Ramon Freixa’s departure as consultant has brought about a swift change, influenced by the Michelin Guide.
Mesana is one of Marbella’s restaurants that have undergone changes in the last few months. Having consulted for Mesana’s since its opening, Ramon Freixa’s departure has brought about a swift change, although “past” and “present” have been influenced by the Michelin Guide and certain culinary precepts, some of which were too removed from present-day Malaga and Andalusian cuisine. I will explain. This restaurant has been judged more by the connotations of the gossip columnists than by its culinary merits, which is a great mistake.
At the beginning, the restaurant’s seasonal menu was practically identical to that of Freixa’s Barcelona restaurant. This was to be the strategy until the restaurant was awarded its first star. Since the guide’s recent blunder and Ramon’s departures, it has been possible to confirm the enormous professionalism of the restaurant’s team. Although the type of cuisine, the service and the attention to detail from the moment you step over the threshold, including a welcome glass of champagne, are still the same, things have changed for the better, with a future potential that is unarguable.
Welcome drink
To start with, that bubbly associated with sporting events has been changed and now clients are welcomed with a glass of quality champagne – that Tattinger is a first-class brut is beyond doubt. Behind that glass is a team of which there are very few on the coast: an irreproachable sommelier as is Sergio Vergara, who does not overwhelm you with long, theatrical explications about the wine you choose or should do; and Raul Gonzalez, the restaurant’s headwaiter from La Fonda hospitality school, belonging to La Consula, who ensures that everything works like clockwork, but at the same time going unnoticed. This is real McCoy.
Mesana is still a triton among the “tritons” on Malaga’s culinary stage, but also with a surprising continuity. The cuisine, although still very much that of a gourmet restaurant, has taken an interesting turn towards Malaga and Andalusia’s culinary roots. Agustin Roman’s creations show that Andalusian produce, when well prepared, opens up many possibilities for creativity.
I like Mesana’s approach because it is a more faithful reflection of present-day Malaga cuisine.
Dinner
Dinner could not have got off to a better start: garlic soup à la Malaga. Augustin gives rein to his imagination with an astonishing cold garlic soup with apple caviar, muscatel jelly and vinegar ice cream with grape froth. The soup is very smooth with potent aromas. But if the first course was a surprise, we were rendered speechless by the giant prawn cannellonis or, in other words, a prawn carpaccio with a seasonal wild mushroom sauté, oily herbs and orange slices. Ah! Some edible flowers added a touch of sophistication. And finally a dessert based on textures and flavours of strawberries (red and white), with a white yoghurt sponge and curd ice cream, which was very well balanced both in acidity and freshness.
