Belagua

Frommer's Review

This glamorous restaurant was originally built in 1894 as a small palace in the French neoclassical style. In 1991 Catalan designer Josep Joanpere helped transform the building into a carefully detailed hotel (the Santo Mauro), which I've recommended separately. On the hotel premises is this highly appealing postmodern restaurant, today one of the capital's finest.

Assisted by the well-mannered staff, you'll select from a menu whose inspiration and ingredients change with the seasons. Examples include watermelon-and-prawn salad, light cream of cold ginger soup, haddock baked in a crust of potatoes tinted with squid ink, filet of monkfish with prawn-and-zucchini sauce, and duck with honey and black cherries. Depending on the selection that day, dessert might include miniature portions of flan with strawberry sauce and an array of the day's pastries. The restaurant's name, incidentally, derives from a village in Navarre known for its natural beauty.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.