Aura has stepped it up. Aura is in its stride. Having successfully grounded its clientele with its funky Dantz nights it is now looking to get established as a destination restaurant. The circle booth style eating area is comfortable and lends itself to sharing. And it’s the sharing of food they want you to enjoy.
The menu is based on sharing lots of different dishes. The portions are bigger than tapas and slightly smaller than starters. We were guided through the menu and shown how to eat Aura style - first a cocktail, then a vegetable dish, then a fish dish, followed by meat and finishing off with dessert.
Offering international flavours, the menu begins in Catalunya, spreading out to North Africa and Asia, over the Pacific to Mexico, then passing through the Caribbean before arriving back in Europe.
I was delighted to get a little bite of warm apricot with queso fresco – light curd cheese, Spain’s version of Ricotta – to start. Delighted 'cos them apricots is in season and them apricots is delicious. Whilst it would seem absolutely basic to feature seasonal produce on a menu, particularly on an island where the produce is so good, I am continually shocked at how many restaurants ignore it.
I ate this whilst drinking a long cocktail from Aura’s bespoke cocktail list – a Santa Auralia, made up of Belvedere vodka with Perrier Jouet Champagne and a few other choice things mixed in. Nice daddy, nice. To accompany our food we ordered a Semele Ribero del Duero that was lovely once it had caught its breath but I noticed there were few choices in the mid range of reds.
The food began to arrive, all placed in the centre so we could sample each other’s selections. Each dish is allocated its own style of bowl or plate and great care and thought has been taken over the presentation - lots of flashes and streaks of colour, balsamic glaze and garnishes of crisp fried shredded vegetables. Our salad course consisted of rocket, pear and walnut salad with gorgonzola sauce (a modern take on the classic endive and Roquefort); roasted vegetables; and the ladies’ favourite, tempura asparagus.
Next came the seafood. Plumb and juicy scallops, seared just right with the heart only just getting heat, leaving it succulent and served on a tomato and vanilla compote that really worked. Fish and vanilla is an odd and tricky combo and has to be got right. They have. The seared tuna was good too, if a little over done but the star of this course (of the entire meal in fact) was the monkfish with apple sauce. A truly delightful mixture with the monkfish being cooked softly, softly.
The meat course followed quickly - a plate of very good Jabugo ham and tomato toast. Once you have come to appreciate good Jabugo there is really no turning back. Had we wanted more there was beef fillet with Tunisian spices, duck with peach (which I spied on our neighbours' table looking very come hither) and a Moroccan lamb salad amongst others.
Having enough to eat and not feeling stuffed is the right way to eat and this is exactly how we felt after the meat course. So we had a dessert. Apricots again. Goddamn right.
Date we ate: 10 June, 2009
We paid €130 for full dinner experience for two people including wine and cocktails - tapas dishes range from €8 - €12, wines per bottle from 18€ - €138
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