The town of El Palmar, located 20 kilometres from Valencia, is an exceptional meeting point for those seeking to enjoy authentic Mediterranean cuisine. In this privileged enclave is Arrocería El Rek, a traditional Valencian cuisine restaurant that is committed to local products to achieve excellence as specialists in rice dishes and paellas. Tradition, creativity, sustainability and comfort are the foundations of this establishment run by chef María José Estevens and her team, who have been recognized for several years for their work at Arrocería Maribel by the Michelin Guide (in 2022 they revalidated the distinction of “Bib Gourmand “) and by the Repsol Guide.
The views offered by the different rooms of Arrocería El Rek are a privilege for those who come in search of a complete gastronomic experience, either from its spacious and bright rooms, its glass marquee, its dining room or on the outdoor terrace where you can appreciate this magical environment up close. The entire space is perfectly prepared to host any type of event, in addition to having a large private car park.
Lobster rice from Arrocería El Rek
The essence of Estevens cuisine is felt again through its dishes, rice dishes and paellas that are prepared daily according to seasonality and giving priority to food from Km 0 producers. Sustainability is one of the main commitments of this rice restaurant, which also has its own small organic vegetable garden.
“From our garden”, in fact, is the name that gives rise to the first starters on the menu. Classic snacks such as the Valencian tomato with ventresca, the esgarette or the all i pebre, others that overflow with freshness and originality such as the quinoa, vegetable and seaweed tabbouleh, the tartar with two textures of wild salmon, avocado and wakame seaweed or the cuttlefish grilled beach with baby broad beans. Pure taste of the sea Under the name of Streetfood, the following starters arrive, snacks inspired by other world cuisines and with an air of creativity, such as the curry duck dip or the crispy prawns and algae.
Duck baos with curry from Arrocería El Rek
In El Rek, rice dishes and paellas have the prominence they deserve within their gastronomic offer. Dry or sweet, they are the house specialty and among the most traditional proposals you cannot miss the Valencian paella with chicken and rabbit, the senyoret rice or the sweet with lobster. Estevens and the entire team at Arrocería Maribel wanted to bet on this place, a classic in El Palmar, to continue extolling the best of the house, bringing their good work into the kitchen and their passion for Mediterranean rice dishes. Proposals that are also presented in more creative versions such as paella with duck breast and foie gras with mixed mushrooms. On the menu there is also room for other great icons of Valencian gastronomy such as fideu, rice with fesols i naps or espardeny, a Valencian dish similar to all i pebre but which, in addition to eel, includes chicken, rabbit and poached eggs .
