Saffron Festival Menu At Aqua Nueva
Whether you love saffron or have never tried it, head to Spanish restaurant Aqua Nueva to try the three course Saffron menu. To celebrate new Executive Chef, Mateo Garcia Leiva, they will be throwing a Saffron Festival – Fiesta de la Rosa!
Aqua Nueva reinvents traditional Spanish dishes for a modern audience. This Saffron menu was designed by Mateo and paired with Spanish wines and cocktails. As a history lover, I liked that the menu gave some history about saffron. I hadn’t know it was introduced to Spain in the 8th century and known as the ‘red gold’ of Spain. The Saffron menu is inspired by the festival Fiesta de la Rosa del Azafran to celebrate the end of the picking season, usually at the end of October.
To start the evening we enjoyed the Saffron Fiesta cocktail. This is made from saffron-infused Calvados, ginger syrup and orange bitters. This was a lovely refreshing drink to sip whilst catching-up on a Thursday evening. My friend and I both said we’d order this again.
Our first course of the Saffon menu was ‘Al I Pebre’- smoked eel, saffron bisque, and saffron sofrito. This is a beloved traditional stew from Valencia with the current dish emphasising more of the saffron. I can’t remember ever having eel before so I was able to try something new and what a way to try it- pieces of eek in a slightly spicy sauce.
Next was the Red mullet, saffron potato and saffron suquet. This was inspired by Sequet which is Catalan’s fishermen’s favourite- a fish and seafood stew. This was my favourite of the three as the but the saffron was a little overpowering for my friend.
Desert was Arroz con leche, saffron and mango. Essentially this is a rice pudding favoured in Spain, but Mateo has enhanced the saffron and cinnamon elements. My friend loved her’s but I’m not the biggest fan of rice pudding due to the texture. However, we were impressed that the saffron and cinnamon worked well together.
Each dish was delicious and plated beautifully. The menu really showcases the highest quality saffron from Spain’s world-renowned Castile-La Mancha region. The portions are small but three courses plus tapas was a comfortable amount for my friend and I. The Saffron menu has a set three dishes and costs £35pp or you purchase your favourite one separately.
We were fortunate to also sample three tapas. First we had the Ajo blanco (£13). It was my first time having this Andalusian cold almond-garlic soup served in a shot glass and we both enjoyed it, the garlic really coming through. It was paired with cured tuna and pickled Kentish cherry. Next was the Cod Brandada which is home-salted cod with crispy skin and burnt Seville orange (£12). Then there was the Gamba Alistada- red prawns, rice crisp Huelva prawns, star anise and sofrito cream (£13). The latter was a little messier than the others to eat as the base crumbled a little, however all tasted superb.
My friend and I both loved the aesthetics of Aqua Nueva. With marble tiles flooring, curved copper ceilings, dark timber tables and grey comfy seats, it’s an elegant and sleek setting. I had a seat with a good view towards the London Eye. Located opposite the London Palladium, it’s a very central location. The staff were very friendly and efficient.
We loved the location, atmosphere and most importantly the food. My friend’s already planning to take friends there in the future.
Address: Aqua Nueva, 5th floor, 240 Regent Street (entrance at 30 Argyll Street), W1B 3BR
Phone: 020 7478 0540
Website: https://aquanueva.co.uk
Instagram: https://instagram.com/aquanueva
Written by Caitlin Neal
