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If you haven’t had the opportunity to sample Viennese restaurant Steirereck’s famed char cooked in beeswax, or taste A Casa do Porco’s pork sushi in São Paulo, now could be the time! The chefs from these stellar establishments, Heinz Reitbauer and Janaina and Jefferson Rueda respectively, are among a star line-up cooking in Valencia as part of the upcoming 50 Best Signature Sessions series.
Running from Sunday 18th June through to the evening of Wednesday 21st, the collaborations also features Alain Ducasse and his London-based protégé Jean-Philippe Blondet, Mauro Colagreco and his Ceto head chef Andrea Moscardino, as well as Italian favourite Riccardo Camanini of Lido 84. They are teaming up with Valencia’s top talent including Vicky Sevilla of Arrels, upcoming Argentine-born culinary couple Carito Lourenço and Germán Carrizo of Fierro and the hugely respected Ricard Camarena.
Find out all the details on each of the 50 Best Signature Sessions events below – including booking links to ensure you don’t miss out on these one-time-only gastronomic mash-ups.
The events at a glance:
Riff x Steirereck
When: Dinner, Sunday 18th June
Where: Riff, Carrer del Comte d'Altea, 18, 46005 Valencia
Who: Steirereck, led by Chef Heinz Reitbauer and his wife and GM Birgit Reitbauer, is Vienna’s most lauded restaurant and a long-time stalwart in the upper ranks of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Austria’s first couple of gastronomy will bring their traditional-meets-modern dishes and distinctive service style to Riff, where German-born chef Bernd H Knöller has been successfully plying his trade for some 30 years.
What else: Expect vegetable and meat dishes from Steirereck, including a traditional Viennese surprise, complemented by Riff’s signature seafood specialities. This multi-course, multi-national German-Austrian-Spanish amalgamation for fewer than 30 guests is priced at €185 per person (without drinks).
Book: Online at https://restaurante-riff.com/en/reservations/
Arrels x A Casa do Porco
When: Lunch, Monday 19th June
Where: Arrels, Carrer del Castell, 18, 46500 Sagunto, Valencia
Who: Janaina and Jefferson Rueda from A Casa do Porco in São Paulo will bring their ‘democratic haute cuisine’ to pair with the acclaimed roots-based cooking of Chef Vicky Sevilla at Arrels in Sagunto, just north of the city of Valencia. The trio have curated a special menu, price at €175 (with taxes, without drinks) that reflects Jefferson’s mastery of all things pork, Janaina’s knowledge of traditional Brazilian dishes and Vicky’s insight into local produce that plays on memory, all with an emphasis on sustainability.
What else: This collaboration, available to 24 guests in total, is particularly special for Janaina and Jefferson as it will show them reaching back to their Spanish ancestry. It also celebrates women who are breaking down barriers in the culinary profession.
Book: Online at www.restaurantarrels.com/en/contacto/
La Salita x Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester
When: Dinner, Monday 19th June
Where: La Salita, Carrer de Pere III el Gran, 11, 46005 Valencia
Who: International culinary guru Alain Ducasse comes to Valencia with the super-talented Jean-Philippe Blondet, chef de cuisine at the maestro’s London restaurant in the Dorchester hotel. The Ducasse team will collaborate with the charismatic Begoña Rodrigo, chef-owner of La Salita, which is set in a historic mansion house in Valencia’s fashionable Russafa neighbourhood, to create an experience for 50 diners.
What else: Titled ‘French Connection’, the one-off menu experience will comprise a series of appetisers served on the La Salita’s stunning terrace, followed by five seated courses inside, including dessert, rounded off by petit-fours and cocktails al fresco; priced at €300 per person (without wine).
Book: Online at https://www.anarkiagroup.com/50thbestsignature
Fierro x Mauro Colagreco
When: Lunch, Tuesday 20th June
Where: Restaurante Fierro, Carrer del Doctor Serrano, 4, 46006 Valencia
Who: As chef-owner of Mirazur in Menton on France’s Cote D’Azur, Mauro Colagreco led his restaurant to the pinnacle of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2019. One of his ventures since is Ceto, another beautiful spot overlooking the Mediterranean within The Maybourne Riviera hotel. He and Ceto head chef Andrea Moscardino will join forces with Argentine-born culinary couple Carito Lourenço and Germán Carrizo of the diminutive but much-loved Fierro for an intimate tasting menu lunch.
What else: There will be two sittings at 12:00 and 15:00 for this exclusive lunch on the day of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 awards. There will be just 12 seats for each service, priced at €350 for a surprise tasting menu, including drinks.
Book: Online at https://www.covermanager.com
Ricard Camarena Restaurant x Lido 84
When: Dinner, Wednesday 21st June
Where: Ricard Camarena Restaurant, Av. de Burjassot, 54, 46009 Valencia
Who: Italian chef Riccardo Camanini of Lido 84, located on the shores of Lake Garda, is working in harmony with Valencia’s finest, Ricard Camarena, at his eponymous and much-celebrated restaurant. The pair will present not only a unique menu, but co-create bespoke never-seen-before plates – some improvised together, others based on their shared ethos of seasonality, locality and vegetable- and seafood-forward dishes.
What else: The chefs have visited one another's restaurants to explore their mutual culinary philosophies. Guests can sample the results for €250 per peson, with optional alcoholic (€390) or non-alcoholic (€330 pairings).
Booking: Online at ricardcamarena.com/
The 21st edition of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, will be announced on 20th June 2023 in Valencia. Tune in to the livestream of the awards ceremony on YouTube or Facebook from 20:40 local time. To stay up to date with the news and announcements ahead of the ceremony, browse the website join the community on Instagram, find us on Facebook, visit us on Twitter and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
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