Another Year Older

I've been extremely traditional when it comes to celebrating my birthday so far. Except for the years I've been abroad, the celebration has always taken place at home. The most important thing for me is to be surrounded by my loved ones so I didn't really care about where the party took place. However, this year we decided to do something different. Back in August we had been to a very special restaurant and I wanted to go back for my birthday.

This restaurant is like no other. I've never had a gastronomic experience like this one. The name of the place is LAV and it's in my hometown, Leon. The name is an acronym for Laboratorio Alfonso V, and if you pronounce it in Spanish it sounds like "lab", short for laboratory. So what's so special about this place? Well, everything. From the food to the fact that you don't start eating at your table. 

It all starts at the bar where you order drinks and eat unique tapas. See the four big grey stones below? They are edible. It's foie covered in chocolate. How genius is that? Meanwhile, you take a look at the menu and choose what you want with a colored marker. 

Next stop is the open kitchen for some live showcooking.

The rest of the meal takes place at the table. Take a look at the picture below, you can see the menu card. As I said before each one of us chose what we were going to eat with a different marker: red, black, green and blue. When you get to the table you put a colored card next to you so that the waiter knows your menu choices.

All dishes are carefully curated in terms of design and flavors. They are incredibly pleasant to both the eye and the palate. These are the starters.

The starters are followed by soup.

Afterwards, we had fish and meat. It may look like a lot of dishes, but the portions are small so you don't really feel full until the end of the meal.

To transition from the meal to the sweet taste of dessert, you get a digestive mousse in a beaker. A nod to the name of the restaurant.

And last but not least my favorite part...

The whole experience takes about two hours but it doesn't feel so long.
Have you ever been to a restaurant like this? What's the most unique experience you've had when eating out?
xo Cristina

Restaurant info
LAV
Av. Padre Isla 1, Leon
Tel.: (+34) 987220952
TripAdvisor

OUTFIT DETAILS
Claudie Pierlot dress
Purificacion Garcia scarf

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LACE DRESSES