Restaurante Victor Gutierrez : Well executed but no soul

I have re-used my headline from my review of La Sucursal in Valencia, because my experience at Victor Gutiérrez was very similar to that at La Sucursal: There was nothing wrong with the food at all, but there was really no flavour in the food, nor did I see any identity in the food. This restaurant didn't seem any different than any other Michelin star restaurant that serves French or Mediterranean food. Every single course was nice but forgettable, and I found myself looking at my pictures of earlier courses midway through the meal, as I simply didn't remember what I had just eaten.
The last dessert had real gold on it, but what was the point? To show off? Probably.

When I was at Sangonereta in Valencia I complimented every single dish, but at Victor Gutiérrez I simply couldn't – except for the pigeon mousse, which was part of the small amuse bouches at the beginning of the meal. All criticism aside, that mousse was really nice and just left me sitting there longing for more. Two or three dishes did have bit more flavour, but the major flavour was simply that of salt.

All in all, I feel that a great meal is a bit like listening to music or watching a film. The meal should move me and make me feel something. I left the restaurant feeling quite cold.

The service was friendly and attentive. The waitress didn't speak English that well, but she tried her very best, and she deserved my 10 euro tip. All the Spanish white wines I've tried have been pleasant enough, but I have still yet to find one I truly like. The same was the case here. The red wine (Krel from Bodega Trus, Ribera del Duero, 2010) she hit spot on. Nothing less than a wonderful wine!

I bought a tasting menu consisting of 10 courses including appetizers and petit fours for €80. It came with cava, which I don't really like, so I asked for a glass of white and a glass of red wine instead. The waitress topped these up several times throughout the meal as well as giving me water continuously, and still the bill stayed at €80, so that's definitely a bonus. Like certain other restaurants I've been to, they let me try several wines to see which one I liked the best before deciding.

So, great service, and I suppose some kind of value for money, but no flavour and no identity in the food.