Deessa
2019 Mas Escorpi Chardonnay
Petals of Roses
Gin Tonic of Apple
Bearnaise Sauce of Trout Roe
Smoked Eel and Chili Soup
Shiso Saam, Red Tuna, Starry Moss
Torta of Ling Roe served as ‘cheese’, Mullet Roe, Trout Roe, Beluga Caviar, Osetra Caviar, Kaluga Caviar, Housemade Cheese, Tapioca Bread, Cracker, Steam Bun
Red Prawn from Denia cooked in Sea Water with Herbs and Shellfish Bisque
The Enchanted Forest
Turbot in Sherry Sauce
Morel Risotto, Pan de Aceite
Roasted Veal Sweetbread with Mountain Leaves
Melba Peach and Gold Leaf, Homage to Auguste Escoffier
Chocolate and Hazelnut Flan
Violet Macaron, Passion Fruit Marshmallow, Cinnamon Stick, Unpitted Prunes
Described by some as progressive, while others prefer ‘emotive’ or immersive in the region, Quique Dacosta Restaurante has made a destination of Denia for over a decade, and after a lengthy delay due to the pandemic it is now as dining director of Madrid’s Mandarin Oriental that guests can experience Chef Dacosta’s talents in the Spanish capitol.
Self-taught and owner of four stars from Michelin, three at the eponymous flagship since 2013, it is in the Alfonso XIII room, overlooking the Ritz Garden, that diners are invited to taste one of two menus as styled by longtime Dacosta collaborator Chef Ricard Tobella.
Offering all the luxury one might expect of Madrid’s most iconic hotel, every moment from entry to exit curated with the utmost attention, it is before sitting on plush banquettes that dinner is started by way of greetings from Ricard and Dacosta’s Petals of Roses alongside an Apple Gin & Tonic.
Divided into Quique Dacosta Classics and QDRITZ Contemporary, with overlap to start and finish, it was having pre-selected the latter that Wine was chosen, complex Chardonnay proving well-suited to Eel in piquant Foam, Asian inspired Tuna and an “Egg” with skin of Asparagus filled by Trout Roe and “Yolk” of Beef Stock.
Proceeding next to a tasting of Caviar, a well-sourced trio offered alongside Bottarga, Quique’s famous Torta of Ling Roe, Trout Eggs, Housemade Cheese and Bread, it was after slowly working through the flavors that Denia’s Red Prawn cooked in Sea Water proved that under rare circumstances an Ingredient can be a “Signature Dish.”
Specifically requesting “The Enchanted Forest” next, in many ways Dacosta’s own “Gargouillou,” Turbot in Sherry Sauce takes inspiration from 2017’s “The Mount of Olive Trees” thanks to an edible skeleton while Morel Risotto shines bright thanks to flawless texture beneath a Pasta veil and slowly melting Orbs of Butter.
No less special for gently roasted Sweetbreads with earthy aromas and herbaceous Sauce, Dessert sees Tobella pay homage to Escoffier by way of a Peach Melba Parfait followed by a textural landscape of Chocolate and Hazelnuts that will seem quite familiar to fans of Chef Dacosta.
A fast meal without much business until 21h30, typical for fine dining throughout Madrid, it was prior to the bill that Mignardises embraced new and old with fully-edible Cinnamon Sticks and “Unpitted Prunes” outperforming the thankfully subtle Violet Macaron and Passion Fruit Marshmallow.
www.mandarinoriental.com/madrid/hotel-ritz/fine-dining/restaurants/contemporary-cuisine/deessa