar sauce-10 pieces)

Alitas Infierno Pollo crujiente con devil sauce picante (6ud)

(Hot wings – crunchy chicken with a spicy devil sauce-6 pieces)

Chicken Finguers Pollo abodabo crujiente con salsa de mostaza y miel

(Chicken fingers- crunchy strips of free-range chicken with a mustard and honey dip)

Nachos Caseras 3 Salsas Guacamole, cheddar y chile con carne

(Homemade nachos with three dips. Guacamole, cheddar and chilli con carne)

Patatas Gratinadas Con bacon, cheddar, mozzarella y salsa ranchera

(Cheesy chips with bacon, cheddar, mozzarella and a ranch sauce)

Our Recommendations

Ensaladilla Rockera Con bacon

(Rockers salad-with bacon)

Yakitori De pollo al estilo thailandes

(Yakatori chicken skewers-thai style)

Nuestro Hummus Con cebolla encurtida y pan polar

(House hummus with pickled onion and flatbread)

Quesadilla Maya Mozzarella, bacon, cebolla caramelizada.

(Mayan tortilla- mozzarella, bacon and caramelised onion)

Salads

Caesar

Mixed lettuce leaves, breaded breast of free range chicken, crispy bacon, parmesan flakes, cherry tomatoes, croutons and our homemade Caesar sauce.

Mediterránea

(Mixed lettuce leaves, tomato, cucumber, red onion, carrot, sweetcorn, hard-boiled egg and chunks of tuna)

Platea

(Mixed lettuce leaves, caramelised goats cheese, cherry tomatoes, red fruits, crispy onion and balsamic dressing)

Classic Burgers (Quarter pounders)

Classic

(Tomato and lettuce)

Cheese Burger

(With cheese)

Bacon Cheese Burger

(Bacon and cheese)

Chicken Crispy

(Breaded free-range chicken, tomato, lettuce, cheddar and ranch sauce)

Original Hot Dog

(Chato Murciano pork bratwurst sausage, cheddar sauce, crispy bacon, mozzarella and crispy onion)

Doble Cheese Burger

(Double matured beef burger and double cheddar)

New York Original

(The authentic New Yorker. Double beef burger, quadruple cheddar and double bacon)

Burgers ( Half Pounders- served with deluxe fries)

Chato Murciano

(Chato Murciano pork, aldeano bread, ranch sauce, tomato and mixed leaves)

Bollywood

(Segureño lamb, pita bread, yoghurt, cucumber, tomato and mixed leaves)

La Sexy

(40 day matured beef, mollete bread, caramelised goats cheese, blueberry jam, crispy onion tomato and mixed leaves)

Beyond Burger (vegan)

( Quarter pounder Beyond meat burger, aldeano bread, mushroom and truffle sauce, tomato and baby leaves. Served with sweet potato fries)

Tex-Mex

(40 day matured beef, mollete bread, cheddar cheese, chilli con carne, sweetcorn, tomato and baby leaves)

Deluxe

(40 day matured beef, mollete bread, brie, fresh escalope of foie gras, mushroom sauce with truffles and baby leaves)

Carnivore Chronicles

(40 day matured beef, mollete bread, cool boneless ribs, cheddar cheese, bacon, barbecue sauce, crispy onion and baby leaves)

Meats

Iberian Pork Fillet

(With homemade chimichurri sauce)

Galician loin steak

(with accompaniments)

Pork Ribs (half or full rack)

Barbecue

Spicy Honey

Salt and Pepper

Source: Totana.net