The sommelier and head of room Marcos Granda celebrates these days the achievement of two Michelin stars for two of its recently created restaurants, such as Nintai in Marbella and Ayalga in Ribadesella (Asturias), adding a total of five recognitions from the prestigious red guide.
Thus, at the gala of the Michelin Guide Spain and Portugal 2022, held in Valencia last Tuesday, December 14, the first star shone brightly for Nintai, a Japanese cuisine restaurant inaugurated in the Costa del Sol city last March and aimed at 12 diners who immerse themselves in the ceremony that takes place around the wooden bar in which the sushi master, Pablo Olivares, executes an exquisite menu.
The concept arose after a Granda’s personal trip to Japan in January 2020, where he learned that he had to create a new restaurant around silence, liturgy and the delicacy of Japanese cuisine. During confinement, far from being paralyzed, the professional developed the idea that materialized in March 2021.
This first star, who arrives when the establishment has not yet completed its first year, supports the excellent work of Olivares, but also that of Christopher Stained, who together with Granda directs the room and executes a unique concept of hospitality, as well as that of each of the people who make an unrepeatable experience possible.
Each of them adds up and is key so that both the living room and the kitchen fit together perfectly. Fundamental pieces are the raw material quality, always in season, with exceptional fish and Kobe beef, as the only meat, and the execution of the menu, but also the rhythm and atmosphere that is created, around the silence and the Japanese liturgy.
The pairing with sake, champagne and tea As Granda’s key choices, it causes diners to discover and recognize a new flavor on their palate: umami. Without a doubt, a proposal based on purity, subtlety and perfection that the public has supported in these first years of Nintai’s life.
The restaurant offers two menus designed according to the season, with Fresh products and as a result of the spontaneity of the sushi master, highlighting the Omakase, which consists of four hot dishes and six sushi passes with a price of 95 euros. On the other hand, the ‘great Nintai menu’ features six hot passes and 10 pieces of sushi and amounts to 130 euros. The price of both menus does not include the absolutely personalized pairing for each client based on their tastes and the culinary proposal of that moment.
In this way, Marcos Granda is positioned as the creator of four unique haute cuisine concepts that come to life and are enjoyed only and exclusively in four restaurants located in three different places in Spain, for a total of five stars. The first of them saw the light in 2004, Skina, with two Michelin stars and located in Marbella and whose chef, Mario Cachinero, was recognized last Tuesday by the Michelin Guide Spain and Portugal 2022 with the newest Young Chef Award.
The second of the hotelier’s business initiatives was Clos, which opened in 2017 in Madrid and has one star; which he followed Ayalga, open to the public in 2019 inside the Hotel Villa Rosario de Ribadesella, and which also debuts its first Michelin star, which is recognition of the gastronomic offer within a hotel in Asturias. The last to see the light has been Nintai, which opened in March 2021 in Marbella.