"For an Italian, pasta is as important as rice is for an Alicante native"

Gastronomy has the gift of taking us on a journey with our minds. Sometimes, it takes us back in time, reminding us of dishes our grandmothers used to make. Other times, it transports us to different places, revealing the soul of other cultures. This is precisely the spirit that drives Alba's kitchen: it crosses borders, brings cultures, ingredients, and cooking methods from here and there, uniting Italy and Spain through the palate.

It's no wonder that the Alicante native, Alba Esteve, won the award for the best carbonara in Rome for three consecutive years. She achieved this with her previous project in the Eternal City. Now, back in her homeland for four years, she unites the Mediterranean under the umbrella of her cuisine.

An offering that does not lack traditional ingredients from Alicante's gastronomy, intermingled with the finest Italian products. A combination that perfectly reflects the two souls of this establishment: the chef and her husband, the sommelier Michel Magoni. The Mediterranean coasts that Joan Manuel Serrat sang about and, just on the other side, those that Sorrentino captured in his films. 50% Italian, 50% Spanish. That is Alba.

The exceptional commitment to local products and the fusion with another gastronomic culture has earned this establishment the Revelation Chef Award at the Historias con Delantal awards by TodoAlicante.

We like to get to know our customers, for them to know us, and to have that close relationship. We don't want to be an impersonal establishment.

When we opened Alba, we sat down and reviewed our entire professional journey, both mine and my husband's. I have worked for many years in both Spain and Italy, and he takes care of the dining room. We combined our experiences to create a Mediterranean cuisine with a strong Italian influence, but with ingredients and techniques from both countries. In the end, we are half Italian, half Spanish, and that is evident in every dish.

It's a short menu. We have seven or eight starters, as many main courses including meats, fish, and pasta, and also a tasting menu. It's ideal for those visiting for the first time and wanting to know what we do. It includes two starters, two main courses, and a dessert. One of the main courses is always new, seasonal, and another is the 'pulguita', a dish that has been part of the menu since the first day we opened Alba.

One very special dish is the red prawn with burrata, Bronte pistachio, smoked aubergine cream, and tomato and mustard coulis. We've been making it since 2013, and it well represents who we are: burrata and pistachio from southern Italy, red prawn from Dénia. It's a dish that connects our roots.

(Laughs) We serve it during the week, from Tuesday to Friday. It's a very special recipe for us. We cooked it in Rome for three years and it was recognized as the best carbonara in the city for two consecutive years. It took us over a year to have it on the menu here because we wanted to make it with the exact ingredients and without concessions. Now that we have it, it's a hallmark. We take the tradition of pasta very seriously, just as rice is valued here.

Pasta holds an essential place, we make it here. For us, pasta is as important as rice is for an Alicante native. Many times you leave Italy and see how pasta is distorted, just as we would see poorly made rice abroad and be appalled. That's why we try to convey that love and that criterion when cooking it.

In recent years, it has changed a lot. We have been open here for four years, and during that time, the sector has grown significantly and become more open. It's true that there is a culinary tradition that must be respected and maintained, but there is also a new and different offering. It's exciting to be part of this moment, which is very good for us.