Yee Gan O.
Yelp
Spain is currently Europe's culinary hotspot and after dining at Restaurante Messina, I can see why. Ferran Adria may have shut El Bulli but his influence still extends far and wide
I am a huge fan of molecular gastronomy food and Restaurante Messina was heaven on earth to me. The innovation and imagination shown even in the amuse bouches (or 'snacks' as they call them here) far outweigh that shown in whole menus, even in Michelin star establishments
The restaurant is a little out of the way of the 2 touristy areas of the Old Town and the beach but it's well worth the 5 minute walk from the edge of the Old Town
As it turned out, I visited on 1 of only 3 nights that chef Mauricio Giovanini has had off since the restaurant opened 8 years ago but his kitchen brigade did him proud in his absence and I was ably looked after in the dining room by his charming and impressively multi-lingual wife Pia and her friendly front of house team. Service was seamless and well organised
Choosing between the a la carte menu and 2 tasting menus was difficult as they all offer different dishes and I wanted to try everything. In fact, I even asked if they opened the next day as I fully intended to return the next day to try different dishes! Sadly, they close on Sundays, so I was forced to make a choice and it may not surprise you to know that I went for the longer Tasting Menu Messina!
1. Snacks
Never before has such an innocently named course brought such a big smile to my face. A whole tray of molecular goodies arrived en masse, ranging from a stone bowl containing smoke and assorted ham & nibbles, a plate with different single bites & combinations , a bowl with light savoury (I think it was pepper) ice cream & tomato crisps
2. 'Ferrero Rocher'
Haha!!! This looked just like a Ferrero Rocher chocolate but it was the most amazing smooth foie gras with nuts covered with gold leaf. If all Ferrero Rochers tasted like this, I'd eat a lot more of them!
3. A brown paper bag of 4 breads was delivered with 2 different dipping olive oils
4. Messina's take on the Spanish breakfast of ham & bread
The bread was actually grilled belly of sea bass & the butter made with olive oil
5. Sushi de-fusion
Wonderfully fresh tuna sashimi, rice foam, ginger delivered as a liquid nitrogen sauce poured from a teapot. Lovely eaten as 1 bite
6. Squid roe & water potatoes
7, Large red prawn with pure asparagus juice
8. Camembert cheese gnocchi with spinach consomme
9. Red mullet served in its own wonderful soup, rich with flavours of the sea
10. Baby goat from Malaga, cooked sous vide. Strong flavoured meat rendered to wonderful tenderness
11. 'Cheese & wine'
As expected by now, given the Messina twist so the cheese came in various forms including powder and ice cream
12. Malibu, chocolate & pineapple
A melange of different and complementary ingredients, testures and flavours
13. Although I didn't order coffee, a big box of petit fours appeared. Although I don't have a sweet tooth generally, I did scoff about umm 12 of them!
I loved this meal and my only regret was that they weren't open the next night so that I could return to try other dishes like their signature chocolate volcano cake!
Restaurante Messina doesn't yet have a Michelin star but I shall be looking out for the next Michelin guide for Spain, which is imminent, to see if they have gained a deserved star