El Limón is the fine dining restaurant in 5 Star GL Hotel Don Ramón, housed in a 15th century palace a stone’s throw from the Plaza del Duque. We were recently invited to enjoy the new spring 2025 tasting menu designed by chef Ali Elkardoudi Farhi. As always, all opinions are my own.

The restaurant has its own entrance, separate from the Hotel reception, with an elegant bar as you enter that leads into a pretty lemon-tree filled tiled patio. Chef Ali Elkardoudi has introduced some Mozarabic touches to the tasting menu, which changes twice a year. At 69€ (without drinks) it’s very good value and makes the most of seasonal products. You can see photos of the Spring 2025 tasting menu below and also the one from Spring 2024. A vegetarian menu can also be arranged with prior notice. A couple of favourites from the latest menu: the watermelon salad with feta cheese and black olive crumble, the sous vide confit cod with muhammara sauce and pil-pil foam, and the fabulous baklava/poleá fusion dessert.

There is also a tapas menu in the bar and a restaurant la carte menu, both offering seasonal Mediterranean cuisine. The wine list includes a good selection of both regional and national wines, including a separate cocktail menu. Service is very professional and friendly. Looking forward to going back to try the regular menus.

Also be sure to check out the lovely rooftop terrace for cocktails and snacks.

Bread/Service Charge: €

Trajano 2
Tel. 954 328 150
Open 13.00 – 16.00 / 20.00 – 23.00
€ € € €

Food 8 | Wine 8 | Service 8 | Ambiance 9

Tasting Menu Spring 2025

seared oyster tartare, false caviar, PX vinegar foam

white shrimp tartare brioche, toast with beurre noisette & riofrío caviar

upside-down puff pastry, smoked eel, blueberry cream cheese, vanilla EVOO

watermelon salad, feta cheese, black olive crumble, ras el hanout
garbanzos, false caviars of evoo and mint vinaigrette

sous vide confit cod, muhammara sauce, gratin pil-pil foam, sautéed seasonal vegetables

sous vide duck magret, orange-flavoured wheat, oloroso flambéed pears

moroccan baklava with poleá

maître Manuel Terry & chef Ali Elkardoudi

Tasting Menu Spring/Summer 2024

Moroccan salad with semi-cured sea bass on crackers with red cabbage sauce

carpaccio of Ibérico pork, sprouts and semi-cured cheese

oyster au gratin with mornay sauce
blue oyster with chermoula sauce

Moroccan chicken pastela, salad with dried fruit and vanilla vinaigrette

garlic white prawn tartare on portobellos with charcoal regañá

sea bass, celeriac parmentier, sautéed peas in buerre noisette

beef tenderloin with foie gras, smoked cauliflower purée, port sauce, crispy pastry

creamy rice with cod roe and corvina with ginger alioli

The Lemon

chef Ali Elkardoudi

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Updated April 2025

I have to admit that Los Remedios is a bit outside my usual “domain” but serendipity drew me to visit this latest venture by chef Iván Valero, adjacent to his already popular Ivantxu Espacio Bistronómico (est 2015). Now, I’d already heard and read a lot about Iván over the years but so far hadn’t been to his restaurant because 1) Restaurant and 2) Los Remedios (if you look through the more than 300 tapas bars and restaurants here you’ll find that a very small number are actually restaurants – I’m really more of a tapas girl myself). Anyhow, there I was having lunch at brand new Augurio back in May and Iván came in with a friend and sat a couple of tables over (and yes, I know Augurio is a restaurant, but it’s small and cosy and about 6 minutes from my house). And so, we ended up chatting and he told me about his new place that was about to open… La Carmela.

The name pays tribute to his mother. In fact the whole place feels like a tribute to Iván’s past and present, with imagery from his hometown of Badalona (Catalunya) in the colourful artwork and even the floor tiles. There’s a small bar as you walk in with one large table between it and the large front window. Further along is the main dining area and open kitchen. It’s a nicely lit and welcoming space.

There are two tasting menus: a Tapas Menú for 35€ (not including drinks) and a more extensive Menú Degustación at 70€ (with a wine pairing option for 45€). You can also order a la carte. We opted for the Tapas Menú, which was excellent value. Each bite after the other was just such a pleasure. Not one false step. Below you can see the dishes from the Tapas Menú, plus a couple of others that happened to walk by. Hard to pick a favourite but the anchovy with noisette butter was sublime, the micuit “sandwich” creamy and delicious, and the cod with grenobloise sauce was deeply satisfying. There wasn’t anything we didn’t love.

Service is professional, knowledgeable and friendly. There’s also an insanely good wine list with close to 300 references, and with about 30 available by the glass. I was delighted to find an artesan txakoli by Oxer Bastagieta, last enjoyed in Bilbao. Be sure to ask for recommendations as some wines (like the Oxer) aren’t on the list yet.

Now open for breakfast!

Bread/Service Charge:  3€ PER PERSON (includes aperitif)

Monte Carmelo 27
Tel. 678 81 30 88
Open 9.00 – 16.00 Wednesday – Thursday
9.00 – 15.30 / 19.30 – 22.30 Friday – Saturday
12.00 – 15.30 / 19.30 -22.30 Sunday
€ € € €

Food 9 | Wine 10 | Service 8 | Ambiance 8

Cantabrian anchovy on toast with noisette butter, spine foam on the side
(tapas menú)

oyster with corn escabeche and tarragon emulsion (a la carte)

foie micuit with mushroom duxelle, orange gel, PX jelly (tapas menú)

cod with grenobloise sauce and puffed cod skin cracker (tapas menú)

grilled beef sweetbreads, au jus glaze, huacatay foam (tapas menú)

calamari rice with a prawn seaweed mosaic (tasting menu)

presa Ibérica a la Royale, summer truffle, bone marrow juice (tasting menu)

chef and owner Iván Valero

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