Experience

REVIEW | Restaurante Matiz, Málaga

Posted by Timothy on

Six days. Five overnight stays in five cities in Spain. Lunch in Paris. Stopover in Barcelona. Then Córdoba, Seville, Granada and Málaga. An Andalusia Whirlwind Tour where we visit the Mezquita and the Alhambra. We’re touring Andalusia in October 2023 to follow the trend of travelling to hot spots outside summer, as we did with Italy in 2022.

When we had lunch at a generic Italian restaurant upon arriving in Málaga, Danny noticed a restaurant across the street. He googled it, it looked great and we booked a table for that evening. The restaurant was Restaurante Matiz. 

Introduction

“How much can an ingredient vary without its original flavour disappearing? Or a recipe, without losing its essence? Sometimes just a detail is enough to turn something good into something exquisite. Sometimes it’s a question of ‘matices‘, or tones. Just like our cuisine. A reinvented Mediterranean cuisine, with a fresh and contemporary style”, Matiz says on its website. 

Now, “reinvented” must be in the top five of culinary writing clichés, together with “with a twist”. But we’ll take it.  

“Our cuisine has a Mediterranean character and an Andalusian air. It is innovative but doesn’t lose sight of tradition: a market-fresh cuisine based on the quality of the ingredients we work with.Our tapas and main dishes are prepared using local, seasonal ingredients, and they change twice a year to make the most of what nature has to offer us from season to season.”

Tasting menu

Not every restaurant works with one or more tasting menus, set menus or menus carte blanche. Higher end restaurants will more easily offer such an option though. And we love it. Just let the chef and his, her or their crew work their magic. No need to think too much. Surprise us.

Matiz’ tasting menu is only 54 euro and the wine pairing 17 euros. So that’s a no-brainer.

The menu.

The tasting menu in October 2023 was:

  • Crunchy wafer with bluefin tuna tartar, dust fried corn and jalapeño pepper and kimchi emulsion.
  • Panipuri filled with pistachio cream and smoked eel.
  • Victorian anchovies with pickled vegetables and a citrus dressing.
  • La Dehesa de los Monteros Iberian pork croquettes with a Granny Smith apple emulsion. 
  • Cold horseradish soup with lightly smoked mackerel and herb oil.
  • Scallop and prawn ravioli with a basil Hollandaise sauce and Riofrío caviar.
  • Glazed Iberian presa (shoulder cut) pork with mashed violet potatoes, onions pickled in Pedro Ximénes sherry and smoked baby courgettes.
  • ‘Marengo y exquisito‘: stout sponge cake with Nutella powder and creamy frosting.
  • Matiz dessert: our citrus dessert with white chocolate and Madagascar vanilla inspired by the Málaga genius Picasso.

It’s always nice when a restaurant offers an extensive menu description. Also, even after returning the menu ‘book’, we received a card with the menu so we can follow the courses. A nice touch..

Dinner.

And thus?

The menu looks inspiring and the dishes are inspired. A crafty kitchen crew prepared the dishes very nicely indeed. 

In case you wondered – and we did – you don’t choose from the options, you get everything. The tapa size portions are well balances so you don’t overeat. 

In the beginning, the pace was a bit high. But as is often the case, once the restaurant is full and every table is being served, the restaurants reaches ‘cruising altitude’ and things settle down for the ride. 

So?

Matiz offers affordable gastronomy. Book in advance, respect their timing. People who are ten minutes late, forfeit their table. That is fair. 

Food, gastronomy and restaurants

2023 Andalusia Whirlwind Tour

  1. PRELUDE | Visiting Gibraltar in 2013.
  2. REVIEW | Eurostar Amsterdam – Antwerp – Brussels – Paris in 2023.
  3. PARIS | Restaurant Le Train Bleu at the Gare de Lyon.
  4. REVIEW | SNCF TGV inOui from Paris-Gare-de-Lyon to Barcelona-Sants.
  5. REVIEW | Hotel Barcelo Sants.
  6. INTERMEZZO | Spain saw a surge of Belgians visiting in the first quarter of 2024.
  7. SPAIN | Renfe Sala Club or Club Lounge at Adif stations.
  8. REVIEW | Renfe AVE in Premium from Barcelona-Sants to Córdoba.
  9. SPAIN | The Mezquita or Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba.
  10. CÓRDOBA | The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos or Castle of the Christian Monarchs.
  11. REVIEW | Hotel Eurostars Palace Córdoba.
  12. ANDALUSIA | Half a day in Córdoba.
  13. TRAINS IN SPAIN | Iryo in Infinita class from Córdoba to Seville.
  14. ANDALUSIA | Real Alcázar of Seville.
  15. ANDALUSIA | Seville Cathedral or Catedral de Santa María de la Sede de Sevilla.
  16. REVIEW | Hotel Posada del Lucero in Seville.
  17. ANDALUSIA | Half a day in Seville ft. Plaza de España and Las Setas or Metropol Parasol.
  18. TRAINS IN SPAIN | Renfe Avant regional ‘local’ train on high speed lines.
  19. GRANADA | The Alhambra and the Generalife.
  20. REVIEW | Hotel Catalonia Granada.
  21. ANDALUSIA | Granada on Día de la Hispanidad.
  22. INTERMEZZO | Spain demands your personal data before you travel there.
  23. ANDALUSIA | Málaga ft. the Alcazaba and the Cathedral.