You have to observe Paco Pérez and catch on the fly what he reveals among the gestures with which he draws attention to the other: to the customer, to the team, to the fisherman from Mar de Munt, to Montes Serra, to the old life The companion and room manager at the inn that his forefathers had established. Be careful when looking at the horizon from the window of restaurants and hotels, a confession comes from the soul: “I like Miramar. I love it”.
Like all of his kitchen team, now led by Julen Rodríguez and his deputy, Richard Willard, Perez wears a light blue shirt, like the sky in Llanca, where his name can be read next to Miramar. And above, the apron. Dressed in the same outfit, through the glass that separates the kitchen from the living room, we see the movement of boys and girls in tall cooks’ hats. Paco Pérez says he’s tired of the classic jacket, which is hot. We read another message between the lines: naturalness is sought in Miramar but creative haute cuisine is practiced; Certainly one of the most interesting proposals around the sea, with the permission of Angel León from Cádiz and his apponente, whom Pérez loves and admires.
You also have to pay attention to what the La Mar de Mont menu offers and what its rhythm is. That astral beginning with a glass of the “water of life” (distilled seawater with algae oil, recalling the glass of cold water with which the traveler was received). A caress before the forceful breaking of the waves, like a firm embrace of sea salinity, extends from the edge of the tablecloth in the form of inlets. seaweed, oyster and oyster dashi; a red mullet (that fish is called Iris, a nod to the children’s childhood) with its own seabed; starfish, flying fish and trout caviar with crustacean jelly and osetra; an interesting taco on a nasturtium leaf with scallop tartare in contrast to the exoticism of Lulo’s; tuna niguieri with belly and loin with koji; Crab comes in two forms: a mild sponge and a chawanmushi (salted flan); panxuda shrimp tiradito, freeze-dried seaweed; sea urchins served in a glass with grilled tomato dashi, sea urchin juice and sea urchins; Next to it, a muffin and an “almost butter” that you won’t get tired of spreading. The almost butter they have been preparing for many seasons is a technique with which they achieve a creamy texture by interrupting the process before separating the fats and proteins.
Does anyone doubt that serious dishes can be served without sacrificing the smile of the diner? There are “almejas y ole” with mollusks in its juice, a sherry sauce and a delicate veil of citrus; Like “Ethereal Sea”, one of the most impressive preparations of this season. “Why do we always look at the taste and not the weight of the preparation?”, the cook asks himself and answers himself by playing with all the brackish intensity of the mollusks in contrast to the light texture on which they rest like a mixture . Material. The ethereal technique, which is a first, uses air chill, which we will see with caviar in almond water, another “almost buttery” caviar.
All the starters arrive at the table at the same time where the sea flavor explodes with intensity
Razor clams with codium oil are succulent like a seafood stew with no shortage of seaweed, present throughout the menu and suggestive “a sea of seaweed”; Exoticism and warmth in a cloud of nori with fermented lemon, shiso, strawberries from the garden and asparagus with lemon miso. Oh, sweet rice with octopus mosaic! the savory rice that should never be missing from the menu at Perez’s (as in Quique Dacosta); Squid texture with six-day koji; Sea butterfly becomes prawns… A hint of gardenia and carrot in carrot curry with prawns; Tuna belly with seawater and hot before going wild with morel pie or desserts, bacon and cappuccino presented in the dining room by sweet chef Luana Minucci.
