The restaurant run by chef María Gómez and her husband, Adrián de Marcos (sommelier and room manager), has been confirmed as one of the most relevant gastronomic addresses in the country with the obtaining of its first Michelin star
Located in the historic square where the vegetable market of Cartagena was once located, Magoga offers a sensitive, contemporary cuisine based in the local pantry and pantry, a collection of more than 300 wine references and which is probably one of the best cheese carts in Spain with about 50 national and imported parts
Madrid, October 2019.- Located in the historic port city of Cartagena, Magoga is the dream of María Gómez and Adrián de Marcos, two young tanned hoteliers in some of the most important temples of contemporary cuisine: she by the hand of teachers and institutions such as Juan Mari Arzak, Ferran Adrià , the Basque Culinary Center and the AIALA School of Karlos Arguiñano and he also at AIALA (where he trained as a Gastronomy Technician and met María) and in prestigious dining rooms in Madrid and the Northern Spain, like Zuberoa.
When Maria and Adrian crossed their paths, they were immediately clear: they wanted to form a life project in common and build their own restaurant together.
Thus Magoga opened its doors in 2014 as a modest food house where skewers, tapas and breakfasts were served and, little by little, it has evolved to become what it is today: one of the maximum gastronomic references in our country, with a Sol Repsol, its first Michelin star (announced yesterday during the presentation of the 2020 Guide of Spain and Portugal) and several awards in a personal capacity both to María, who was a finalist in the Revelation Cook Award of Madrid Fusion 2019, and to Adrián, who holds the Best Sommelier Award of Murcia 2018.
CARTAGENA ON THE DISH
María's kitchen, which was born in Fuente Álamo (Murcia), is a sensitive, leisurely kitchen, without stridency and marked by the balance between avant-garde and tradition, between technique and product and between the garden and the sea that draw the Murcian landscape.
Its objective is "that everyone who enters Magoga knows that he is in Cartagena" and that is why in his dishes, loaded with flavor and great aesthetic beauty and sensitivity, the very fresh fish and shellfish of the Mediterranean and the Mar Menor take center stage. Typical meats from the area (such as the pig 'chato', a native breed from Murcia that was about to disappear), fruits and vegetables that grow on the banks of the Segura River and the crops of the Campo de Cartagena where he was born and The cook grew: carob, marcon almonds (from the centennial almond farm owned by María's family), the Monastrell grape (whose vinegar used in several of her dishes), elephant garlic (soft and elegant flavor) , Calasparra rice (the first rice in Spain with a designation of origin that incorporates both the menu and the tasting menu) or chickpeas, which entered Europe through Cartagena.
Ingredients that he always chooses at his best moment of consumption and result in a menu that varies to the sound of the seasons, surprising the diner with its freshness and contemporaneity.
SERVICE AND WINERY
In Magoga, all the details involved in the culinary experience are carefully taken care of.
Therefore, in addition to the kitchen, Adrián's work stands out in front of the room and an exceptional cellar that holds more than 300 references.
These include old vintages and numbered bottles from different parts of the world and, within national wines, a wide selection of generous wines and local wines, from the designations of origin Bullas, Yecla and Jumilla.
Special mention deserves its cheese cart, probably one of the best in the country, with about 50 local, national and import pieces.
ROOM AND RESERVED
As in his kitchen, in the decoration of Magoga, which bears the seal of the Valisse studio, you can guess the Carthaginian landscape, with the omnipresent Mediterranean and the stones of the Roman amphitheater as a backdrop.
It has a main dining room with capacity for 30 people, one reserved for 10, which can be adapted for meetings and private events, and an intimate lounge, ideal for couples or small groups.
Source: Agencias