Infusing a Mediterranean air into each of her dishes
Maca de Castro knows that this year, she embarks on a new stage in her career.
And as such, she has decided to change the name of the restaurant,
Using her own, as she feels more confident than ever.
Putting products from the Balearics on the table,
Dedicating more time to her R&D+T (research, development and tradition),
Giving the produce from her own garden a greater role than ever,
Bringing out the truth in each element,
And working hand-in-hand with the pajes (local farmers) is how she wants to dedicate more time each day.
The essence of Mallorca in every dish.
• The chef, recently nominated for the Royal Spanish Academy of Gastronomy’s Best Head Chef award and holder of one Michelin star and two Repsol suns, is taking on a new project fronted by her restaurant, which, despite its name change, stays true to its spirit and culinary offering.
• Located in Port d’Alcúdia, the restaurant is part of the Mallorcan restaurant group De Castro.
• According to Maca de Castro: “I am increasingly confident, at both a personal and a professional level, and this year will be one of change and new challenges. My cooking has matured and better reflects what I want to transmit: the essence of Mallorca and the products from this land.”
Madrid, 22 de 2018. The Jardín restaurant, headed by chef Maca de Castro, begins the season with a name change. The restaurant, open for the 2018 season from Friday, 6 April, is now called maca de castro.
This goal of this change is to solidify the philosophy of the De Castro group and strengthen the Maca de Castro brand, all while maintaining the original pillars that form the foundation of this restaurant, where local products and tradition are fundamental.
In the words of the chef, “At this moment, my cuisine is maturing along with me. I am increasingly confident, at both a personal and a professional level, and this year will be one of change and new challenges. Through maca de castro, which I consider to be my home, I would like for people to get to know all kinds of local products and thus keep them from becoming lost or forgotten. We have a quite a lovely challenge in front of us.”
The restaurant has family history behind it: in 2008 Maca de Castro’s parents built it.
Mediterranean cuisine and products from the land. From seed to plate.
The restaurant was founded on Mediterranean cuisine, offering traditional dishes based on the quality of the finest local products.
The Balearic Islands offer a well-rounded selection of the highest quality products that the chef’s team aims to preserve and highlight. It is with this goal in mind that the essence of Mallorca is infused into each dish. Products are fresh, in season, and have been recently harvested.
Bay leaf flowers, artichoke stalks, tomato sprouts and chia sprouts are just a few of the local products that Maca de Castro includes in her culinary offering.
maca de castro offers a tasting menu based the provisions of the island. Its feel, creativity and fondness for tradition are present in every bite. Dishes include Mahon-style pa amb oli, sea nettle Swiss roll and sea urchin Royale with sea cucumber and bay leaf sprouts.
Also worth noting is the wine list, which was built with diversity and exclusivity in mind.
Daniel de Castro, director of the Grupo De Castro and its comprehensive catering service, and Guillermo de Lucas, the in-house sommelier, created it.
The R&D+T Department and the restaurant’s own garden. Hallmarks of Maca de Castro’s cuisine.
The culinary offering created by Maca de Castro has its roots not only in Mallorcan crops and produce but also in the research that goes into finding out where these products come from and how they are produced. Maca de Castro effortlessly plays the role of ambassador for local products, which she aims to shed light on via her cuisine.
It is for this reason that she created the R&D+T Department (T for tradition) where she can uncover the depths of the products, get to know their true history and work hand-in-hand with local farmers.
The research, development and tradition department at maca de castro was born as a way to truly understand the culinary richness of Mallorca, its local farmers, its markets, its fairs and their culinary roots.
To do this, a garden was planted with local products to supply the restaurant. It is an entire hectare of herbs, fruit trees, birds, grains, legumes and vegetables. Planning is of the utmost importance, so the planting, seasonality, treatment and harvesting of products are all carefully considered in order to get the most out of the land.
As the garden is constantly being tended to, products are used when they will enrich dishes to the maximum. Thus, harvesting often takes place on the day that the items appear on the menu. This also means that the menu is constantly evolving.
Because of this, there is a “Council of Elders”, made up of local farmers who meet and provide their knowledge on the products.
The space
Located on the first floor of the complex that houses the Grupo De Castro facilities, the restaurant maca de castro, with a Michelin star since 2012, boasts a space for 25 guests and has become a unique place for savouring the flavours of Mallorca. The kitchen has no doors and is open to guests, who are welcome to come in whenever they wish.
Everything you need to know:
C/ Tritones s/n
Port d’Alcúdia, Spain
(+34) 971 89 23 91
reservas@macadecastro.com
April, May and October
Thursdays
19:30 – 22:00
Friday to Sunday
13:30 – 15:00 / 19:30 – 22:00
June, July, August and September
Wednesdays
19:30 – 22:00
Thursday to Sunday
13:30 – 15:00 / 19:30 – 22:00
TASTING MENU
COOK & ROLL
Pork loin and cabbage, greixonera and Mallorcan lamb frito
PA AMB OLI
Mahon-cheese pa amb oli
CUTTLEFISH
Cuttlefish and snails broth with toasted seeds
JOHN DORY
Angel hair with chamomile and John Dory roe with lemon leaf olive oil.
SOUR SARDINES
Sea nettle Swiss roll
SEA URCHIN
Sea urchin royale with bay leaf sea cucumber
Langoustine
Herbs soup with langoustine
BEETROOT
Eel, beetroot and pickles
ORANGE BLOSSOM
Orange blossom duck yolk with skate and artichoke stalk
ACORN
Cauliflower with acorn praline and truffle
BEEF
Beef stew with snails and medlar
PEAS
Olive oil trifled with tender peas and goat cheese cream
SOFT ALMONDS
Soft almond ice cream, yogurt powder and almond gel
About Maca de Castro
Nicknamed “the Mallorquina”, Maca de Castro, chef and owner of maca de castro, was born in 1981 and has worked in kitchens ever since she was 18 years old.
She discovered that this was her calling by attending conferences, traveling and staging. At 20, she took charge of the confectioneries at Jardín, and at 21 she became the head cook for fish. At 23 she took on the role of head chef. From her beginnings as an assistant, she has balanced work and training both at the Escola d’Hoteleria of the Balearic Islands and alongside other renowned chefs, including Hilario Arbelaitz (Zuberoa), Andoni L. Aduriz (Mugaritz) and Julián Serrano (Picasso). She has also attended various courses at elBulli and trained with Willy Dufresne (wd-50), Manuel de la Osa (Las Rejas), Jean Coussau (Relais de la Poste) and Juan Mari and Elena Arzak (Arzak).
She has been a speaker at Madrid Fusión (2013) and has held one Michelin star since 2012. Additionally, the Repsol guide awarded the restaurant maca de castro two Repsol suns. Publications such as The Wall Street Journal, El País, Gentleman, Elle, Vogue, Sobremesa and Club de Gourmets have also highlighted her work.
About the Grupo De Castro
The Grupo De Castro was founded in 1996 by siblings Maca and Dani de Castro. It is a brand that includes restaurants, an events company and a culinary consultancy. Timeless quality flavours, bold local products and the wisdom of tradition are staples of the group.
The diversity of the group’s culinary offering caters to all kinds of guests, from the most exclusive palette looking for signature cuisine, to casual family diners.
The Grupo De Castro is made up of
maca de castro
Occupying the first floor of the complex that house the Grupo De Castro facilities, the restaurant maca de castro boasts one Michelin star and offers a composed sequence of 13 creations inspired by the seasonal produce of the island: unhindered Mallorcan cuisine.
Innovation and tradition combine seamlessly to bring out the magic of Maca’s kitchen.
Jardín
Located on the lower floor of the Grupo De Castro facilities, Jardín occupies the gardened terrace where it was originally founded in 1996. The space has a decidedly Mediterranean feel. Traditional dishes are offered à la carte in this summery atmosphere.
Here, the cuisine focuses on the quality of the finest local ingredients—with an emphasis on seafood—and is prepared by chef Joan Toni Soler under the close supervision of Maca de Castro. A set menu is offered daily, and the space has room for 120 guests.
Jardín Catering
Jardín Catering is the comprehensive catering service offered anywhere on Mallorca by the Grupo De Castro. Daniel de Castro has personally directed the service since 2005, and today it is one of the island’s most prestigious catering services. The menus are prepared and served at the location where the event will take place by Maca de Castro’s staff with the same level of professionalism and attention to detail that would be expected from any of the group’s restaurants. Macarena is also responsible for personally selecting which products will be used. At first, this catering service was designed for weddings, but in this new phase of evolution it has become a complete event planning service.
Danny’s
At Danny’s, the de Castro siblings talk about their lives, adventures, families and travels via each of the tapas that can be enjoyed at the gastrobar. Here, there is room for all tastes: oriental nomadic essence mixes with occidental flavours to create the best tapas.
Danny’s is the gastrobar where siblings Daniel and Maca de Castro open the doors of their lives to anyone who wants to come in and get to know them. The walls and the food here speak to their experiences, all of this is of course accompanied by an excellent selection of wines, offered by the glass.
20´s
Mediterranean flavours dominate the menu of this restobar, inaugurated in 2017 in the chic new Andreas-Quartier district in the centre of Düsseldorf: from classic tapas to traditional Spanish dishes, salads, Catalan coca and Mallorcan pa amb oli, all created by a team directed by Maca de Castro. The establishment, which is large and has modern decor, offers a variety of spaces, including a bar, bistro, patio and dining room. This provides clients with a range of choices. You can have a cocktail, something light to eat or a plentiful dinner, all in an elegant setting.