Ricard Camarena Restaurant — Restaurant in Valencia

One of the best meals I have ever had. Thanks to the whole team at Ricard Camarena for the drool worthy food and wine. My darling and I upon our arrival at the restaurant reception, I must say I was expecting just another boring degustation session, where we would have to go and get a falafel and chips after dinner because we were fed bird seed over 7 or so courses. Also most dego restaurants subject you to a boring lecture on how each dish was meticulously prepared and that you must enjoy or there is definitely something wrong with you as a customer. Boy was I wrong!!!!! From the moment we sat down, our beautiful wait staff came to the table and offered us a glass of champagne. The house pour was just perfect to whet the appetite. After explaining the menu, we both opted for the oxalis, mine as a vegan option and my darling the vegetarian gluten free. The amuse bouche was actually 3 or 4 mouthfuls and I knew from that point onwards it was going to be a wonderful night. Mostly with degustation meals, you'll get one dish that you absolutely love and want more of. Like a morsel that teases your taste buds and nothing more. All the portions were perfectly sized and our taste buds were taken on a Mediterranean Asian journey that left me gob smacked. The cauliflower with a kimchi base and coconut cream sauce was one of the most memorable dishes. Normally this kind of food lends itself to being taste neutral. The kimchi gave this dish a nice spice kick with a perfect tanginess Also the roasted kholrabi just blew my mind. Each dish has been carefully designed to elevate your senses and then bring you back to earth etc etc. In the middle of it all we were taken to the Chefs table where we got to meet Ricard, a warm and unpretentious chef who has such a passion for his work, it's so refreshing to see and experience this. He served us two bite sized snacks that were a great side track from the rest. The amazing thing was the juice he handed us, made from as he said, the vegetable carcasses. This is not just the peak of invention ,but sustainable and super healthy and tasty! Desserts were phenomenal too. The wine list has been carefully curated by the two sommeliers with a white leaning list, so as not to overpower the delicate flavours of each dish There were titillating whites from the Spanish mainland as well as the Canary islands. Also on the list are some Imported reds. Brilliant well rounded wine list. Thrown into the mix was a 28 year old sake that was just like an aged sherry OMG. At the end we asked for a light red as we were getting so spaced out from white only. Our beautiful Somm promptly obliged and got us a very delicate Monastrell which had perfect acidity light tannin structure and complimented the dishes superbly. Ricard respects his crew and trusts them 100% to deliver the best dining experience I have ever had

I am very sorry that google only allowed me to leave a 5 star review, Because restaurant Ricard Camarena is 6 stars all the...

6th stop in our Spanish East coast Michelin tour. You can read the other reviews on my profile and follow. A universe at the cutting edge, yet made accessible. As usual, I’ll focus on what’s interesting in my reviews. But here, there’s way to many things to say. So let me start by the end, the 3 stars in Spain should be worried, because the competition from the 2 stars is serious, especially this one.

I’ll just take two angles, just to attempt to explain the incredible level your in. Interestingly, when you enter, you’ll see plenty of books about gastronomy, and you ll find more later on. There are not there just for display. There are there because there’s a true thinking about gastronomy and its evolution. For instance, the work around fermentation, is at the cutting edge in Michelin stars (it’s growing but plenty are not even there). Or the fact that some dishes have an entry note and then evolve like a great wine. Another interesting point is that they have their vegetable garden, and use every part of their products. This naturally creates links between dishes which create a constancy, almost like every dish is from the same universe. And that’s my main point. You feel that you’re entering in an universe, Ricardo Camarena universe, and a very welcoming one thanks to the brigade de salle. But this universe makes sense, you can feel it’s strong coherence. From the deep knowledge of the gastronomic world and history, the attention to taste and its mechanisms, the respect of the nature and the creativity to use every part of nature’s gift, it all makes sense.

I could stop there, but I have to thank the team for their work, with a special one to Salvatore.

Passard and Piège are the two names that came to my mind there, if you want references. It’s clearly a top tiers 2 stars and a very strong contender to a 3rd one. And I’ve tried many (more reviews are coming, I promise!). Judging by the level is bringing on the table, the 3 stars have serious...

A perfect experience, thank you to the team.

I traveled from Ireland, and was excited for months to visit, and it didn't disappoint in any way! I usually take loads of photos of great meals, but this experience felt too important to have my phone out (I took one photo, with permission from the staff).

I did the wine pairing, and my partner got a gorgeous bottle of local Xarel-lo. Both were delicious, but if you love wine, just do the pairing, it was so meticulously considered, and I really enjoyed it. I actually found the pairing very generous. I definitely didn't expect a separate pairing for every single course.

We did the full proposal, and I think it's a must if you visit. I'd hate to have missed out on a single plate or pairing that we enjoyed.

Beautiful setting, and the front of house staff were absolutely amazing. I felt embarrassed arriving with poor Spanish, but their whole team spoke perfect English, so I didn't miss a single detail of what we were served, and they made me feel so welcome!

This was my first 2 star experience, and I was nervous that the service and atmosphere would be stuffy/unfriendly, but the team were all SO sweet and fun in a professional manner. The Sommelier even let us join him briefly in their wine cellar, which I thought was a very kind gesture.

Outstanding. The chefs table with the house cured tuna and beautifully umami fermented tomato drink. I could have stayed there forever.

Stunning hospitality, I came away feeling like I learned a lot, and we really were treated like royalty. It was my partner's 50th, and the staff made it so special.

Thank you to everyone, and sorry for the essay, but so many details were...