The menu card suggested an evening of high cuisine from Spain. What was delivered, however, was extraordinary fare, styled by a team buoyed perhaps by the New York Times’ recent declaration of Spaniard Ferra Adria as the world’s best chef, confirming the place of Spanish cuisine amongst the global fabulocracy.

The smarter ones would have been suitably refreshed by a siesta, including, we suspect, our hosts Jesus and Sara Silva.

The welcome drink of a Cava-inspired sangria hit the spot. Waiters circled the ample courtyard with silver platters of Jabugo ham and slices of olive oil bread.

There had been no rains or sufficient sun either, we surmised, to have brought on this sudden clammy night warmth on Monday. The strange weather patterns were soon forgotten, however, as we took to one of four tables with names like Ocho Rios, Mallorca, Seville and Spanish Town. How apt!

Our hosts were, after all, The Ambassador of Spain, and the resident chef Macarena de Castro, who was born on the island of Mallorca. Name card found and napkin out of the way, it was now time to peruse the menu, which sat atop an elegant show plate framed on either side by the finest silver.

The chef, we were told, is noted for her combination of the traditional with the modern. The type of cuisine that reflects the great diversity of current Spanish gastronomy.

The first course, or rather the first in a series of three, comprised white garlic soup with grape, a white spoon of roasted red pepper and Jabugo ham on olive oil bread.

To say that de Castro immediately raised the bar would be an understatement.

The tapas-style presentation, the delicate balance of garlic and a single grape, the garlic blended to remove heaviness but not taste. The peppers left a subtle sweetness in the mouth. And what can one really say about a ham that has been aged to perfection and further perked up with olive oil bread, save, Good God, can this 24-year-old maintain the blistering pace?

“Seems she can,” we muttered in between spoons of perfectly chilled lobster Gazpacho, caramelised foie pate and Iberic ham with shrimps. The portions were just right, the flavours distinct, the shrimp fresh, still boasting subtle pink flesh, and delicious.

Felix Jimenez, area manager of United Wineries, had selected the following dinner wines: Durius White 2004 and Marques de la Concordia Red, Reserva 2001. The white was suitably light with non-imposing notes and the red a tad heavier, yes, but again delighted the palate.

Conversation moved from Mallorca to Madrid, highlighting bullfights, to an encounter with one of Ernest Hemingway’s mistresses, a former Beatle and how the Spaniards have perfected the art of late dining.

We could quite easily have been in Macarena de Castro’s family-owned restaurant El Jardin literally enjoying dinner before heading to famed nightclubs like Magic, Menta or Atom. Or perhaps to one of those in Mallorca’s capital, Palma, like Tito’s or Pacha. It was now 10:00 pm and there were six more courses to go.

With great company and food that continued to get better, conversation now moved to the original owners of ‘White Clouds’. The chef, in the interim, stuck to her promise of mixing the modern with the traditional as we journeyed with her throughout Spain. We had so far travelled to the regions of Andalusia, Castilla, Mallorca and Catalonia.

Our next stop would be Madrid, with a breakfast perhaps, for Spanish-style fried eggs and fries were now served. The reviews were formidable (I was almost tempted to ignore my allergy to eggs and tuck in, but chose instead to enjoy the experience of my fellow diners).

The final trio took us to Valencia for Black Squid Risotto, Castilla for a traditional escoveitched snapper and the Basque Country for oxtail with potato cream.

Bear with me here, and imagine the most delicious risotto ever spooned, the suitably pungent squid now turning this all into delicious mouthfuls of black pearl. This, to me, was the dish of the evening. Bravo, Bravo, Bravo! was all I could manage to mutter as I foolishly tried to stretch the risotto.

This could pass muster in any Michelin establishment. It got better with an escoveitched snapper and rabo de toro (oxtail with potato cream). The oxtail sliding effortlessly off the bone onto potatoes spun to perfect cream.

The Spanish Invasion was complete, and it was futile to offer resistance. How could we, when we had not even had the good fortune of a 30-minute siesta? Could the blistering pace continue?

It did, for with the help of pastry expert Almudena Tijera, spoons were now stirring a cheese parfait with pineapple and Appleton rum.

We were lambs to the slaughter, and with waiters now pouring Cava Marques de Monistrol Brut, Gran Reserva 1998 and others arriving with yet another sweet plate, this time “Torriya” Toast caramel with vanilla custard, we gladly yielded, springing to our feet to applaud Macarena de Castro, Almudena Tijera, Javier Goya and Daniel de Castro.

There was no doubt that by evening’s end they would soon be included in the list of Spain’s culinary greats, alongside Ferra Adria, Juan Mari Arzak, Martin Berasategui, Santi Santamaria, Andono Aduriz, Sergi Arola and Dani Garcia, to name a few.

SunDay Cuisine would like to thank Ambassador Silva and his wife for allowing us to be part of such a memorable evening. We had almost forgotten how to dine until midnight.