We had an awesome experience here! The kitchen is open and in view from the dining tables. You can see the chefs plate everything together. There is a separate hidden prep kitchen behind a door. Staff was kind, attentive (more so than standard European restaurants). Menus were available in castellano and in English. The host and waiter spoke at least a functional level of English. As a primary anglophone, even if I had not been accompanied by an hispanophone I would have felt perfectly comfortable.
If you've ever seen the film, "The Menu," there is a little bit of resemblance here. A lot of work goes into preparation for every single dish, for taste, texture, aroma and visual presentation. It is very elaborate, and at times I question whether the level of work they put in contributes to the experience of a plate. This is high level artistry and I'm not a high-maintenance diner.
When my husband made the restaurant reservation, he set us both down for the Javier Aranda menu option. We also took the wine pairing.
My husband enjoyed the kombucha. We both loved the seasonal mushrooms temaki, purrusalda soup fritter, red chard carbonara & truffle cream, 40 day fermented Ebro's onion, Santa Pola squid & yellow aji, Ávila's suckling pig. Most of the dishes from the tasting menu were wonderful.
Be prepared for lots of sweets at the end! There was a "pre-dessert" palate cleanser of beetroot and raspberry tartar with lychee sorbet. The "dessert" was a chocolate cake made with pumpkin. There was a petit four selection of confections (there were actually five of them): lychee macarons, strawberry confection like a pâte de fruit, a biscuit-like sweet, a chocolatey truffle with a biscuit center, and the fifth I can't recall.
The wine pairings were also quite good, maybe slightly overwhelming because there was so much wine that I left nearly half of my glasses unfinished. We were both definitely drunk on food and wine by the end.
Overall great Michelin experience, stellar visual presentation, and many courses. It is a LOT of food. read more