A luxury grill, intermingling the identity of grills from the north of Spain with a Mediterranean flare. From the first, they have taken the fiery revolution principally headed by Bittor Arginzoniz, of whom the chef, Sebastián Abad, considers himself a disciple, using his teachings to lend a certain local and personal identity. The finest from the local gardens, the best seafood from the fish markets of Santa Pola and Denia and championship slices of meat, giving light and splendor to an offering sustained by superb product, served in relevant sauces, impregnated with seductive, complementary grill aromas and a few touches of haute cuisine, to which we might add that the establishment is where the old Monastrell was located and it continues to be owned by Pitu Parramón and María José San Román.
The char-grilled vegetables are impeccable: eggplant, zucchini, green asparagus, peppers, snow peas, maximally seasoned, perfectly done, accompanied by a delicious, freestyle, heterodoxical version of romesco sauce. In fact, as a starter they serve a refined, creamy aioli that keeps you coming back for more; it can be enjoyed alone or accompanied by the vegetables or many other dishes. The deboned summer sardines were excellent, served with a rosy center, never better, and slightly “smoked”, similar to those found at Etxebarri. Another fine moment came with the baby squid, also char-grilled, majestically seared by the embers, smooth, sweet, bold, adorned with an herb oil–a colorful brushing that is accompanied by a small mountain of onion confit tinted black with the squid ink. The tuna belly, incredibly fatty, is served red, exultant of its nature and delicacy. The red mullet and red prawns receive the highest honors; they buy the best available and the doneness skirts perfection. The char-grilled cod is immaculate, iridescent and succulent, also in a line with Etxebarri and Epeleta. The aged Galician beef chop (similar to a T-bone), though it comes from various ranches in the north, confirms this restaurant as the best grill in all the Spanish Mediterranean, and with a decisive margin. And the owner conveys a doctoral culinary approach through the torrija, which Sebastián executes with impeccable French technique. An impressive sweet brioche. 
 
 

Alfonso Egea está desarrollando en los últimos tiempos, en los que ha cambiado casi totalmente la carta, una cocina ecléctica en la que conviven dos estilos. Por un lado, se encuentran algunas fórmulas de corte universal, como el huevo con caviar sobre crema de patata y daditos de foie gras, el caviar beluga imperial con blinis y mantequilla, el foie gras breseado con membrillo y mango asado, el pichón de Bresse a la naranja con pasta fresca y cuatro platos más. Representan un pequeño porcentaje, mientras el 70% constituyen la otra vertiente, recetas inspiradas en la tradición populista mediterránea, que se ofrecen vestidas de gala elegante y sobriamente. Productos locales y guisos convencionales impregnados de cultura, diseño, refinamiento, liviandad... nobleza, reflexión, erudición, rigor y consumación.
Éste es el restaurante que mejor cuida los salazones, ofreciéndolos con menor impregnación de sal y menor curación. Eso hace que preserven mejor las cualidades intrínsecas del producto. En consecuencia, nada más idóneo que picotear unas lascas de huevas de atún, mújol y maruca, mojama, bonito en semisalazón y anchoas, nadando en aceite de oliva virgen extra, con corazones de tomate, almendras, aceitunas al tomillo, etc. Situados en el paisaje, el menú puede tomar en varios momentos sabores cosmopolitas; es el caso de unas pletóricas ostras, desconchadas y desbarbadas, ilustradas con caviar y envueltas en una gelatina de piña, que aporta una acidez exótica. Una versión contemporánea del gazpacho: una delicada y transparente agua de tomate gelatinizada, salpicada de un picadillo de hortalizas, dados de queso, juliana de jamón, cebollino y brotes. Palabras mayores minimalistas: hermosa y superfresca cigala a la plancha sobre sutil crema de lentejas con germinado de puerro. Portentosas las espardeñas perfumadas con manteca sobre juliana de tirabeques semicrudos con dados de tomate, achicoria china y diversos brotes. Encantadoramente rústico y harto apetitoso el bocadillo de calamares con mayonesa: rodajas apenas enharinadas y fritas que se sirven con pan crujiente y la salsa, comiéndose con la mano. Estupendos los arroces, sean secos o caldosos, ilustrados con marisco, cigalas y gambas principalmente. Y colosales los pescados, tanto el salmonete a la albahaca sobre crema de suquet como el dentón sobre dados de sepia guisados con una crema de suquet de sémola; tanto monta, monta tanto.

Alfonso Egea’s cuisine has reached a sweet spot. The reason is no other than he is very centered at the moment: he knows both what he wants to, and should, be doing. He takes traditional Mediterranean recipes and evolves them. He impregnates them with culture, designing and refining them, redressing them with importance, giving them personality and materializing them in a stunning manner. The guest appreciates the sensitivity and nobility that lay behind each product, the rigor with which they are worked and, almost always, the projection of an inherited culture that defines the territory and its people.
The first aperitif is a demonstration of cultural roots and brilliance: roe from almadraba tuna, mullet and ling, with mojama (salted, dried tuna), semi-salted bonito and anchovies, swimming in a translucent, gelatinized tomato broth with a heart of the same fruit, creating a savory, refreshing counterpoint derived from the acidity of the “salad”, magnificent and very much in keeping with tradition. The same happens with the majestic (we repeat, majestic) cod balls, copiously filled with fish, presented attractively tinted black with squid ink and served with a stimulating touch of aioli. More traditional was the Alicante broth, a stupendous stew. Very fashionable were the olive and sardine spheres. And so the tasting menu begins, with strong words starting with a red prawn, uncommon in size, doneness and fragrance (garlic and chilies), served over a delicious, soupy rice made with bomba rice. Also stellar was the composition of grilled baby squid and artichokes with blanched broad beans, magnified with a sauce of fish and coarsely grated saffron, irradiating delicacy and flavor. The fisherman’s rice pot, with an abundance of fish and shellfish, stands out for the immaculate nature of the broth and the subtle flavors that it projects. Delicate, clean, light qualities that are repeated over and over again: 15-minute salted pescadilla (baby hake), cooked by steaming them over vegetables and served alongside green beans, mashed potatoes and chamomile soup–a dish that could not be more pure, light and sensitive. In a more gourmand tone, the sea bass, also of the highest quality, also incredibly juicy, is presented in truffle juice thickened with cream and enriched with a mushroom potpourri, the ingredients of which changes depending on the season. Even the meat dishes aren’t out of place, with the squab of Bresse à l’orange and fresh pasta being a highlight: select and consummate.