Culinary delights at El Claustro Restaurant
We have spoken with three of its best chefs: Alvaro Arriaga on board the Arriaga, Paco Rivas, in charge of the kitchen at the Hotel Alhambra Palace Restaurant and Juan Andrés Morilla, owner and lord of El Claustro. First clue: nobody likes tapas.
Alvaro Arriaga Restaurant. High kitchen.
Literally. If we talk about the environment, Álvaro Arriaga cannot complain. The restaurant, located at the top of the Andalusian Memory Museum, is sixty meters high and has stunning views over Sierra Nevada , is a cosmopolitan and ethereal space that, despite its minimalist forms, transmits a welcoming warmth. Much of the blame lies with this man from San Sebastian who is determined to treat his clientele as if they were his guests of honour. "Cooking can't be boring, people want to be surprised. And I'm committed to that, by pleasing my clients' palates with something they don't expect," he tells us.
And he gets it. From the crunchy Alfacar bread, slow fermentation, to its innovative wine list, where Álvaro highlights with almost national pride the new reds from the north of Granada. The dishes on his tasting menu will make your mouth water: spider crab sausage, shrimp cakes without flour, and without shrimp!, carpaccio of Iberian pork , false red prawn cannelloni with bechamel foam, hake on land peas and sea peas… A tribute to a land that, according to Álvaro, is like Switzerland. There is everything, green, sea, mountain... and it is perfect to enjoy cooking.
Dining room of the Arriaga Restaurant
2)Alhambra Palace Restaurant. The magic of the centuries.
enjoy a sunset in front of the Alhambra priceless. Everything else yes. But you won't mind paying for it, especially if you bet on a snack on one of the restaurant's terraces. A perfect option if you want save euros and calories . In any case, it is worth savoring the experience and letting yourself be stunned by the spell of the Alhambra, seeing how the shadows steal the limelight from the red of its bricks and multiply its nuances. In the light of some small oil lamps paco rivas interprets his letter to us. I have been working in the kitchen for forty years and in the last ten things have changed a lot and for the better, especially in Granada. For example before the portions were tremendous , now, without anyone going hungry, they have been reduced a bit. The same has happened with the sauces, people increasingly ask for healthier food . Another thing that has changed is the presentation, now it is much more elaborate. But the fundamental thing is to eat well, let's not kid ourselves. I like people to be satisfied, that's why I take great care of Garrison , my clientele expects to enjoy seasonal vegetables. I am very generous with vegetables and very careful when cooking it, I want it to be just right, a bit crispy.
Does not lie. Along with a delicious sole and prawn roll perfectly cooked mushrooms appear. A touch of salt and butter, perfect to accompany. The same goes for your grilled aubergines , or with tomato, which actually tastes like tomato. A frank and intelligible letter where the fresh fish , the knife cut ham , the sirloin , the steak tartare waves poultry . And of course the broad beans with ham, so typical of Granada.
The gastronomy of Granada is very varied, that is why it is important that we do not lose the flavors, things have to know what they are . The details are important and of course, also the oil . For years we have abused it, but it is a fundamental part of our kitchen, so we have to use it in its fair measure. The client understands more and more, not only about food and ways of cooking, but also about wines and pairings, that is why it is necessary to bet on quality , and in that sense I am not entirely in agreement with the concept of free tapas, quality is lost.
Alhambra Palace Restaurant Dining Room
The Cloister Restaurant. Mystique at the service of culinary excellence.
Juan Andres Morella , his combative chef, has it clear. I'm the oldest free anti-tapas fighter . The customer assumes that they are going to serve free food. He demands it. And that's not how it progresses. If there is no competition, there is no training, no quality, no creativity. And the kitchen has to be creative but you have to have one training behind, especially if we want to compete with other leading countries. This requires tremendous effort, and many, many hours of work. Now anyone who releases a stream of Modena vinegar cooks creatively and it's not like that. I love to investigate, I have to have fun with what I cook, but i also want people value and above all enjoy the work – in all senses- of my creations.
To value the creations of Juan Andrés, the first thing is to praise the good taste of his location. Lying in the Cloister of an old convent , in full center of grenada , the restaurant still preserves part of the sacred atmosphere of its predecessors, a sophisticated air that is breathed when the tasting of its menu begins. And that has a lot to do with the surprising colorful of their dishes.
Green apple freshly fallen from the tree on black ground . The aforementioned apple, which only has its name and color as an apple, is stuffed with foie gras and rests diagonally on a bed of beetroot tinted with squid. The visual contrast is just as appetizing as the taste. Here's another way to eat grenadian soaking . Juan Andrés watches with amusement as the expressions change on the faces of the diners. This time it is the red that takes the controls. The Granada remojón is a salad of black olive, orange, potato and cod , well, well, I have made a ball of piquillo peppers stuffed with cod and I have divided the other elements into small pieces, in this way the mixture in the mouth is more interesting. This, of course, does not mean that there are no simpler dishes, this is a hotel restaurant and there are guests who only want an omelette for dinner, but there is no way to stop making one more elaborate cuisine.
Since you can't stop take care of the pairing , here you pamper yourself, it is a fundamental part of the kitchen. The tasting menu of El Claustro selects wisely and bets on a s select and varied national offer of cavas, sparkling wines, white almost ethereal and round oaks with a deep aroma and long flavor. As for the pomegranate wines Juan Andrés believes that they have an interesting road ahead. I think that what the client understands the worst is that they are expensive, they are not yet very well known, but that, if they do it well, time will fix it. The conditions, for example, Sierra Nevada vineyards they are unique and that must be transferred to their wines.
Juan Andrés is delighted with the local products . In fact, in his menu he proudly presents an exquisite segura lamb . But he likes to broaden his horizons as far as the palate is concerned. I don't believe in cursed products, I really don't. And I don't believe in kilometer zero as the only rule either. Any product can contribute to the kitchen, and sometimes, a dinner can become a gastronomic journey.
Dining area of El Claustro Restaurant