Cávala Málaga, a new culinary dimension

Miguel Ángel Mayor has returned to Malaga, where he spent part of his childhood and adolescence, from the age of 6 to 16, before moving to Catalonia. He trained as a chef alongside Ferran Adrià at El Bulli, becoming the head of research and development at the restaurant and has also worked alongside the Valencian Quique Dacosta and the Basque Andoni Luis Aduriz at Mugaritz.

In 2017 he opened Sucede in Valencia and in a short time it was awarded its first Michelin star, but, just as everything was pointing to him getting a second one, unfortunately it had to close because of the pandemic. From Valencia he went to England, Scotland and back to Barcelona, although only for a short time, as he did not want to give up the opportunity to come to Malaga to showcase his cuisine when he was offered the position of executive chef at Cávala.

Accepting the challenge must not have been easy. Although Malaga is experiencing a very sweet moment gastronomically, the reality is that avant-garde and creative cuisine has a narrow margin of acceptance and even more so if a restaurant only offers the possibility of a closed menu. Miguel Ángel's restaurant is limited to two menus: Presagio, with a four courses and dessert; and the Menú Recuerdo, a seven courses and dessert. But this view changes radically vision, once you have tasted his menus. Miguel Ángel not only has skill and experience behind him, he also has the creativity and imagination to transform those culinary memories of his time in Malaga into sensations that are hard to forget.

Preparations such as prickly pear vermouth, fried fish with cheese, pickled carrots and quail will reach the palate and make us sigh with every mouthful and in every part of the menu. Technique, imagination and balance have come together to reveal another dimension of Malaga's cuisine.

The arrival of Miguel Ángel to the local restaurant business will mark a before and after in the cuisine of Malaga in the 21st century. But Cávala would not be at the height of these elaborations without a wine list in line with the two menus. David Orellana is the sommelier and he gets it right when it comes to choosing the wines that go best with the 'series' of the day.

Gilda malagueña

Miguel Ángel has been able to bring to Cávala the culinary creativity he already had in Gerona and Valencia, proof of which is precisely this perfectly deconstructed Ensalada Malagueña.

Salmon

This salmon is one of the dishes from the 'memories' menu that we will undoubtedly remember most for its balance of flavours. A fried and smoked tail, the loin with a demiglace.

Berenjena con miel de caña

All the flavour of Frigiliana aubergines with molasses is concentrated in this attractive recreation of delicate slices of aubergine.

Foie curado

Imagination and lots and lots of creativity, well executed and with a balance of flavours to make a foie gras into a dessert to end a seven-series menu. Honey is the common thread and impregnates the dish with sweetness.