La Salita Valencia Spain

Out of all the restaurants we visited in Valencia, La Salita was certainly the most hyped and most famous. Chef Begoña Rodrigo is talented, creative, and known for being bold and unconventional. She was the first winner of Top Chef Spain (in 2014), and has gone on to win numerous awards and accolades, including 1 Michelin star for La Salita.

During the pandemic Chef Rodrigo did something bold. She decided to only open La Salita on weekdays. On weekends, the same space would transform into L’Hort al Nú (which serves more casual, traditional fare).

It was a different team that worked on weekdays and weekends. This model allowed people to be able to take time off, which she thought was something that was very important.

Our meal at La Salita certainly delivered on surprising us with creative bites, dramatic presentation, and a multitude of textures, flavors, and expressions of ideas.

Cocktails

Even before we got our first drink, we were distracted by what almost looked like a magic show by server pouring a cocktail for a guest. La Salita is known for its crazy cocktails. So, even though I am usually not a huge cocktail person, we both began our meal with a cocktail.

Welcoming Bites

Next came a dizzying array of small, creative bites, each with its own set of unique flavor combinations and textures.

papadum w/ chevril and pickled roe — “Papadum“ - like shell with chevril and pickled fish roe.

carrot soppresata sandwich — Carrot soppresata mini sandwich

A creative take on Caprese: tomato + basil + meringue

squid, pickled cauliflower, curry and parsley pesto — Squid + ink, pickled cauliflower, curry and parsley pesto

Tasting Menu

And then the official tasting menu begins, though it’s all really a seamless experience.

"onion" (like creme brulee) — We begin with a beautiful savory onion custard, not unlike a creme brulee.

Spanish consommé with white bean/codfish cake — A beautiful Spanish consommé made with white bean and codfish.

The Super Memorable Bread Course

One of my favorite courses was actually the phenomenal house made foccacia, topped with a generous pour of fantastic Spanish olive oil. I couldn’t get enough if it, and easily polished off my whole half of the loaf of bread (even though I knew I was going to get full way too fast . … couldn’t resist!

Signature Dish

tomato + tuna, basil oil (La Tiara) — One of their signature dishes, named “La Tiara” (the crown) is stunningly presented with edible flowers, radish, herbs, and a bright green basil oil.

spider crab, jalapeños, fennel and tomato water (jelly) spider crab, jalapeños, bechamel of its corals and winter flowers, fennel jelly?? — A piece of abstract art, the next course consisted of spider crab, jalapeños, fennel, and winter flowers embedded in a tomato water jelly.

Kombu-wrapped fish with pine nut sauce.

lobster royale with its juice, tapioca pearls and smoked lobster meat — Lobster royale with its juice, tapioca pearls and smoked lobster meat.

custard with roe — Custard topped with roe.

“Grains” or ”Pasta” courses

smoked eel “All i Pebre”
eel israeli cous cous, apples, aoli, onion in the form of a cookie — Smoked “All i Pebre” eel, Israeli cous cous, apples, aoli, and onion in the form of a cookie.

eel israeli cous cous, apples, aoli, onion in the form of a cookie

Yolk, green peas, almond, caviar — A savory meusli of sorts, complete with egg yolk, green peas, almond, and caviar.

white truffles (Jan to May) with a salsify carbonara; root and truffle — These white truffles are seasonal from January to May, so we were able to enjoy them with a salsify (root) carbonara.

“Meat + Potatoes”

The final meat course was a mini Steak Wellington.

Robuchon mashed potatoes? — This came with a small but decadent mini pot of ultra creamy ”Robuchon” mashed potatoes.

54 degrees steak "pithivier" — The meat is cooked at 54 degrees. We wished it was just a bit more rare.

Sweets

lemon cookie? gin tonic cream, lemon cookie — Palate cleanser was a lemon cookie with gin tonic cream.

wild strawberries, raspberry, and Sichuan pepper — Next up, wild picked strawberries (look how small they are!) with raspberry and Sichuan pepper!

A sweet Spanish red wine given it’s own category as a ”noble wine” because it achieves its high alcohol content naturally.

General Thoughts - La Salita Valencia Spain

I love eating in Spain, and La Salita was a very nice experience. The food was creative, beautiful, and there were several delightful surprises. The service was exceptionally friendly, and the overall experience was fun.

I especially liked how light the meal felt, with almost all seafood courses except for the last one. One of our knowledgeable foodie friends told us the vegetarian tasting menu was amazing. Maybe next time!

I wouldn’t say the food was transcendent or blew my mind, but it was all very well executed and very, very good. Definitely one of the best restaurants we visited in Valencia, though not my number one favorite (that post, coming soon!).

When we came, this place only opened on weekdays, so it may be more difficult to book since there are limited slots. It is also one of the hottest restaurants, and the one that was recommended to me the most.

Book early! If you’re coming for several days, definitely make this one of your meals. If I come back, I’ll try to vegetarian tasting menu next!

La Salita Valencia Spain
C/ Pere III El Gran, 11B
46005 Valencia.

Teléfono: 609330760