Without putting too fine a point on it, this was one of our best meals so far in 2011. OK, not quite up there with the Michelin starred ones – but certainly in the lower reaches of the Premier Division.
The
hotel is a lovely old building which has been lovingly and expensively restored and, at this time of year, the restaurant is outside, rather than in the immaculate looking dining room. That is not to say that it is any less elegant. It isn’t. There’s starched napkins, expensive looking cutlery, modernist glassware and crockery. And there’s excellent front of house staff – men and women who know their craft and practice it well.
Dinner is by way of a short fixed price menu – perhaps half a dozen choices at each course. And 365 prides itself on using organic produce wherever practical. It’s the sort of commitment to good food that entices chefs from all over Spain to wrok here.
Good olives came with the aperitif. There was excellent bread with a delicious olive oil to dip into and then some flavoured salt.
The amuse bouche was more interesting in its concept than it s execution. Long cooked lamb had been “egg & breadcrumbed” and deep fried. Well, when I say “long cooked”, I mean” not quite long enough” to prevent it being a bit chewy. It came with a sweet/sour tomato sauce and a little potato dauphinoise. If I was the sort of person who scored food, this would have been a 6 out of 10. Things bucked after that.
Rockfish formed the centrepiece of one starter (and, no, we’re not sure what rockfish is). Small pieces deepfried in a light crisp batter. They sat on a small square of coca pastry, surrounded by red pepper and aubergine purees. This worked very well.
Pasta on the other plate – three ravioli, filled with an intense meaty mix of oxtail and pigs trotter. Softening it, the “sauce” was a thin potato parmentier – effectively a very, very sloppy mash.
We both went with fish for main courses. Monkfish came topped with a sweetened allioli sauce and was delicious – firm chunks of fish, the sweetness contrasting well with the garlicky hit. For carbs, “fideos” pasta that I’d have been very happy to eat all on its own (although not at these prices). This was a very clever dish – seemingly simple and straightforward but all the elements complementing each other perfectly.
Grilled John Dory was also a star. Two big fillets cooked to the “just flaking” stage. They sat on saffron rice and a slick of rich seafood sauce. Another masterly example of taking prime ingredients and doing very little to them.
There was then a pre-dessert of semi-dried pineapple and fresh strawberry – light and palate cleaning.
For the main dessert, my companion in life went with a chocolate and hazelnut mousse – rich and not overly sweet, topped with a coffee crumble and a spoonful of ice cream on the side.
I’d ordered the cheese instead. Three organic ones – a sheep, goat and cow. All interesting and enjoyable in their own ways – although the cow and goat ones were a little mild for my preference. Now I’m used to something sweet with cheese – a little fruitcake with Wensleydale, membrillo with a sharp Mahon – but, here, strawberry conserve was just plain wrong. It was good jam, ideal for breakfast, but not as a accompaniment to cheese. It was the wrong sort of sweet, if you see what I mean.
We finished with coffee and petit fours – both OK but nothing more.
As I said at the beginning, this was a stonkingly good meal. Some elements were the absolute dog’s dangles - I doubt we’ll eat better fish for a good while. Of course, food and service of this quality does not come cheap. But, at just over €61 a head, it was not at all over-priced and certainly on a par with recent comparative meal elsewhere in Europe.