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
