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12. September 2014: Restaurant Jacaranda Sensation Food

| November 2, 2014 | 0 Comments

It took me quite a while to book a table at the Restaurant Jacaranda – I had tried to call for more than a week until I was finally able to get someone on the line who had confirmed my reservation. When I called the very day again to talk about food allergies of one of our party they had told me that there was no reservation – which was a bit confusing. However, luckily it was still possible to get a table and I had the chance to eat at Jacaranda.

The concept is rather simple but very sympathic – you pick as many dishes as you want and you just state which ones you want to share and which ones not. The head waiter then decides (together with the chef) how big the portions must be. However, at first, an amuse bouche was served which looked very simple – “guacamole” but it was actually quite tasty. In all fairness, it does not match the original from Mexico but for an European guacamole it is definitely great.

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The first course of the night was “Foie Niguiri (Foie Niguiri with tonka bean taste)” (EUR 12.00) which was a nice fusion idea of Japanese food combined with foie gras. However, while the combination of the foie with the tonka been and dehydrated strawberries was lovely and also luscious, the bread on which it was served was too thick for the rest. The crunchiness of the bread was nice but the texture of the bread took too long to disolve in your mouth so in the end you only had “bread taste” left.

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The next course was “Mini Iberian Burguer (with Bacon and Red Hot Chilli pepper)” (EUR 4.50). The hamburger was nice and juicy with a nice crispy bun – the coleslaw salad was also aromatic. Not having learned anything in my previous stays in Mexico, I decided that I had to try the caramelized red hot chilli pepper – so I did (just a tiny piece though) and it was pleasant as the caramelized taste was nice and the hotness of the chilli pepper was pleasant. So I took a second bite – huge mistake! Way too spicy. It took me quite a while to cool down again – the coleslaw salad helped – and luckily the waitress was very quick when I ordered more water.

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It did not only look very tasty but it also was delicious – the “Romescu’s Quesadillas (wheat tortillas with smoked cheese, leeks and romescu’s sauce)” (EUR 12.00) were from the consistency-angle really like the original quesadillas (besides, of course, you would never cut a real quesadilla). The filling with cheese and leek was surprisingly tasty and the romescu sauce matched perfectly. Lovely dish!

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Another interesting dish I found on the menu was the “Bulltail Harumaki” which is basically the “Spanish Version of Japanese spring rolls” (EUR 8.55). They are regular spring rolls from the outside but the inside is filled with bulltail – an interesting combination which goes extremely well with the oxtail reduction served with the spring rolls. In all fairness, here again I think there was too much dough so the dough was overwhelming taste-wise in the end but else a good dish.

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As “croquetas” are apparently a rather typical Spanish dish, I had to go for the “croquettes (white sausage and leek croquette)” again (EUR 2.80 per croqueta) and I must say that this time they were better than the ones I had tried the day before as they were very taste-intense and the filling was better seasoned than the day before.

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Probably the lightest course that night but also nicely interesting was the “3 Tomatoes salad (cherry, kumato and season tomato, goat cheese and baguette crust)” (EUR 10.00). The baguette crust was nicely crispy and greatly seasoned – the tomatoes salad, once you had it all mixed up with the goat cheese, was actually better than expected (I expected a rather dull and boring tomato salad but it was somehow more aromatic than regular tomato salad).

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Although I was barely able to move, I figured I should try this dessert and went for the “Espuma Merengada (Espuma merengada y granizado de Tia Maria)” (EUR 4.50) and I did not regret it. The espuma merengada is basically whipped cream but somehow seasoned with sweet elements which make it very tasty – and the granizado de Tia Maria at the bottom fits very well with the espuma.

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As they do not serve a set menu they do not have a wine pairing as an offer and not knowing any of the rather local wines which they had on the menu, I asked for a good wine to match with the dishes. The recommendation was the “Tridente, 2010” (EUR 17.00) which was a good wine but lacked the length, however, the waiter was dedicated and did not try to rip one off by recommending the most expensive wine. Besides that, the prices are very fair anyway, for the dishes as well as for water (EUR 2.00) and double espresso (EUR 2.40).

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You can either choose to sit inside or outside – and outside was the choice taken. However, at first not really happy about it as it was still approximately 35°C in the evening (around 9pm) I must admit that it has its perks to sit outside. While obviously it is annoying to see beggars on the street while you are having dinner I experienced something nice – a blind man was approaching and standing in front of the restaurant starting to play the guitar and to sing – with a great voice. While you are still in your “I am eating mode, leave me alone” it was to see that gradually people paused and started listening – conversations faded, and people were quite generous at the end.

So even if you are to sit at 35°C outside in the heat of the night, it is worth it – it makes part of the atmosphere of this place. And that is actually reinforced by the two waiters and the head waiter taking care of you the whole night. They are very friendly, very kind, very helpful, and do generally a great job. You can feel their passion for their job and for what they offer – and the moment I paid and gave some tip a genuine smile of happiness appeared which was very rewarding.

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All in all, I can recommend the Restaurant Jacaranda as the food is good, the prices are fair, the atmospehre is unique, and the service does a very good job. However, if you book in advance – and you should as the restaurant is currently no. 4 on TripAdvisor in Valencia – it is recommended to make absolutely sure that they got your reservation straight.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Jacaranda Sensation Food

Carrer de la Corretgeria 33

46001 Valencia (E)

Tel.: +34 963 922 737

E-Mail: jacaranda.valencia@gmail.com

Homepage: http://jacarandasensationfood.com

About the Author:

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.
EUR 150.00 (incl. tip) Filed in: Restaurants, Valencia (E)
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