Ibiza is shaking off its party-hard reputation with an abundance of new fine dining restaurants that use locally produced, high-quality ingredients. We explore the island’s haute cuisine scene, including the new menu at Michelin guide restaurant Etxeko at Bless Hotel Ibiza.
Ibiza is having a makeover. The island’s old-fashioned image of just being a party capital is over, with a host of fine dining restaurants and food experiences opening, turning it into one of 2022’s most sought-after foodie hot spots.
Yes, Ibiza’s famous strip is still going strong, with club-goers from across the globe jetting in to let their hair down in the Haçienda and Amnesia, but many are also coming to the island to visit its vineyards (Can Maymó and Sa Cova, to name a couple), experience cookery workshops and try out-of-this world menus by some of the best chefs in the business – and word has got out.
In the main town, 5-star Ibiza Gran Hotel is opening two new restaurants this summer – Zuma and ASAL – by culinary superstars Rainer Becker and Mario Sandoval, joining the property’s current haute cuisine restaurant La Gaia by Óscar Molina (which has also just launched a new menu).
Zuma will offer award-winning contemporary Japanese cuisine in an informal izakaya (meaning “stay-drink-place”) dining concept, while ASLA is set to be a “gastronomic temple”, consisting of three main areas within a chic-looking white cave – a garden terrace for alfresco dining, chef’s saloon for inside dining, and cocktail bar for relaxing.
Meanwhile, there’s been quite the buzz around the new menu at Bless Hotel Ibiza’s Michelin guide restaurant Etxeko, which is under the direction of Spain’s most celebrated chef Martín Berasategui (restaurants he owns have a whopping 12 Michelin stars between them). It fuses Basque cuisine with local Ibizan produce to deliver exquisite culinary delights that can only be eaten there.
We went to check out Bless Hotel Ibiza’s Etxeko restaurant and got the lowdown on the fine dining cuisine helping to transform the island’s reputation.
Where is Bless Hotel Ibiza?
The 5-star hotel is based by Cala Nova beach in the resort of Es Caná, which is situated on the northeastern side of the island. It is the place to be for rest and relaxation, with secluded sandy beaches, pine tree forests and rocky red cliffs that are perfect for hikes, and, of course, an array of high-quality cuisine.
This area is the unspoiled part of the island and is fast becoming a wellness destination, drawing in health-minded couples who want to switch off, as well as families who need some downtime. It’s the place to find peace and good food.
What is there to do at the hotel and what are the rooms like?
The hotel claims to deliver “hedonistic luxury” on a scale that’s not been seen on the island before – and it delivers. No stranger to decadence, it provides a full-service spa, gourmet dining at one of its five on-site restaurants, stunning ground floor pool area with views of the sea, and a stylish beach club-style rooftop bar Epic Infinity Lounge. It is a private, adults-only space with an infinity pool, reserve-only day beds, amazing views and attentive service.
The rooms are designed for pleasure-seekers who want style and tranquillity. The hotel has 151 rooms featuring a classic monochrome palette matched with unusual textures inspired by the designs of fashion icon Coco Chanel. Most of the rooms deliver a breathtaking view of the sea and feature hydromassage baths in the bathroom, huge walk-in shower, super king-size bed, spacious balcony with loungers and Champagne on arrival.
However, for those who want the true VIP treatment, upgrade yourself to the €6,000-a-night (£5,122/$6,400) presidential suite, with outdoor hydromassage bath, marble bathtub, steam sauna, two terraces, two bedrooms, living room, dining room, 180-degree sea views and Hogo king-size bed.
What's the food and drink like at restaurant Etxeko?
Chef Martín Berasategui is one of the most sought-after chefs in the world and at Bless Hotel Ibiza’s Etxeko restaurant his menu is shining a light on Ibiza's creative gastronomy scene.
At the restaurant, he mixes his skills in Basque cuisine – the cuisine of the Basque Country where he's from – with local Ibizan products from the land and sea. Basque is an eclectic cuisine and cooking style, which ranges from salt cod and meat grilled over hot coals to burnt cheesecake, beautifully mixing the flavours of the countryside and the sea.
Etxeko’s exclusive 11-course menu aims to celebrate this technical cooking style, as well as the pleasures of fine dining. Local produce is fused into the recipes, including carob (a shrub cultivated for its edible pods), the sea salts the island is famed for and its native tomatoes.
Meanwhile, novelties on the menu for this season include Ibizan pig trotters and squid fresh from the Mediterranean surrounding the island. Many of the island’s wines, such as winery Can Rich's Ereso Malvasía, have also been given prominence over international labels to help celebrate local suppliers.
From a liquid ham omelette mousse starter and Berasategui’s famous deconstructed salad lasarte – a vegetable leaf and petal salad packed with prawns, radish, herbs and a tomato sauce laid out like an abstract artwork; to the crispy carob toast with smoked sardines, roasted piquillo pepper and touches of avocado mousse; and the amberjack tartare on the juice of a tomato and capers, the menu just keeps packing amazing punchy flavours and textures.
For those looking for something a bit different, “The Classic” sees the comb (also known as crest) of a rooster served alongside truffle, fermented mushrooms and cabbage; leading onto “The Meadow” – slices of smoked Iberian pork shoulder complemented with light touches of oyster tarama (a creamy pâté) and green shiso (a Japanese herb in the mint family) ice cream; and “Tradition” – beef sirloin with Swiss chard chlorophyll, cheese bonbons and Iberian cured meat sauce.
“The Ocean” breaks up the two meat-heavy dishes with some much-needed lightness. It comprises wild sea bass, mussel spheres and crispy seaweed mixed with a light citrus foam, and the slight tang of sourness really works.
The pre-dessert palate cleanser Gin Fizz is a take on the classic drink – a frozen strawberry purée topped with a gin foam, providing different flavours, temperatures and textures to what has come before. It provides a clean break ready for the finale.
The desserts were outstanding – a creamy orange macaron on a thin layer of toasted saffron; "The Surprise", which is an Añejo rum and chocolate log filled with Ceylon cinnamon ice cream and crunchy pearls; and “Our Sweetest Finale”, comprising a fluffy coconut cupcake, chilled chocolate soup served like a shot, strawberry candy and Berasategui’s own take on a Ferrero Rocher, which tastes better than the original.
“Without losing the essence of the spirit of Martín’s cuisine, at Etxeko Ibiza we seek to merge it with the flavours, aromas and textures of the Ibizan product, thanking and paying homage to the fantastic ingredients that the island provides,” executive chef Paco Budía said.
“In this way, the client can experience the flavours of the destination they are visiting, in addition to providing support to local suppliers without whom our cuisine would not be possible.”
Price: 11 courses at Etxeko costs €130 (£111/$139) per head and six courses €60 (£51/$64) per head.
What else is there to do in the area?
There’s lots to do and see in the area, from surfing at Cala Nova beach and visiting the artsy Hippy Market, to learning about the fortified village of Sant Llorenç de Balàfia.
Read our 48-hour guide to luxury in Es Caná
Make Martín Berasategui’s chocolate and acacia honey dessert with our recipe