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Gran Hotel Atlantis Bahía Real, Fuerteventura’s most impressive restaurant is La Cúpula. Located in a domed roofed tower (La Cúpula means ‘the cupola’ or ‘the vault’), the restaurant pairs stunning nighttime views over the Gran Hotel Atlantis Bahía Real pool and decadent haute cuisine with impeccable silver service.
The gourmet restaurant has been awarded a ‘Sun Repsol’ (‘sun’s glare’) under the guidance of head chef Carles Gaig, who has a Michelin star. His imaginative culinary efforts combine art and creativity to produce some really delicious food.
From our window seats, we had a wonderful view of the sunset, and later the night, making this a perfect place to take a significant other. You can be sure of fantastic food and an experience you won’t forget.
As many high-end restaurants do, La Cúpula serves up a number of mini-courses in between your order to keep the evening flowing and ensure that you’re full, even if you’re worried the dishes themselves will be small. We started off with an excellent range of breads, including a tasty olive loaf and a crunchy seeded loaf, served with garlic, paprika and plain butters. We could easily have had one of each, but we decided to only try one slice apiece to save room for our dinner (we’d had a large lunch in the pool bar).
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Shortly after we’d finished with our bread, the server placed a pretty amuse-bouche of cauliflower and vegetables. This delightfully fresh dish whet the appetite, and it certainly looked great with its blend of colours and shapes.
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Our first starter of the evening was a gorgeous dish: runny eggs over sauteed squid and mushrooms, with Hollandaise sauce and a bed of creamy mashed potato. I didn’t really know what to expect – never having thought to mix eggs, squid, Hollandaise or mashed potato – but it was truly scrumptious and satisfyingly wholesome.
It was possibly the most decadent comfort food I had ever had. I think I’ll definitely try this one at home sometime – each ingredient is so simple in its own way, but the way they were brought together was incredible.
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My fiance tried the gyoza of wreckfish and wild prawns, lashed with a creamy champagne sauce. This was another spectacular dish, with a similarly decadent streak, but this time with delicate pastry and subtle seafood flavours.
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For his main, my partner had the venison marinated in red wine and creamy yam, with red fruit sauce and balsamic glazed shallots. It was a delicious blend of gamey, fruity and tart flavours. They worked very well together, and were a good contrast to the starters (both of which were creamy, fish-based dishes).
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I went even more over the top – is such is possible – having opted for the slightly ridiculous-sounding beef fillet (tenderloin) topped with foie gras, parmentier and melanosporum truffle sauce. It was so rich it could buy the Trump estate and still have change.
Honestly, the steak was cooked to perfect, and comprised a rather hefty chunk of meat. Thankfully, there wasn’t too much foie gras, or the richness would have overpowered the fillet, and the parmentier and melanosporum truffle sauce packed a wallop. Everything came together into a perfectly naughty, outrageous whole.
It was definitely acquired taste, but for those like me who like a dish packed full of flavour, it was a real treat. The only downside is that by the end, you’ll probably have experienced so many flavours you’ll think you’re full even if your belly isn’t.
That said, I wasn’t deterred, and ploughed on with dessert anyway!
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For my dessert, I had a welcome contrast to my main course. I opted for the strawberries with rosemary, corn crumble and goat’s cheese ice cream. It was a great ending to the evening – not too sweet, but also homely and subtle.
I think the goat’s cheese ice cream was a nice touch. It kept the strawberries from being boring after such a riotous main course and was a lovely texture against the corn crumble.
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My partner, whose main had been less rich than my own, instead went the other way and opted for a slab of tasty cheeses. He had goat, sheep and cow cheeses with a bit of grape jelly and strawberry, apricot and pear compotes.
There was plenty on the plate to be getting on with, and could probably be shared between two if you’re both still feeling stuffed from the mains. It would go lovely with the right glass of wine or a nice coffee.
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We had thought the desserts were the end of the meal, but we proven wrong. There were petite fours which followed: zingy ginger meringue, a tasty chocolate souffle and velvety lemon panna cotta.
These were lovely, and really rounded out the dinner. They went perfectly with an after-dinner hot drink.
More information
For more information about La Cúpula de Carles Gaig, visit its own section at atlantisbahiareal.com.
Prices for Gran Hotel Atlantis Bahia Real, Fuerteventura start from £160 per room, based on a double room on a bed and breakfast basis in September 2019. This price includes:
- free entry to the SPA per adult/day;
- free entry to the GYM, including classes such as yoga, pilates, zumba and AquaGym;
- free set of sunbeds on the beachfront;
- welcome drink and departures details;
- free Wi-Fi and safe.
For more information, please visit atlantisbahiareal.com / visitfuerteventura.es.
