Robert De Niro came through. He said Yes in May last year, and today he came to check out the priceless menu offered up by Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España in exchange for promoting the world's major gastronomy congress. His accomplices, Quique Dacosta, Mauro Colagreco, José Andrés, Joan Roca and Martín Berasategui, were tasked with offering him a priceless meal he will never forget. 

He spent more than three hours on the unique menu in the royal suite at the Mandarin Oriental Ritz Hotel, Madrid, with his current partner, Tiffany Chen. He sliced ham, asked if he could dunk break in Martín Berasategui's kokotxas, and he tucked into the Ribadesella eels purloined by José Andrés from La Huertona restaurant. He was out to have a good time. As soon as he arrived, before he sat down he joked: “Put all the leftovers into a doggie-bag for me”. During the meal, he then got up a few times to watch the chefs putting food on the plates. He was approachable and took an interest in the produce, and was surprised by the presentations, the tastes and textures of many of the components.

Over three hours during which the star of Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and The Godfather 2 enthused about the culinary fare served up by the five chefs. The plates left the dining room empty. Only José Andrés was missing at the encounter, but his food was there. Since Monday the Asturias chef, now based in the US, who can drop everything to provide humanitarian aid when needed, has been with his NGO World Central Kitchen on the Polish-Ukrainian border, serving up food for refugees. But the recipes to be made up in Madrid were there for De Niro, rolled out by his right-hand man, Carles Tejedor.

The final menu for the priceless meal had been set three weeks ago by the five chefs in a joint videoconference, and for such a special occasion they opted for the star attractions on their menus, with a nod to seasonal produce representing their cuisine. This was the culmination of a process which was devised last year by the agency Leo Burnett and put into a video by producer Attic Films, with a request to De Niro to take part in exchange for this unrepeatable menu. 

The 16 phases of the meal constituted an unrepeatable menu. The experience began with some small appetisers, 5J 2018 Iberian ham and Olavidía cheese from Quesería Quesos y Besos - declared the world's best in the  World Cheese Awards 2021 with bread by Panem, Madrid's best bakery 2019, washed down with an excellent wine: Dom Pérignon Plenitud 2, 2003 Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier from AOC Champagne.
 
The chefs then made their appearance with the starters. First up was  Quique Dacosta salted fish in a saline format, and a slice of dry tomato, with a González Byass Viña AB Estrella de los Mares Palomino Fino from the DO Jerez-Xerez-Sherry, the return-journey cava that has travelled the planet's seas and oceans with the Spanish Navy's On-board School Juan Sebastián de Elcano. 

The other three chefs served up the main courses with some of their most typical recipes: truffle and white asparagus "contesa" by Joan Roca, beetroot in Osciètre caviar sauce by Mauro Colagreco and caramelised smoked eel, foie gras, spring onion and green apple by Martín Berasategui. The first round on the unrepeatable men called for a change of wines, for a taste of one of Spain's most remarkable wines, a legendary vintage: López de Heredia Viña Tondonia, Blanco Gran Reserva 1964, Viura and Malvasía, from the D.O.Ca Rioja.
 
The matching symphony continued with another emblematic wine, Vega-Sicilia Único 1989 Tinto Fino and Cabernet Sauvignon, one of the best vintages from D.O Ribera del Duero. This went down nicely with the fare prepared by José Andrés (strawberries with cream and sea urchin), Quique Dacosta (Dénia red prawn boiled in sea water), Joan Roca (The whole prawn. Prawn marinated in rice vinegar, sauce from the head, crunchy legs and algae velouté), and José Andrés again (smoked eel with tear peas and soya horse mackerel). 

Hake tacos with kokotxa necks, coffee emulsion and paprika flakes by Martín Berasategui and masterful Sénia rice with black truffle ashes by Quique Dacosta rounded off the main courses in an impressive gastronomy event in the royal suite at the Ritz.
 
Two final desserts to finish off the occasion: Orange blossom by the Argentinian Mauro Colagreco and a Dairy Dessert, orange blossom from Colagreco and "dulce de leche" caramel, sheep's milk ice cream, sheep's curd foam, sheep's yoghurt and "cloud" by Joan Roca. The final toast for this colossal meal was with a Noé Pedro Ximénez VORS by González Byass.

"This isn't a meal, it's something incredible I'd recommend to anyone who has the chance". That was how Robert De Niro summed up a gastronomic adventure he will never forget. He, or the chefs who made it possible. Bob is a Goodfella now.