The gastronomy of Alicante surprises from the façade
Arrive in Alicante hungry it is practically going through the same situation as a video game freak looking for news in Akihabara, the electronic district of Tokyo. There is so much to choose from that you will most likely return from your vacation without having stopped at any of the essential. And there is no need to resort to Michelin stars ; the city of Alicante keeps many jewels , some very recently opened, which are yet to be discovered.
DIVERGENT _(Pza. Santa Teresa, 6) _
One of the most frequented places by Alicante foodies. Mario Bisbal, head chef, passed through the kitchens of Nou Manolin and he dared with a concept mediterranean-asian fusion with a strong author's touch. Ideal for those looking to share a coca of mollitas with foie or lose your mind over their scallop wok. They are barely a year old and they are busting it.
THE PORTAL TABERNA & WINES _(Bilbao, 2) _
mandatory stop in Alicante. Restaurant, tapas bar and cocktail bar. Inside, whose decoration is renewed nothing more and nothing less than every six months , you find a very dynamic space with music and cocktails.
Carlos Bosch and Sergio Sierra They began this journey in 2009, and their offer is as wide as the possibilities of the premises. They make from seasonal vegetable such as broad beans or artichokes, as well as seafood, such as red prawns, shrimps, Norway lobster and bay fish (their herring is sublime) . "We work traditional product with a nod to fusion cuisine. Now we bet on a healthy line for those who seek to take care of themselves" assures Sergio Sierra.
In his cocktail line, his version of the Tom Collins with Mediterranean herbs. Also, there are more than 400 references in the wine list in a local ambassador of the Krug champagne. The experience: unforgettable.
The Portal surprises
SAT _(Minister Federica Montseny, 1) _
Ever since he opened that little bar in 26 square meters in La Rambla, back in 1975, a lot has changed. Sento has become the montaditos icon of the city of Alicante, with five open premises and authentic pitched battles to get a hole inside.
He even dares nougat as an ingredient , which together with beef loin, foie gras, Maldon salt, arugula and walnuts make up his "Iván", award for best tapas in Alicante in 2013. Do not forget to ask for it accompanied by Alicante mushrooms (with goat cheese) or lollipops. Note to boaters, I feel Rambla Y Sento neighborhood They are the ones that make the difference.
Crystal bread with Sento ham
BANDARRA _(Rafael Altamira, 14) _
The naughtiest bar Alicante opened just three months ago. Aitor Calatayud, at the head of the project and coming from the classrooms of the Basque Culinary decided to break with everything existing to date in the city. The interior, almost emulating a piece of Harlem where some crazy hip hop meet at the entrance of the subway, it spreads out in a color bar almost kaleidoscopic lighting up.
"The concept is from traditional cuisine Mediterranean with a twist, and that is what allows us go no rules " Bryan Giorla tells us behind the bar, holding a bizarre spiked shoulder pad. Although the card is changed at his whim, noteworthy is his version of the cooked croquette , deconstructed with croutons to simulate the batter, the oxtail brioche and the chicken bandarra, with figs and capers. They even dare with a French toast cheesecake. VERY FAN.
The naughtiest bar in Alicante
THE GOOD EAT _(Older, 8) _
is the perfect choice for those looking for the home cooking by excellence. With hardly any pretensions, it is the restaurant that you find by chance and that surprises by its variety of tapas. Although without a doubt, if there is something worth visiting it is for its rice, that transport you to another galaxy simply by smelling them 20 meters away. To band, black with sepionet, in crust or with lobster. a delirium
Good Eating lives up to its name
THE GOURMET TAVERN _(San Fernando, 10) _
With Geni Perramón at the helm since 2004, this is a restaurant and tapas bar with raw material top quality and that signature wink inherited from his mother, María José San Román, from the restaurant Monastrell (one Michelin star). "We take great care of the product and we have a balanced and healthy menu. We also care about those who need special diets , such as vegans, celiacs or simply, those who are looking for what superhealthy Geni comments.
They have inside a Oro de Bailén olive oil dispenser , which maintains the freshness of the oil with hydrogen . You can even take it on a can . They also offer fish of all l Alicante coast , among which the red prawn with garlic or e l red tuna tartar with wasabi foam. And their Russian salad is out of this world. Undoubtedly, the quality of the food and the hospitality make the Gourmet Tavern a mandatory stop.
La Taberna del Gourmet: product, product, product
VORACIOUS _(Isabella the Catholic, 6) _
Little more than three months have passed since George Moreno , a 28-year-old from Alicante from the tickets by Albert Adriá, decided to embark on a very personal project. "The concept of Ravenous is democratize haute cuisine and the product. For the future, we have in mind flavor and lots of flavor, desire, interactivity and, above all, continue with our philosophy of a Alicante cuisine reviewed and traveled . And then, a lot of world, a lot of cooking with asian influences , South American, etc", comments the chef.
And it is that Voracious brings modernity under the arm, with wonders like the marinated and smoked beef steak or the marinated mackerel sashimi. Of course, by now, they will have created new things. Do not stop. Outstanding.
The objective? Democratize the 'productazo'
SHUT UP BOY _(San Francisco, 20) _
Possibly he is the ideal place to start the Alicante night with something in the stomach. Rescuing typical recipes of the land such as the pericana, as fashionable in Alicante as the montaditos and the mini hamburgers, or reinvented as the Red rooster , which is battered and fried chicken.
It's a hotbed of young people weekends. Selfie hunters can make a killing: the tables are pallets and on the walls you can even find a Lola Flores employment contract or Camilo sixth. There is nothing.
Chico Calla, the instagramer's paradise
KATANA STREET FOOD CORNER _(Central Market, stall 317) _
The tendency to convert markets in gastronomic enclaves it seems that it opens a door in Alicante in its Central Market. Davide Bersan , an Italian who put down roots in the land more than a decade ago, decided to bet on his great passion: eastern cuisine.
surrounded by the best raw material , the market, Katana stands as a temple of the Asian and Latin American street food philosophy. Red tuna gyozas, chicken ramen and pork rib baos, but also quesadillas, carpaccios and sushi. We want more like this.
Katana Street Food Corner
QUIQUE DACOSTA _(Rascassa, 1. Denia) _
Did I talk about not naming any Michelin stars? I lied. Do a route in Alicante and not mention Quique Dacosta I wouldn't have forgiveness some. 'DNA, the search' has been the name with which he has baptized his gastronomic proposal for this year, in his deep research on the traditional Alicante flavors that were lost and that still remain in memory.
dishes like mount of olives, made with saint peter fish , with very white and fine meat, or the Albufera blue duck are the stars of a dream Menu, accessible to those who are not satisfied with just dreaming.
In the inkwell we leave big as Nou Manolin either The Earth , the hamburgers Tribecca , Michelin stars like Monastrell or ** The Estate , and peculiar corners to have a drink like the terrace of the picturesque ** Soho . No wonder I said it a century ago in a poem Mariano Roca of Togores and Carrasco to his colleague Breton of the Blacksmiths:
Does the live fish still arrive in Madrid from Bilbao? / Give me rice with cod / and a wide cake with tuna,/ and from the common aloque / add half a porrón; / and deny that Alicante is / the best land in the world!
The Albufera blue duck, reinvented