05/05/2023
We launch a new menu at the Emperador Restaurant
The season has started! and in the Emperador Restaurant we have completely renewed our menu to offer diners a new gastronomic experience. Undoubtedly, the signature cuisine based on the native products of Villajoyosa is one of the great attractions of the Hotel Montíboli -with the added beauty of its spectacular views over the sea-. And it is that given the very long culinary tradition of the area it could not be otherwise.
El Emperador has become one of the leading restaurants in the province of Alicante and a must for palates seeking to discover the flavour of this land with the avant-garde and of course the personal touch of our chef Jean Marc Sanz.
Jean Marc knows how to maximize the potential of the best products from the sea and the land, that surrounds us, to achieve the surprising and unforgettable nuances that characterize his cuisine.
Next, we describe the menu of the Emperador Restaurant 2023. A gastronomic proposal with its own name where flavour and tradition merge with the avant-garde to offer dishes brimming with personality from the different raw materials of kilometre 0 as its protagonists, whether they are from the nearby fish markets of Villajoyosa or our own farm El Clot. Do you want to travel with your palate?
Hot and cold starters
What better way than to start with something fresh? Alicante is a land of salads, pickles and tapas; and at the Emperador Restaurant we wanted to give a twist to these popular appetizers to surprise even the most well-versed in Alicante cuisine. As always with a different touch!
Revising the traditional salads, Jean Marc has devised an updated white shrimp cocktail that contrasts with a crunchy base of papadum, a bread of Indian origin that replaces the classic crisp rounds and wafers. The tapas proposal is completed with a beef tataki, a selection of brioche toasts with salted cured meats and pickles and the traditional duck foie gras, the hallmark of Jean Marc Sanz's kitchen, where he highlights the full potential of his French roots. This year, he combines it with Valor chocolate, in a nod to the Villajoyosa traditional chocolate.
As for the hot starters, seafood products take on a new dimension, reinventing our kitchen classics. Would you have imagined migas (Breadcrumbs) del pastor accompanied with sardines and octopus? The result is wonderful, a traditional flavor, but at the same time different. And for those who love seafood, we recommend the scallops with artichokes and creamed Iberian ham. A twist on surf and turf that make you fall in love with it.
With a different selection of vegetables every day depending on the harvests at our Farm El Clot, Jean Marc offers his vegetable cannelloni with porcini mushrooms and truffles, washed with a tasty and powerful cream clearly inspired by the Mediterranean. But if you are one of those who love truffles, you cannot miss the truffled eggs with Iberian morel mushrooms. Perfectly done. They never fail to impress!
From the sea…
The best fresh fish from the bay of Alicante arrives daily at the Hotel Montíboli directly from the Villajoyosa fish market. The sea is the basis of our cuisine and it has been so since time immemorial due to the fishing nature of the municipality and the region where we are located in.
Cod is one of the most classic fish in Alicante cuisine. This year it is destined to become one of our star dishes on the menu, served with the traditional olleta de blat, a stew from the interior of the region. Delicious.
Other fish that we will have on the menu during the season are hake, served in a cockle pilpil, sea bass with Valencian boiled cream and wakame pearls or oriental-style marinated tuna combined with Iberian pork juices. One of our riskiest proposals for this year, perfect for the most transgressive.
The Land…
Meats are once again one of the pillars of the Emperador Restaurant menu in 2023. The beef tenderloin, another of the Hotel Montíboli's classics for decades, is served by the chef with Bordeaux sauce and beetroot, accompanied by bone marrow with a dignified presentation which is to be admired
Chef Jean Marc's French roots lead him to include on the menu, season after season, a dish featuring duck. Do not miss the magret with smoked eel, almond hummus and parsnip. One of the most evocative dishes this year.
And if we stop at the stews section, we cannot miss the roast lamb loin with mushrooms or the Iberian cheek with nuances of cocoa and sweet potato gnocchi. The latter is becoming quite sought after!
A sweet climax!
There is no good menu without a great dessert that serves as a climax. And being in Villajoyosa, we cannot even think about desserts without talking about chocolate. So, we must start by mentioning our Valor brownie with frozen mousse and crispy wafer wall. The favorite for any sweet tooth.
If we opt for renewed classics, Jean Marc opts for the hot orange crêpes with the aroma of Cointreau, another nod to the neighboring country in this kitchen of fusions and memories. But without forgetting the vanilla upside down mille-feuille with syrup cream, a dessert recently created by our chef with a vocation to sweeten all palates.
However, we want to recommend two dessert options that reflect the personality of the Costa Blanca in an authentic and unique way. On the one hand, we present the pumpkin with caramelized seeds and yogurt with cinnamon. A classic of Alicante autumns that is conquering our hearts. And, on the other hand, a classic from our Emperador Restaurant, the creamy cheesecake. Are you going to miss the opportunity to try it?
In addition, at each service, the chef adds to the menu a selection of daily dishes based on market products that our suppliers make available to us first thing in the morning. Among them, is rice. Always a traditional Alicante rice from among the innumerable recipes that this land boasts of. Could it be otherwise?
Without a doubt, gastronomy is one of the main reasons for you to visit the Hotel Montíboli. Reserve your table at the Emperador restaurant -you can do so, even if you are not staying there, by calling 965 89 02 50- and enjoy a memorable gastronomic experience. We are waiting for you with the best views of the bay of Villajoyosa!
