Stop everything you are doing. Put down your marmite toast and pick up your coffee… You will need your full concentration for this.

The consensus on my table was that this place makes you feel like “You have ‘made it’ as a young adult”. Its young, its trendy, it was designed by Phillip Starck for christ sake, but it is refined and seriously experienced in its menu.

The mixture of people ranges from young professionals to the trendy older generation who want a little more than the sound of cutlery on plates and violin music. It is formal fine dining, with a really trendy edge.

Under the consult of Michelin chef Ricard Camarena (Our review of his Valencia restaurant here) this place has some serious experience within its ranks.

The food:

We were fortunate enough to have a special tasting menu and I can honestly say that I was not prepared for what was heading my way.

We started with a crab mousse amuse-bouche (try saying that after 8 courses of wine pairing) followed by a second pre starter of Smoked Salmon Blini. Now, having been to enough cocktail parties and weddings I have had my (everyones) fair share of Salmon Blinis, but this was great and quite smokey with a more than generous caviar garnish

Then….. The Tuna Belly Tartar and Oysters with Oriental Shades. One of my guests is anti-Oyster… I know I know, “why do I associate with such types?” but sometimes life throws you a curveball and she ate this particular curveball almost in one.

Next was a dish of Prawn and shitake mushroom with black truffles. I love truffle but sometimes it can overpower a dish. In this case, the combination of stock, prawns and mushrooms were enough to stand up to the truffle without being domineered by it.

Next we had the Lobster risotto with American Sauce and Black Truffle Juice. Lets just take a moment to talk about that claw. All too often restaurants add “diced lobster” into a rice dish, but I think we can agree that it is all the more rewarding to have your lobster waving at you as it arrives.

Now this next dish was crowned blue ribbon (aka – my god thats the one right there) winner on our table… and it was the surprising contender of Turbot with Fennel, Tarragon, and Citric Meuniere. Why surprising? Well, when you have a Greek, a Scott and two bonafide carnivores at the table, you would expect turbot to be overlooked. Not this one.

The Turbot was meaty but super tender and given my more than vocal feelings on fennel, this was even more impressive. Luckily the tarragon and citric flavours beat the fennel into submission.

Finally, we had the Galician Beef Sirloin, Red Wine Sauce, Liquefied Beet, Turnips and Beet Outbreaks.

I mean, this dish was beautifully presented. In my mind was the Lichtenstein of beef dishes and it seemed a shame to devour it, but devour it we did.

Now… breathe…..

THE dessert….. 

If you like  (you should) or frankly if you are a human being with a palate, you will love this. How do I know? Well, it was a few days ago and I am still talking about it.

This is what happens when fine dining, nostalgic comfort food and rich flavour get together for a business deal.

It was the carrot cake that you know and love form childhood, but for grown ups. It was not overly sweet and the addition of miniature carrots gave an additional edge to the dish.

You know what, if you are in Madrid and have only minutes, just do your self a good turn and pop in for this cake… You are welcome.

The Booze

Having started with a vintage Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage 2006 Champagne, we then had a couple of different glasses throughout the meal. This included a fabulous 2010 Marques de Murrieta Rioja Reserva and Torres Floralis Moscatel Oro dessert wine.

The thing that sets Ramses Life and indeed Suria apart is that not only is the food excellent, but also… its somewhere you really want to be.

It is fine dining with a Westwood shirt in place of a morning suit and frankly, I cannot wait to go back.