At the table at Més de Vi: pickled quail with oak leaf lettuce

Pickled quail has something of a classic dish about it, but here in Poblenou it doesn’t arrive at the table as something heavy or overly formal. At Més de Vi, we work it with oak leaf lettuce, pomegranate, yellow beetroot and a bay leaf vinaigrette to bring it into a fresher, more vegetal and easy-to-share register. If you’d like to try it, you can book a table and see how it fits into our menu.

Pickled quail, the lighter version

The base of the dish is pickled quail prepared to keep its character without overpowering the whole. The pickling is present, but it doesn’t dominate. It adds depth, acidity and that point that opens the appetite without becoming too much.

At the same time, the texture of the quail, shredded and juicy, allows the dish to move easily. It’s not a heavy start, but rather a beginning that sets the pace for what comes next.

Oak leaf lettuce, pomegranate and yellow beetroot

From there, the dish opens up. The oak leaf lettuce brings freshness and acts as the vegetal base of the composition. In turn, the pomegranate adds contrast, with small bursts of acidity and sweetness that appear irregularly in each bite.

Along the same line, the yellow beetroot brings a softer note than the red one, both in flavour and presence. It doesn’t take over, but it’s there. And it completes a balance in which each element has its place without competing.

Why does this dish work?

Because it doesn’t rely on a single axis. The combination of pickled quail, vegetal elements and bay leaf vinaigrette creates a dish that moves between freshness and depth without settling on either extreme.

It works well as a starter, as it opens the appetite without tiring it, while still leaving room for what comes next. It’s a dish that follows the rhythm of the table rather than setting it.

Within Més de Vi’s menu, this kind of dish fits naturally for that reason: it allows you to begin with something recognisable, but with enough nuance to avoid the obvious.

If you’d like to try it, the easiest way is to book a table at Més de Vi and secure your spot. From there, the dish does the rest.