Ángel León, the chef of the sea, is the captain of Aponiente
"The sea has never stopped entering and leaving Cádiz. From end to end, from inlet to bay, Cádiz has always been entangled in the blue. Its people get lost in the tides of memory trying to remember when, for the first time , they moved away from the sedentary cattle ranching in the mainland, to enter the nomadic fish market.Fishing villages, seasonal camps on the coast where families congregated to live together through a natural and intelligent, ingenious and engineer, hard-working, brave and reckless fishing art. ”.
**My first visit to Aponiente de Ángel León** was not that many years ago —three. Three, exactly the same years that this story (mine) of love with Cádiz lasts. Cai. Gádir. And it is that I love Cádiz as you only love things that have not been yours, that (you thought) were not for you. Oh—blessed mistakes. Today I cannot conceive of my life without seeing the ** sunset ** in La Caleta every afternoon, on the edge of the neighborhood of La Viña and history. Without the old amontillados at the ** Taberna La Manzanilla ** (Feduchy), the churros at La Guapa, the immense fried food at El Palillo and the leisurely afternoons at Parque Genovés. without breakfast in the Royalty , the pork rinds from Casa Manteca and the oysters from that market that our Ángel León must know so well. Because Ángel is also part of that inexplicable puzzle (the new and the old, civility and carnival, culture and discard) that is Cádiz. Demons, Angel is Cadiz.
Marinated Burrata from Angel León
SEA OF FEELINGS
Aponiente moves during the spring of 2015 to a historic tide mill from the 17th century, but before: Sea of feelings. The menu with Lion Y Juanlu Fernandez (Juanlu essential) close this unique stage of a unique restaurant; Perhaps the first concept restaurant of this new post-Adrià avant-garde led by (I say this) León, Muñoz, Camarena, Alija and Aduriz. Concept because everything that happens in this Nautilus of emotions born and dies in the sea . Beyond plankton, discards, algae, iodine and marine sausages: the sea on the table.
Aponiente Restaurant
If there was any doubt—which there wasn't, with this sea of feelings (its great menu this season, 23 dishes and €135) already forms a more resounding, rounder, more perfect whole. A kitchen to which all the great observers have already surrendered, from Arcadi Espada to Philippe Regol . His compositions are perfect examples of daring (this has always been the case), intuition and mastery of technique; what is new (for me) is that maturity that every time weaves better his speech. I'm talking consistency . From its already classic salted fish (sardón and mullet roe), corvinata tartare and chistorra de boga, smoked sardine (wonderful) or that prodigious shrimp omelette in constant evolution.
Plankton under the microscope in Aponiente (Puerto de Santa María)
This time we decided not to put ourselves in the hands of Juan Ruiz and harmonize León's cuisine with the six best champagnes we know . The Big Six: Léclapart, In Florescence de Bouchard, Laval, La Closerie de Prévost, Selossse and Boulard. But let's continue with the menu. Boca de San Fernando (his vision of a temaki), sea lion meringue and the entire immensity of the sea is already on the table after his Live freeze-dried oyster —texture, texture and more texture— and mackerel cured in salt and sauce with harissa (a Moroccan seasoning) . This kitchen does not understand flags or straits . None should.
I don't want to reveal much more —you know, I hate spoilers, also in the kitchen. What follows (cuttlefish, plankton, spider, oyster or almadraba tuna) is a collection of marine creations whose axis is the depth of the sea and memory . Fleeting visions where the technique (no longer has anything to prove) gives way to something deeper, wiser, more his. I get the feeling that now - more than ever - what this crazy sailor wants to do is tell stories . And it is that Ángel León (his kitchen) is slipping away more and more: more contained dishes, fewer and fewer answers, more and more questions.
There are few dining experiences left that are truly worth a trip. This is one of them.
Follow @nothingimporta
*** You may also be interested in...**
- The 51 best dishes in Spain
- Top 10 Italian Pasta Dishes
- The 25 best food houses in Spain
- All the articles of Jesús Terrés
Acety of Sanlucar