Papua debuts with a bold and spectacular gastronomic menu

The Papúa restaurant not only surprises with its striking interior design project. A spectacular venue, designed by the renowned architect Adolfo Monserrat, where its jungle spirit immerses us in an unforgettable experience that transcends the boundaries of purely gastronomic. Lush vegetation and a gigantic giraffe welcome us on each visit to Papúa to make us participants in a gastronomic proposal that is constantly evolving.

The ambitious project of the very young Noel Duque and Jorge Rivero, who, after succeeding in Alcalá de Henares, made the leap to the capital with Papúa, quickly becoming one of the main meeting points. Passionate and entrepreneurial, this pair of friends and partners now continue their thrilling adventure in the complicated gastronomic landscape with a new project at La Finca Grand Café, which will soon delight us with a novel concept dubbed Calencho. An upcoming opening that is generating great anticipation and will soon see the light.

On this occasion, we returned to Papúa to enjoy firsthand some of the dishes from their newly launched gastronomic menu. A surprising culinary proposal that reflects the evolution of the cuisine of one of the capital’s meeting points. Its pioneers, the young entrepreneurs from Alcalá Noel Duque and Jorge Rivero, take a step further in their quest for excellence by introducing an exceptional tasting menu at Papúa composed of a daring collection of successful recipes that will delight the most adventurous palates.

We started our evening at Papúa savoring the delicious house appetizer, which consists of a seductive pumpkin cream with ginger, coconut, and pumpkin seeds. A pleasant start that adeptly plays with exotic flavors and led us to their iconic Caesar salad in roll format with a tasty interior of roasted chicken, Parmesan air, a touch of anchovy, and grilled lime. One of our essential dishes at Papúa that we enjoyed from start to finish before moving on to try one of the dishes that make up their new gastronomic menu, the Idiazábal cheese fritter with guava jam. A preparation of powerful flavor that combines sweet and salty flavors perfectly, and which ends at the table with grated Parmesan cheese on top.

We continued to savor another dish from their gastronomic menu, the chocolate variety pepper grilled with its traditional pil pil sauce. A recipe crowned with a crispy anchovy that we found to be truly mind-blowing. A unique dish that disorients and captivates the taste buds with every bite. Highly recommended.

Before moving on to the sweet moment of dessert, we also tried the sensational duck magret with yogurt foam, red berry demi-glace, and fennel and apple puff pastry. A fun and colorful dish that, in addition to being a true visual spectacle, is an absolute delight to the palate.

To top off our evening at Papúa and anticipating the upcoming Easter, we succumbed to the charms of their new chocolate-infused French toast, filled with chocolate chips and accompanied by creamy vanilla ice cream. The perfect final touch that compelled us to break our diet as we savored every last drop. Absolutely irresistible.

Papúa continues its fruitful evolution to surprise us once again with its daring cuisine. A trendy restaurant where the food is genuinely excellent. What more could you ask for?