The famous gourmet restaurants El Pato and Ars Vivendi on the road to Santa Gertrudis currently are refurbished and rebuilt under the name "Novum". The opening is set for the end of May and certainly this three-day event will be one of the hottest openings this season.
Rolf Finkbeiner who initially founded El Pato 15 years ago and who had dropped back from the business the last one and a half years now is back on the scene. Novum will have two main dining areas, one called “Gourmet” and the other “Wok” and Rolf gives us an idea about his gastronomical concept:
“Without understatement I can say that there is no other restaurant in Ibiza that offers such a quality food and service as we will have it at Novum. Also our wine list is unique in the Balearic Islands. We offer the who's who of international top wines and some of the wines really cost a little fortune, ranging up to some thousand Euros per bottle. So expect the Gourmet area according to its name. More casual we are handling the new Wok area that formerly was Ars Vivendi. Here our guests can get something to eat until 3 o’clock in the morning, this is something really that was missing in Ibiza. Even if they just fancy some antipasti, a salad or soup, everything is prepared fresh and right infront of the customer. This is perfect for people who want to eat before they go to party at the clubs.”
Finkbeiner’s partner in crime is Manuel Lopez who until recently was the general manager of Privilege. How it comes that the manager of the biggest club in the world decides to quit his job and to get involved in running a restaurant? As the very first media we met him for an exclusive interview and of course we asked him for a statement regarding this matter:
“I used to come to eat at El Pato very often because the executive kitchen chef Steven Sinnwell is a close friend and neighbour of mine. When there was the right moment I just said yes because my job at Privilege was not tempting anymore, and I felt the time for new challenge. I love the place because it offers so many possibilities for high quality entertainment. Novum is a long-term project and I am very confident about the outcome because I have very good partners and I can bring in all my experiences from the nightlife sector. The food will remain on a world-class top level as people know it from El Pato and Ars Vivendi, plus we will have an unique surrounding and excellent atmosphere.”
So expect Novum to be a fashionable nightlife hotspot with several dining areas, bars, an amazing garden lounge area, a boutique with selected brands and VIP tents. Between the two dining areas will be located Ulises Braun’s Reunion Bar.
In the last four years Ulises and his team built up a loyal fan base around the cosy Reunion bar that until last summer was located at the very end of Ibiza’s harbour strip. The only problem was that the old harbour area suffered in the last two years due to the restriction of opening hours and unsufficient parking possibilities in Ibiza. So this year the Reunion team leaves the harbour and announces a strategical move to the more solid atmosphere of Novum.
GRAND OPENING:
Thursday, 20th of May 2010: inofficial opening
Friday, 21st and Saturday, 22nd of May: official opening event
From then Novum will be open every day from 20:00 until 03:00 (the kitchen is always open until 02:30).
HOW TO GET THERE:
Driving from Ibiza in the direction to Santa Eulalia, take a left to Santa Getrudis and turn left again after few metres, entering an industrial area. Et voila!
MORE INFO
There is not much content yet on their website but you can register on the site to stay informed about upcoming Novum news:
www.novumibiza.com
Meet Novum on Facebook
