Lunch - Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Quique Dacosta (the man) exudes an air of derring-do. He's a rakish charmer, a raconteur. But that concentration - his thoughtful, serious side surfaces quickly and we are plunged deep into a discussion about his cuisine and its place in the web of things.
Quique Dacosta (the restaurant) is a reflection of its patron. Four hours from Barcelona in the holiday town of Dénia, it is a disarming space - modern yet rooted in history (it was previously owned by his father-in-law). The servers are relaxed, and it is their consummate professionalism that sets diners at ease (the GM, Didier, gets a special mention for being a true credit to his profession).
Our party of five arrived at the restaurant for a 1.30pm appointment - the first of the day. The shaded patio was inviting in the heat of the Spanish afternoon - our meal, the "Tomorrowland" menu, began there.
NB: Because of the extensive number of courses, I will keep descriptions to a minimum in this post. Suffice to say, it was the best food and service we received during our time in Portugal and Spain. Indeed, this was an all-time top 10 meal.
Act 1 - Snacks
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| Gintonic of apple, petals of roses |
A sweet beginning - the faux inner petals of the flower were juicy strips of apple infused with rose syrup. This was paired with an apple-infused
gintonic (yes, one word), a perennial favourite hereabouts.
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| Dry leaves, roots of boletus |
Two different leaves - sweet corn, and herbs in vinegar (the latter being especially good). The roots were made of rice flour mixed with mushroom powder - quite addictive.
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| Stones of Parmesan cheese |
We've had our fair share of edible "stones", but these jet-black specimens were a standout - pungent, salty, cheesy.
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| Tomatoes in vinegar |
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| "Spaghetti puttanesca" |
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| Raïm del pastor |
A medicinal plant found throughout the area around Valencia, the
raïm del pastor (Cat's Claw) was pickled before serving. The leaves were succulent, but I found the stem and root too fibrous.
Act 2 - Pickled
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| Mullet roe |
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| Octopus |
Octopus was air-dried, then seared over an open flame before being simply dressed with olive oil and salt. The texture was remarkable - chewy in the best possible way.
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| "Olives and its stones" |
Olive ice cream and anchovy "pits" were set atop an olive oil gel - I loved the interplay of salt and fruitiness.
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| Ajoblanco and almonds |
The ajoblanco liquid was encapsulated within a thin shell. Again, the olive oil really shone here, highlighting the flavours of almond and garlic.
Act 3 - Tapas
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| "Tobacco leaf" and toro |
The faux leaf was made of crispy seaweed - an ideal pairing with the luscious (and very generous) slices of toro. There was almost too much of this course... almost.
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| Bacalao beignet |
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| "Socarrat" of shrimp and aioli |
The shell that held the aioli mimicked the
socarrat crust that forms under the rice in properly-cooked paella - it was thin, crispy and tasted of the sea. Atop this cylinder sat a barely-cooked shrimp -
so good.
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| Razor clam, ginger |
A braid of raw razor clam kissed with ginger - a bold demonstration of local product quality. Excellent.
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Razor clam tartare
Mint, lemon balm, gojuchang, coconut |
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| Smoked seaweed and plankton |
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| "Natural sea urchin" |
This was anything but natural - the thin nori shell (with additional nori "spines") held a creamy center of local uni. One of the best bites of the day.
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| Grilled scallop, cilantro |
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| Mochi of black truffle and "torta de la Serena" |
Wow. The mochi skin was a bag of wonders - creamy
La Serena cheese (an aged sheep's milk product) and black truffle essence. Taste-wise, it triggered memories of Alinea's "hot potato, cold potato", although it was texturally distinct.
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| "Jerusalem trunk" |
False sunchokes composed of a sunchoke shell holding a filling of creamed sunchoke - this was, to me, a rare instance of the creation being better than the original ingredient.
Act 4 - Mains
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Oysters, raw and fried
Crispy shell of oyster water |
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| Red king prawn from Dénia |
This prawn, blanched in seawater, was the closest any preparation has come to the superlative grilled Palamos shrimp at Etxebarri -
no mean feat. It was served with a warm, thick "tea" of its innards - heavenly. I would happily eat through an identical menu just to have another of these prawns.
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| Rice of peas and cuttlefish eggs |
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| Sturgeon |
The fish was served three ways - crispy skin as a base, holding cubes of cooked flesh, topped with its eggs. Simply conceived, masterfully prepared.
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| "Mediterranean taco" |
The monkfish filling of the taco was
en adobo - deep red and smoky with a touch of heat. A particularly delicious bite.
Act 5 - Meats
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| Tendon, "horchata" and black truffle |
Stewed tendon, all sticky and gooey, drizzled with a thick purée of
chufa (tiger nuts, the primary ingredient in Spanish horchata). Over the top, shavings of black truffle from Valencia - I did not know these existed. A rich, mouth-coating dish.
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Pigeon and its jus
Malt spaghetti, watercress |
Act 6 - Desserts
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| "Mojito" of cucumber and seaweed |
Challenging, but strangely addictive. The seaweed, in the form of a mint-infused chip, was
not subtle. Yet, it's brininess worked well with the sweet mango pearls underneath, and a strong note of lemon (in the liquid?) somehow balanced out the marine flavours.
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| Black forest cake |
A lighter take on the classic - shards of dark chocolate piled atop the aerated cake, studded with stewed cherries.
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| Cinnamon branch, spherified prunes |
Act 7 - Sweets
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| "Dove nests" |
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| Raspberry-yogurt paper |
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| Cocoa paper |
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| Almond "stones", gold "nuggets", truffles, macarons |
On a Wednesday afternoon in early October, with Quique Dacosta (the man) on premises, the restaurant served a total of
eight guests. Essentially, we enjoyed a private lunch cooked by one of the best chefs in the world.
Why aren't the gastro-tourists pounding at the door for reservations - surely it's not just the location? They are missing out. This was a special meal (as mentioned at the beginning, I think this cracks my all-time top 10) - modern but drawing on tradition, simultaneously global and hyper-local. The Michelin man gets it right - 3 stars, without a doubt. My biggest regret is not being able to taste his other menu, the "Universo Local", a collection of greatest hits developed over a decade. But, we will return, sooner or later. We must - Quique Dacosta (the man, the restaurant) deserves no less.
Quique Dacosta
Carretera de las Marinas km 3
Carrer Rascassa 1
Urb. El Poblet 03700 Dénia
Spain
Phone: +34 (965) 784 179
