Ibaya — Restaurant in Canillo

First of all, the audacity for the restaurant to require formal attire, yet the guests arriving, are in their jumper and sweatpants.

The atmosphere does not exude elegance, mind you. Such a disappointment. And not just that, 5 minutes till opening time, the restaurant is still completely closed and asked me to head back one floor up to wait by the chairs at the main entrance of the hotel.

The hotel is definitely beautiful and massive. It exceeded my expectations, but the restaurant, knowing a Michelin star under their belt, is so simple.

The overall ambience is bland and tasteless. Their only saving grace for aesthetics is the magnificent, floor-to-ceiling snow-flooded (albeit, with much abundance) mountain view, but the interior decoration, the overall architectural plan is plain. The couches, where the amuse-bouche started, were too low, the back rest too far behind, it's definitely not for a formal attire, there's no attention to detail whatsoever. Nibbling on the amuse-bouche with a scrunched stomach as you lean far forward is probably their definition of comfort. I thought I was going to be exploring some deep, forest flavours of the amuse-bouche and all the details about their seasonal reference; winter, spring, summer, and autumn but, nope, not even a tingle of excitement, flavour-wise. In fact, I thought it was a joke to dig a potato from a pot of "soil," which I wasn't even sure if the soil was edible or not.

Basically, it is a small restaurant, even during the reservation process, they lied about it being fully-booked and then eventually decided it's not, and when I arrived, it barely even occupied half of their dining section, it's ridiculous. So, it is small, you can see everything, the unknown entrance area where you simply walk through (no proper welcoming or identifying signage), straight to the lounge area to the kitchen, where the next course was, in a standing position, and then, headed to the dining section. And not just that, they don't have a powder room. You literally have to walk back up the stairs, through to the very end of the hotel passing by the main hotel reception.

I can't really fully incorporate my senses on how to describe the food and the entire course. I do love the concept of wild foraging and getting yourself grounded and immersed with the 'Andorran flavours' as they described it, but it didn't really click. There are flavours, but they are not distinct, forgetful, there's no lingering moment, no flavour hangover.

I did like the surprise element of the butter candle, though, and then the staff came to take it away, anyway, including the other bread spread, despite telling him to keep it on the table. It's not a language barrier since I clearly said no when he was ready to clear the table for the next course and then still proceeded to take it away.

The table-side services added entertainment. Apologies to the sommelier as I only prefer one drink. But refilling the water took some really long time and sweeping the table clean, only initiated when I started transferring the crumbs onto the finished plate.

Maybe the actual chef needs to be a bit more hands-on with his Michelin restaurant rather than focus on another restaurant-in-the-making as maybe it just needs a bit of TLC from time to time.

It's not awful, but it's just not Michelin-worthy,...

My partner and I came here as Koy was fully booked and we are so happy it ended up this way! Everything about our experience was perfect, from the initial greeting to the presentation of the menu and the food itself. We opted for the long menu - a journey through Andorra, €170pp - and we loved the variety of the food served and the story that accompanied each dish. Even though it was described as a long menu we were surprised at how much food was presented; we definitely didn’t go home hungry. Some dishes were stronger than others as some other reviews mention, but I appreciated the thoughtfulness behind the menu and could understand why each dish was chosen. The presentation was novel, such as having appetisers and main courses in separate areas, placing the ingredients on the table in-between courses, as well as the “palette” of cards that described the story of the food. One memorable example would be the transformation of the candle on the table into butter for the “bread moment” segment, and that was only one of the many dishes. It’s definitely a must visit if you are in the area and is deserving of the Michelin star. I would like to commend all of the staff, from the gentleman they initially greeted us (whose name I did not catch), to the waiters and the cooks but especially our sommelier Raquel. Her delightful personality and friendly service really left us with a positive impression, which didn’t go unnoticed. The white wine pairing of “Imagine 2019” from Andorra was perfect for the meal, but there was an extensive wine menu. We will definitely come back if we come back Andorra - thanks again to all of the team for an...

Si vous êtes amateur de gastronomie, voici une adresse à ne pas manquer. Il s'agit du meilleur restaurant andorran dans lequel nous avons mangé. Commençons par l'aspect négatif, il n'y en a qu'un. A l'apéritif, j'ai pris un verre de vin rouge. Je précise que je ne suis pas très amateur de vin et encore moins connaisseur. Je choisis un vin ayant du corps que je trouve très bon (je ne suis pas difficile, je n'y connais pas grand chose). Ce n'est qu'à la lecture de la facture que j'ai pris connaissance du prix du verre : 40€. Si on m'avait proposé de prendre connaissance de la carte des vins au verre, j'en aurai très certainement choisi un autre à ,un prix bien inférieur! Bon, ce n'est pas essentiel ... En ce qui concerne les aspects positifs, et bien c'est tout le reste ; Tout est très original, tant au niveau des présentations des plats que de leurs compositions. Le principe de l'apéritif servi au salon, puis au comptoir de la cuisine avant de passer à table est original et sympa. Nous avons vraiment apprécié tous les plats sans exception. Ce fut une succession de découvertes de saveur et un véritable ravissement pour les yeux. Il n'y a pas un plat qui nous a déçu. Je précise que nous avons pris le menu "promenade en Andorre" à 170€, sans les vins. Nos expériences dans plusieurs restaurants étoilés (2 et 3* Michelin) ont toutes été inoubliables, mais jamais nous n'avons été surpris de la sorte. Nous avons été tellement surpris par la qualité des mets proposés que je pensais m'être trompé en lisant que le restaurant n'avait qu'une seule étoile. J'ai même demandé au serveur qui me l'a confirmé. Je tiens à exprimer ma surprise et faire part de mon incompréhension devant l'absence d'une 2ème étoile. Je ne comprends absolument pas et ne doute pas un seul instant que cela devrait rapidement arriver. Le service est parfait, il n'y a aucune attente entre les nombreux plats qui sont servis dans des contenants très originaux, ce qui démontre un sens du détail absolu. Mention spéciale aux deux serveurs qui sont vraiment aux petits soins avec les clients. Ils parlent bien entendu catalan, espagnol, français, anglais ... et peut-être plus encore. Nous avons vraiment passé un excellent moment. Nous habitons à moins d'une heure de voiture de Soldeu et nous reviendrons certainement. Nous ne manquerons pas non plus d'inciter plusieurs de nos connaissances qui partagent avec nous le goût de la gastronomie à venir vivre une très belle expérience. Bravo à toute l'équipe et merci encore pour...