A unique seafood journey in the middle of nowhere with 2 Michelin stars: Restaurant BonAmb (16. September 2022)
I was stocked to go to the BonAmb (which stands for Bon Ambiente) as it was definitely a change of cuisine and one more Two Michelin Star restaurant to tick off my list. The evening starts very lovely with the first dishes by the entrance (but more about that in a second). The owner and head chef, Pablo, comes to your table and explains you the menu and by what it is enspired, which is, in this case, the L’Encesa, which was an ancient fishing technique for squid which were lured to the surface with a lamp which was danggling from a cliff.
You then get to pick which menu you want to try, and we went for the “Menu Canyis” (EUR 145.00) which had ‘only’ 12 courses compared to the ‘Ham’ which would have had 15 courses. In any case, the experience starts right after you have entered the premise. There are two young chefs who perpare your first drink and your first bites.
Basically, you see what you are going to get all ligned up …
… and it starts with “met (hydro miel, water, melon)” which is a relatively refreshing, honey-based drink.
After that, you get a slice of “bonito in a salt crust, left in there for 14 hours, and subsequently refined with Mediterranean curry”. The bonito was rich in flavour and defintiely something you would want another bite of.
Then it was time for a few amuse bouches. It all started with a “sea pudding with razor clams, barnacles and lemons” which was surprisingly refreshing for the fact that it had a clear taste of the sea. The combination of ingredients and different textures really just made it a great dish.
Next in line was “marine pâtisserie” which was consisting of three pieces (starting bottem right, and then going clock-wise) like “hake profiteroles with radish” which was lovely. The “red mullet liver pie aka ‘flickering custard'” was actually amazing. The custard created a basis of intensity which was lightened up by the petals. Last but not least, the “Valencian lemon with dill and ancient salting” was interesting, but not necessarily down my alley.
The “sour and spicy stock with squid, cuttlefish and seaweed” was definitely one of the more favourite dishes this evening. The combination of sour and spicy reminded me of a typical Chinese soup, but it was enriched with the lightness of the other ingredients. So, soul and heart food served in a modern interpretation.
Next in line was my favourite dish of the evening, the “crêpe of fisherman’s morteruelo, salted celeriac with its juice, red mullet, orange, and Grand Marnier)” which was a crêpe prepared out of salted celeriac which was super interesting, but even more interesting was the sauce they served it in. It needed bread to enjoy the sauce until the very end, and they knew that, so …
… it came with a batch of “seaweed bread” which was like a non-oily brioche, light, and perfect to soak up the tasty sauce.
Next in line was a “capuccina, red prawns from the bay with a codium mayo”. Capuccina is an egg cake which serves as a basis to then add the other elements on top and it was a simple, but good bite. The trick is to not take too big of a bite as else it will be a bit too dry. If you adhere to that tip, you’ll bite into something quite amazing.
Of course, there was also some bread. What was smart of them is the timing when they served it, meaning only after a few dishes already, so people wouldn’t gobble down bread and then not be hungry afterwards.
The next course, a “squid panna cotta with a sake foam, sesame, and a mushroom dashi” was very interesting again. The squid panna cotta was interesting in terms of flavour profile, and the rest of the dish was exquisite as a combination.
While it wasn’t to everyone’s liking at the table, I enjoyed the “white prawns (ciscilla) from Santa Pola, white vegetable miso, pistacchio and pickled vegetables)” quite a lot. The texture and flavour intensity of the, what seemed almost like raw prawns, was just perfect. And the white vegetable miso in which the whole thing was served, made all the necessary difference.
The “roasted cauliflower à la romana, romana juice (eel emulsion) and black truffle” looked interesting and wasn’t bad. After all though, it’s still cauliflower and I have only very seldomly enjoyed great cauliflower.
Then it was time for an “Adult gummi” as they called it, which is really just a “dried oyster with honey and nougat”. And while I’m usually not that big a fan of oysters, I must say, I was positively surprised – it was a truly delicious ‘candy’.
For the next course, we all got a “sun-dried and fermented tomato juice, amuntillado 12 años” which was for some at the table the most delicious drink ever (it seemed like that at least). Personally, it was a good drink which matched quite well with the next course.
The “Tuna Sequence” was a combination of three different forms of preparation of tune. Firstly (botttom right), “tuna with diabla sauce and sea truffle (tuna heart”) which was delicious. Secondly, there was a “terrine of tuna” which I liked even more, and finally, (top right), the “debentresca tuna belly in two forms (curated and smoked)” of which I definitely liked the curated version but not so much the smoked one.
Frankly, I have never seen a tuna heart or even eaten one, so it was interesting to see that it is somewhat like bortaga and it definitely added to the taste.
Next in line was a “kombu seaweed papardelle, anemone emulsión/citric zaballone, sea weed carbonara with butterfish and crayfish” which was absolutely lovely. Obviously, the seaweed papardelle didn’t mirror actual papardelle in terms of texture, but the whole dish was a nice combination of different flavours and textures.
Another one I really liked was the “duck foie in duck powder, with smoked eel juice and pickled mushrooms”. The foie was rich and intense without being overwhelming and went well with the mushrooms and the sauce. Definitely a very enjoyable bite.
The “unexpected end” was a “magret of duck with a pigeon reduction and chocolate” which was fine in terms of temperature and texture of the duck, but was less okay in terms of sauce. For me, although there was probably no flour in it, the sauce tasted a bit like when you have too much flour in the sauce and it didn’t dissolve properly.
Finally, it was time for dessert and it started with a “peach and sherry flower with rosemary” which was a simple, yet delicious bite. The only thing which was a bit of an issue was the base which was some kind of ice cream and would cause a brain freeze if you weren’t careful.
Then it was time for the “Pistacchio Montblanc in a green tea soup” which sounded a bit disturbing, but actually turned out to be quite delicious. The pistacchio was decent in terms of intensity and the green tea soup really added to that flavour. Something a bit unexpected to be fair, but delicious.
Then it was time for the “sweet lights (raspberry pavlova; iuva cake; tea macha macaroon with meringue)” which were a nice and perfect ending.
All in all, the Restaurant BonAmb offers you a great culinary journey through the evening – one which takes a bit of time, and one which is very seafood based. If you’re in a rush or don’t like seafood, you should definitely try another place. However, if you have time and like to try something new, then the BonAmb is a good address.
They do not only have a good selection of dishes for a very fair price, they also have a lovely wine cellar and a very competent sommelière – not only the food worked out well, so did the wine pairing, resp. the selected wines that evening.
What I like about the place is not only the experience itself, but also the interior as it is spacious, modern, appealing …
… and you often see things lined up in the middle to be served at the next table.
I must say, I was not blown away by the BonAmb, but I sure enjoyed it. The food is good, it’s strongly leaned towards the seafood side of things, but it is nice and enjoyable. The service is overall very friendly and professional, not all of them equally, but overall they do a great job. So, to keep it short, for me, the BonAmb is not a place I would do a long journey for, but if you’re in the vicinity, then you should definitely give this place a try!
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Contact Details:
Restaurant BonAmb
Carrer Benitachell 100
03730 Xàbia (E)
Tel.: +34 965 08 44 40
Homepage: http://www.bonamb.com
About the Author: Sven
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. 
