The kitchen is the heart of a home. Families and friends gather around the table for coffee in the afternoon, for dinner as they share the most important events of the day, taking advantage of the perfect excuse to enjoy the company of the loved ones.
Like in a family, in a restaurant full attention is paid to ensure that the kitchen remains a reference place, welcoming all to enjoy, to relax, to communicate, to dream, to share… One to know all about it is chef Manuel Prats, Executive Chef of Restaurante M29. With great enthusiasm, with the desire of a beginner and a powerful team, he takes on the captaincy of a great kitchen. He arrived at the Hotel Miguel Angel by BlueBay***** in 1977 and began his long-distance career thanks to his tenacity and his enormous worth. He has won countless cooking awards and the perfect ambassador of his cuisine worldwide.
He confesses that from each country he brought a unique experience, an inspiration, a cuisine, a taste and he has engraved it all in fire to form what he is today. For years he has carried and brought the best of every cuisine and has implemented it in all his creations which inspired many other cooks. “I work with love and enthusiasm and for me, the lesson of every day is to learn something new; We play with the familiar cuisine and create something completely new.”, says Prats. Although I arrived at the restaurant at a reasonable hour, the bustling kitchen of Restaurante M29 is all coming and going of dishes, a culinary artery where the union of flavors, textures and shades is astonishing. Entering the kitchen accurately reflects what is transmitted in the restaurant; a perfect setting for anyone looking to get out of the traditional concept of restaurants, to get away from the routine and get lost in the culinary delights, and so I did…
I started my dinner with ‘Smoked Sardines with Cream Cheese in Crispy Seed Bread’, delicious loins in meaty texture and very juicy with the perfect point of salt. Then I could not resist the ‘Grilled Almadraba Tuna’, ‘Noodles with Shiitake and Oyster Sauce’ (exquisite sheets of tuna cooked to the point and subtly painted with oyster sauce). Finally, ‘Macerated Fruit Tartar in Tangerine and Ginger Tea Infusion’, a wonderful handmade dessert. “As a Chef, my best asset is to see the smiling faces of the people I feed every day”…, and mine certainly was a happy one. What a pleasure it is to discover the sensitivity and the good work of his team and the ability to be enthusiastic with every challenge, and transmitting it to everything they do. The rotation of dishes, the ease with which he creates and the enthusiasm with which he manages his kitchen is amazing. He was fortunate to be the youngest chef in a 5 star hotel, able to transmit his knowledge, and now I understand that it was not luck but hard work, dedication, talent and, above all, a great desire to conquer the world.
“I like to see people enjoy my food. The important thing in the kitchen is love and hard work. I have to adapt to trends but I will keep my signature because I feel very proud of what I do.”
