Mantúa (Jerez)

Jerez's answer to fine dining

Hake poached in cow fat, cavier

When I was traveling across Andalusia in Spain, checking out Jerez was on top of my list. Jerez is famous for its sherry production, and the small city is home to many famous sherry houses. To round off my day trip to Jerez, a top restaurant for lunch was on my agenda and I picked Mantua. It is one of the only two Michelin starred restaurants, run by a local chef Israel Ramos who gathered experience working at other starred restaurants in the Andalusia region. Mantua has only 6 tables in a clean, spacious modern dining room with a high ratio of staff vs dinners. Like many Spanish fine dining restaurants, al la carte is not on the menu with only muti courses tasting menu is on offer.

Prawn & chicken and artichokes & pig trotters 

Razor clams & frozen citric

Squid, peppermint, sherry

Tuna belly tartar

Grilled lettuces, pulse

Peas, cod, and truffle

I opted for the long tasting menu for my visit, which kicked off with a small selection of canapes size dishes. The pig trotter with truffle and artichokes was the stood out dish, it had impactful earthy and meat taste which really uplifted my palate, the seasoning was spot on. Peas and cod sounded standard on the menu but the taste was refined. The sweetness and crunchiness of the peas were simply stunning and worked in harmony with the softness of the cod, it was a well-executed in both texture and taste. The last savoury dish of the meal was roasted deer from the local mountains. Unlike British deer, the taste is much milder with a less game taste, but just had as much fantastic umami flavour, and the sauce which used the deer bones to extract was rich and smooth.

Oyster, pickled chicken sauce

Sea urchin stew

Stewed tendons & snail

Veal sweetbread, mushrooms

Roasted  deer from Cadiz

Sweet potato, pork, honey

Tonka bean, chocolate, grape

Mantua's long tasting menu showcased plenty of modern cutting edge fining dining elements with the use of top-class local ingredients. I personally think the presentation could perhaps be a little better, but from a taste of view, it was top notch. Also, with only 6 tables, it does feel like you are in a really special place. The service was fantastic, and crazily, the price of the wine was super value for money, with some cost less than 2 euro a glass, that is something unheard of in a fine dining restaurant in London. If you love sherry and Southern Spanish cuisine, a trip to Jerez and a meal at Mantua are just what you need.



Food 4/5


Average cost without drinks and services:
£80

Plaza Aladro, 7, 11402 Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz, Spain

http://restaurantemantua.com/