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Quique Dacosta

Dénia

A journey to the Levant expressed through tradition and technique

On the Pass

Quique Dacosta

What’s the story? The man behind the eponymous restaurant is the ever-dapper Quique Dacosta, a chef with more than 30 years’ experience leading the charge of Valencia’s increasingly dazzling culinary scene. He became obsessed with French cookbooks as a teenager and set about educating himself in the culinary arts. Today, his cooking pays homage to the fish, seafood and rice dishes of the levant to create tasting menus that artfully combine the traditional with the modern.

Culinary influences: Highly influenced by art and architecture, Dacosta’s food has always been sensational to look at, and his tasting menus come together in a series of theatrical tapas-inspired courses that elevate Spain’s edible ecosystem with clever innovation and advanced technique. In 2024, Dacosta embarked on a journey titled Por Amor al Arte II (For the Love of Art II). The resulting menu aims to stimulate his diners’ feelings and emotions with a harmonious and sensitive approach.

Menu highlights: In the four-act menu, guests take a journey through Dacosta’s mind. The first act is inspired by the local area and includes bites of mullador [Valencian ratatouille], mackerel and tomato salad. The next act takes inspiration from the sea and features delicacies such as corals of nori seaweed and rice, and red tuna belly cured in a saline atmosphere. Traditions are behind the third act where guests enjoy the sang amb ceba (a traditional Valencian dish usually made with chicken or pork solidified blood) duck and pickled onion in beet and Elche pomegranate. The final act, ‘sweet beauty’ features cortex of carob, morels and Mediterranean pine.

Other projects: Dacosta owns ArrosQD, an innovative concept in the heart of London and El Poblet, Llisa Negra and Vuelve Carolina in Valencia. In 2024, he unveiled A Fuego, a selection of ready-to-cook, wood-smoked paella.

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