A delicious but too speedy lunch experience: Restaurant Habitual by Ricard Camarena (13. September 2021)
I have been eating at Ricard Camarena a couple of years back and remember it to be quite good. The sister restaurant Habitual by Ricard Camarena is good but doesn’t match the level of its other restaurant (which has, admittedly, Michelin stars). The lunch started with some bread which was tasty but somewhat weird since it was not brought with butter, oil, or anything else.
I went for the “XXL ‘Rafa López’ anchovies over a bread toast and truffle butter cream” (EUR 4.00) which was exactly to my gusto. I think it’s a bit expensive with EUR 4.00 for one bite but it was a tasty bite so still worth the price.
The “crispy and smooth cod croquette with miso sauce” (EUR 3.20 per piece) were actually also absolutely delicious. The interior was creamy and smooth and that top of reduced miso sauce really made it a great combination. Also, the fried batter was super light and not overwhelming in terms of taste.
The next course was “courgette flower tempura staffed with cottage cheese with Hollandaise sauce and jalapeños vinaigrette” (EUR 9.50) which was a creamy, crunchy flavor combination which was truly enjoyable. The little jalapeño slices really added to the dish and made it super enjoyable.
The “Galician beef steak tartare, egg yolk foam and pickles” (EUR 18.50) was good in terms of taste of the beef and nice to eat with the little crackers with which it was served, however, it could have been a tiny bit more spicy to suit my personal gusto.
The “red prawns and garlic rice with spring vegetables” (EUR 19.50 per person) was great in terms of how the rice was cooked – flavorful, fully cooked (not crunchy like the day before) but there could have been a bit more seafood, i.e., they could have left on the heads of the prawns. Else, great. What wasn’t so great though was the speed of the service. While I generally enjoy when the service speeds up and you get your food within amount of time, this was definitely too fast since you already got your next dish served basically the moment you were done with your other one.
Last but not least, the “chocolate creamy cake with salted caramel vanilla ice cream” (EUR 8.50) was partially what I love and partially not. The salted caramel vanilla ice cream was absolutely delicious, the creamy chocolate cake probably too but definitely tasted too much of chocolate for me.
The place itself is nice in terms of interior design but nothing extraordinary. What I like though is the space between the tables so you have some privacy. All in all, I can recommend the Habitual by Ricard Camarena but you might want to inform the waiter in the beginning to not be served so quickly. Booking in advance is a must since the place is super busy.
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Habitual by Ricard Camarena
Mercado de Colón
Carrer de Jorge Juan 19
46004 Valencia (E)
Tel.: +34 963 44 56 31
Homepage: http://www.habitual.es