ARROZ (RICE)

A basic ingredient in our cuisine and sustenance. This is Quique's object of study, and he has also shared it in books, interviews, talks, and videos. A bonding element between diners when they do not know what to order and one of them asks: "How about we share a rice dish?"



BELLEZA (BEAUTY)

A word so difficult to define that Quique chose to cook and prove that you can taste it. A sensation you can feel with a landscape, a work of art and, why not?, with a Valencian paella you have made yourself. A trait that brings pleasure when you look for it. And just that makes it all worth it.



COCINAR (COOKING)

Transformation of food. However, for Quique, this is his channel for natural expression. Cooking is his trade. And he inhabits this space from an evolutionary perspective, with evolutionary action.

DÉNIA

UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. Place of origin of the Red Prawn of Dénia. Quique came here when he was 14 and learned to cook and connect with the sea. This is where he decided to live and establish his 3-star restaurant.



EBULLICIÓN (BOILING)

The necessary state of agitation for evolution. It does not always appear to be there, but it is. Cuisine is an example of human evolution. For better and for worse, we can analyze it by the food we put on a dish and by the dish’s humanity. Within the word "ebullición (boiling)," we find the name of an icon in international modern cuisine: Bulli. Memorable.



FUEGO (FIRE)

Medium with which we began to transform our food: grills, barbecues, ovens... this is most certainly one of our contemporary trends. Fire, smoke, Maillard…

GUSTO (TASTE)

The physical sense to perceive and distinguish flavors. That being said, even if you try, you cannot be to everyone's taste. Not even when speaking of tradition. Not everyone likes traditional dishes from other countries around the world, for example.



HUERTA (FIELD)

The fields reflect both what Quique and his team have been in the past and what they are today. Depending on one’s interpretation of, and relationship to, a field, they can decipher a people’s future. Because fields will play a central role in local cuisine in the years to come.



IMAGINACIÓN (IMAGINATION)

A powerful tool. Intangible, yet powerful. With knowledge, devotion, hard work, and effort, it made creation in Quique's kitchen possible, making the intangible tangible on a dish.

JUGAR (PLAY)

Possibly one of the traits that sets Spanish avant-garde cuisine apart. This attribute swapped rigid, predictable, monotonous cuisine for something magical, sometimes unpredictable, although perfect. That being said, the serious way that chefs play in the kitchen is what allowed them to grow, play, and break the rules.



KILO

Two spoonfuls, a glass, or a splash aren't good enough anymore. Now and forever in the kitchen, and before that in pastry making, you weigh everything. This is one of the ways to measure cuisine. The other two are time and temperature.



LONDRES (LONDON)

ArrosQD. The beginning of an idea, which is taking our culture of rice in paella beyond our borders. And Quique also loves London. It is a unique city.

MAR (SEA)

Quique's is the Mediterranean. Much more than a food storehouse. Much more than a place to swim. It is a way of understanding life.



ÑORA (RED PEPPER VARIETY)

An element that has both fans and critics. Quique belongs to the first group. Under its coarse and rough appearance, it is refined and requires delicacy when being cooked. There are not many paella rice dishes without it.



OÍDO (HEARD)

Attention. Concentration. Respect for the chef. "Oído Cocina (Kitchen Order Heard)" would be the complete expression. Acceptance of the chef's order after he shouts out a command and the team members leap into action.

PAELLA

The most important Spanish dish and most well-known outside of Spain. For Quique, it is a science in and of itself, given its cultural roots, respect, and protection. A lifelong project to share with the world.



QUIQUE

Short for Enrique, his name, and his father Quique's name. What is more, today, the entire team has turned Quique Dacosta into a valuable brand in the food sector.



RECETA (RECIPE)

A chef's sheet music. The chef follows this music to perfectly materialize the dish or technique in question, giving their dish sound without going off-tune.

SOCARRAT

Part of the paella or rice in paella randomly achieved thanks to the fire, the fat, the expulsion of starch from the rice, and the collagen in the broth. However, at Quique Dacosta Restaurante, we have mastered socarrat and can entirely extract it from the paella. This is how we serve it today at Llisa Negra (Valencia) and ArrosQD (London).



TIEMPO (TIME)

Like weight and temperature, this is a way to measure cuisine. But time is also what we have lived, what we are living, and what we have left to live.



UNIÓN (UNION)

"Union means strength." Quique has united the best people and talents, and this is one of the things that has made him the happiest.

VISITA (VISIT)

Having people from all around the world visit Quique Dacosta Restaurante is most certainly one of the project's greatest accomplishments. And not only that: these visitors come every year with open hearts, minds, and mouths, to enjoy a menu created just for them.



WOW

The expression that will naturally come out of your mouth when you finish cooking and taste an A Fuego paella.



XE

“Xe que Bo,” a very Valencian expression of enthusiasm that comes out after tasting an amazing dish.

YAYA (GRANDMA)

You'll want to compete with her every Sunday when making the family paella.



ZETA (Z)

The end. The siesta after the rice, a word (arroz) that starts with an "a" and ends with a "z."

Quique Dacosta: try the rice cooked over firewood

Quique Dacosta in your kitchen with his gourmet paellas

My mission: to bring my wood-fired rice dishes to your home

Paella preparations full of flavour and experience

Taste the paellas of chef Quique Dacosta