Sae
Google
Our Spain trip was single-handedly derailed by this restaurant. We (a party of 2) ordered their course menu, and within 36 hours we were violently ill—vomiting, fever, night chills, and diarrhea that lasted a full week in my case. The culprit? A raw oyster served during the sweltering, humid days of mid-June. It was only the second day of our Spain trip, and unsurprisingly, this was the only restaurant where we had raw seafood. We had been cautious about the risk and generally avoided seafood—until it was served as part of the course menu here at Beluga. As anyone with basic food safety knowledge knows, raw oysters in summer are a high-risk gamble due to norovirus contamination. This restaurant apparently missed that memo.
That said, this isn’t a one-star review just because of the food poisoning (though that alone would warrant it). Despite its Michelin star, the food was overwhelmingly salty, and we could not taste any original ingredients. For most dishes, with the exception of their desserts and asparagus soup, sauces bulldozed any natural flavor the ingredients might’ve had. One particularly disappointing dish—rice with Spanish ham—tasted no better (and arguably worse) than a generic Chinese fried rice you could get for a tenth of the price. It was simply salty, overcooked rice topped with ham—something a 10-year-old could throw together in 20 minutes. Overall, it felt like the seasoning was used to distract from a lack of culinary depth, not to enhance the dining experience.
What made our experience even worse was the poor communication from the staff. They struggled to provide even basic explanations of each dish in English, often listing ingredients without any mention of preparation or concept. For example, the first dish in our course—titled “Cream, oyster, and seaweed” (ironically where we suspect the virus came from)—was presented without context or explanation. The server couldn’t elaborate on how it was made, and eating it felt like slurping an oyster out of a salty swamp—made worse by the aggressively seasoned cream.
The presentation was beautiful—but that’s where the compliments end. Much of the food seemed more focused on fulfilling the chef’s experimental fantasies than delivering a cohesive or enjoyable dining experience. It was culinary theater, minus the flavor.
At the end of the day, ingredient safety should be non-negotiable—especially when raw seafood is involved. If a restaurant can’t guarantee that, then no amount of plating finesse or Michelin accolades can save it.
If you experience food poisoning after dining here, I strongly recommend reporting it to the local food safety authority. It’s something we would’ve done ourselves had we not been temporary visitors. No restaurant—Michelin star or not—should be above basic health standards.
