Javi Abascal is not a chef with a particularly long career or a wealth of names in whose kitchens he trained. On the contrary, he is an instinctive cook, who has the background of some courses at La Taberna del Alabardero and the Hoffman School, but above all with the tradition of the Sierra de Huelva, with which he has a deep personal connection. . It is from there that he develops a cuisine to which he manages to give its own character and provide it with an original and meaningful common thread.
That thread is none other than the versatility of Iberian pork, a resource that might seem obvious in a city like Seville, but which, however, no one had explored with the depth with which Abascal does it in his restaurant, which At the time, it became the only one in Spain to offer a tasting menu with Iberian pork present in all its preparations, from snacks to desserts, something that the three-star Atrio, in Cáceres, also does today, but which remains an exception. .
Far from being a gimmicky claim like any other, a way to distinguish oneself, this effort to demonstrate the possibilities of the product not only makes perfect sense – not in vain, even though its use in the sweet section may surprise you at first, the tradition It is full of cocas de chicharrones, perrunillas, mantecados and other sweets with lard – but it becomes a sign of identity that fits perfectly with the chef’s background and with the place in which he develops.
That place is Seville and it is a baroque palace between Alameda and Feria Street, in the heart of the historic city. In the courtyard of the One Shot Palacio Conde de Torrejón hotel, Abascal and his team have found the perfect location, a place that protects them and gives their kitchen a tailored setting.
It is here, between the baroque columns of the palace, where the chef proposes a well-measured menu, without excesses in style or length, a sample of that cuisine that does not try to impress with effects, which is closer to that of a home. of updated meals that have a format that falls within what we usually understand by haute cuisine.
It would be appropriate, perhaps, to pause here, to ask ourselves what haute cuisine is today. Is it a gesture, a series of codified rituals? Is it expensive products, kitchen brigades affordable only by a few, spaces and accessories that need to show their cost?
If haute cuisine is, in reality, the cuisine of the exception, isn’t it also exceptional, perhaps even more so, a cuisine that seeks flavour, that reinterprets its roots and that refuses to burden itself with those identifiable symbols, converted with often in empty icons, to offer oneself, stripped of ornaments, with the pride of tradition? A refined but identifiable cuisine, capable of claiming the product and the recipe book by themselves, without the need for anything else? Isn’t that, at this point, an increasingly rare luxury?
Iberian salchichón butter, loin head and Arturo Sánchez double montanera morcón; Ham croquette, great: creamy and powerful flavor. The chef gets into the matter from the first bite, without getting lost in appetizers that would only lengthen the menu in an unnecessary way. Everything here focuses on the Iberian. Potato and sirloin tartar with whiskey, first distinctly Sevillian nod, crispy bocabit with sautéed ear and jalapeño, Iberian pork blood sausage with pistachio, cod fritter with loin slice and pilpil of its fat…
After this start, which could be the beginning of a menu with its sights set on haute cuisine, the chef proposes a twist, informalizing the proposal, which is a success. The first example is one of the great bites of the tour, the Cádiz-style chicharrón, with a scallop tartare and an emulsion of the fat of the first and the gonads of the second. The first sea and mountain on the menu, round, with the fat of the meat complementing the slightly sweet iodization of the seafood.
Jowl, shallot and oyster in citrus pickle, another splendid sea and mountain, full of contrasts between textures and aromatic acidity. One of those dishes that you want to repeat. Green asparagus, bacon, stew broth and caviar, another recipe in which iodine and fat are balanced and which inaugurates a succession of spoon dishes that reinforce that line more linked to traditional cuisine.
Even closer to the popular are the next two dishes, the cod tripe in trotter stew with roast pork intercostal, pure unctuousness, and the chickpeas with ear and pesto. Tasty spooning, deep cooking that doesn’t need anything else to become a great memory.
Castañeta, one of the chef’s favorite products and one of the most interesting, most particular and also rarest pieces of offal of the Iberian pig. It is cured in fat, half pork and half cow, for 25 days before being slowly braised in the Oloroso to achieve a tender and honeyed result, but at the same time preserving that unique, slightly grainy texture of the gland, which is crowned with a prawn, barely tempered, and bitter orange zest. If I had to choose only one dish it would be this one, for delicacy, for nuances, for knowing how to find the elegance of such a humble piece and turn it into an authentic jewel.
Iberian supreme with meat juice, honey, Toro Albalá vinegar, creamy potato and vanilla. And, when you think that the sweets are arriving, it is finished off with a 2020 Arturo Sánchez Iberian ham with double montanera. The naked product, just as it began, to close the circle.
The desserts start with a panipuri with white chocolate and chorizo, curious, a 70% chocolate bonbon with ham and close with an interesting vanilla pannacotta with ham caramel and generous, crunchy ham.
It is really pleasant, and unfortunately less common than one would like, to find a cuisine with personality, a cuisine that does not seek, furthermore, to shock with unnecessary effects, that does not want to play the card of haute cuisine at all costs and who understands what their value is, what their price range is – this menu is currently offered at €56 – and bets on them in a decisive way.
The cuisine of Javi Abascal and his team fits into the place and, with the help of a close dining room team, capable of also understanding the tone of the proposal – a special mention must be made of the work of Antonio Rodríguez, the head room that transmits a contagious enthusiasm from an absolute absence of rigidity and from a well-measured closeness – is proposed as a contemporary restaurant, updated in details, but proud of its origin; one of those places to which you return in search of tasty cuisine, with no more discourse than that which marks the product; one of those places where it would be easy to become a regular customer.
