Chef Carlos G. Moreno’s gastronomic proposal in Dénia starts the season this month with numerous novelties. When you stop, you stop in order to gain momentum. After a hectic year, last January Dexcaro & Ossadía closed the season to prepare everything for the incoming season. This week, the Dénia restaurant run by chef Carlos G. Moreno reopens its doors with numerous novelties and without losing the desire to travel through gastronomy.
“My mind never stops and it was clear to me that important things had to come in this new season”, explains Carlos. By important, the chef is referring to the changes in the menu and also in the interior design, factors with which he intends to enrich the diners’ experience from the moment they walk in the door until they leave the table. Always emphasising, he adds, concepts such as “inclusion, design and innovation”.
New menu and a gluten-free menu
Recommended by the Repsol Guide in 2024, Dexcaro & Ossadía (Abu S Salt, 1) has recently defined itself as a journey through the kitchen. Its recipes are inspired by the chef’s own adventures abroad, which is why it is not unusual to find dishes reminiscent of Peru, France or the United States. In this journey, the Valencian Community plays a fundamental role, as his cuisine is local and is prepared with high quality local products. Dexcaro’s new menu is proof of this, incorporating up to seven new references. “Some of the dishes have already been part of the Ossadía Menu, but now they have been added to the Dexcaro menu in order to bridge the gap between the two experiences”, says the chef. As a preview, four novelties:
The crabyaki, which is a journey from Japan to Singapore in a single bite. It’s the legendary spicy crab in a wok, but in a Japanese fritter version. It’s very creamy and packed with flavour.
A trip from Valencia to Thailand. An encounter between two geographical areas, consisting of figatell in tom kha kai sauce – a typical Thai soup -, cabbage kimchi, carrot with leek and Béarnaise sauce. He already played with this dish at Els Magazinos, where Dexcaro had his first stop.
Scrambled dumplings with egg and foie gras. This is the chef’s favourite dish and it is a version 2.0 of scrambled eggs
with potatoes. This time, with a creamy dumpling filled with foie gras.
For a sweet touch, the torrija with rice pudding ice cream. A caramelised brioche dipped in milk with cinnamon and lemon, accompanied by rice pudding and passion fruit ice cream. Or the citrus bonbon with sake ice cream and white chocolate.
As for the B side of the restaurant, Ossadía is also starting the season in a new way. “Ossadía’s cuisine was missing something fundamental: to reach all audiences”, Moreno points out. For this reason, they have introduced as a novelty a unique gluten-free tasting menu. Just as gourmet as the previous one, but adapted to people with intolerance or sensitivity to these proteins. Among the new items on the menu is the consommé with mushroom churro, which can be tasted in the first courses. The food pairing has also changed in some respects. Firstly, because an extra pairing with premium wines has been introduced and, secondly, because the Dexcaro & Ossadía team is already working on a non-alcoholic pairing.
Now that Valentine’s Day is approaching, the restaurant has designed a special menu for 35 €/person. What does it include? Among the dishes to share, Greek croquettes or fish ceviche. While the individual dishes include recipes such as the Indian risotto dal makhani or the lobster in wok.
Changes and latest awards
“The kitchen is not only our working space, but also a showcase for customers to look into”, recalls Carlos. This is the main reason that has led him to carry out work in the restaurant. On the one hand, in the kitchen, where one of the first courses of the Ossadía Menu is served and tasted. The space is not only larger after the renovation, but it is also more aesthetic, elegant and operational. There is even a shelf with the awards won by the restaurant some time ago. And on the other hand, in the dining room, where the ceilings have been made higher in order to create a comfortable area.
Speaking of awards, in recent months the Granada-born chef’s cuisine has received awards. It was in October when Dexcaro & Ossadía won the competition for promising young chefs at the second edition of the Bienal del Arroz de Cullera. It did so with its dry pigeon and morel mushroom rice, which is now included in Dexcaro’s menu in a mellow version. In December it won one of the awards at the 9th SER Viajeros Awards. The tourism and travel radio programme recognised its gastronomic proposal, which is going around the world.
And although January has been a month of renewing concepts and spaces, Carlos G. Moreno has taken the opportunity to spend another year at Madrid Fusión, where he has participated in several ‘showcookings’, as well as in the II Concurso a Mejor Carajillo de España, where he was a finalist with his Japanese cremaet, prepared in a Japanese siphon coffee maker and served with a mixture of burnt alcohols flavoured with cinnamon and citrus.
With these transformations and novelties, ‘Dexcaro & Ossadía’ seeks to adapt to the needs of a public that wants more. More creativity, more quality and more authenticity. And Carlos G. Moreno is ready to give it to them.
Report by ‘24/7 Valencia’ team
Article copyright 24/7 Valencia
Dexcaro & Ossadía (Dénia)
Carrer Abu-S-Salt, 1,
03700
Dénia,
Alicante
Tel: +34 633 03 26 14
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