3Cava

Chris McDonald has found his groove; his cooking combines passion and discipline, heart and intellect. He dreams up nouvelle Spanish combos that would melt the hardest heart. My favourite Cava evening involves telling the waiter: “Let Chris choose,” and let chef’s parade of small plates unfold like a dream. His foreplay often takes the form of pinchos, the Barcelona tapas bar’s answer to canapés: Perhaps wine-braised foie gras with pomegranate-scented onions. I love the sophistication of his cornmeal tamale stuffed with juicy venison and sauced with ancho chilies, wild plum and ice wine lees, a sophisticated delight. His squid brings me to my knees, it's so tender and complex, charcoal grilled and garnished with chives, baby potatoes and fabulous romescu sauce (the sharp Spanish purée of hazelnuts, tomato and garlic spiked with vinegar). McDonald brings sweet, sour, salty and mellow into the culinary equation, always in knife-edge balance.