Lure translates into a real statement of intents that they come here to do things right. From the first moment you cross the doors of the premises at number 39 Conde Salvatierra street –a few steps from the Mercado de Colón– renewed airs are already perceived that look at the past, present and future.
We start with the show fresh seafood on view of the diner in the bar area, we continue with the back and forth of the room service until we reach –once seated at the table– a menu where both the dishes and the cocktails look at the sea and the land merging between the gastronomic proposals, creating an authentic feast of flavours, sensations and memories. And let's not overlook this play list background that is capable of livening up any lunch or dinner with hits of indie or hits of the moment!
Two differentiated spaces (the bar and the restaurant), where it is drink, eat and surrender to that pleasure called life. No more is needed. Shall we start the journey?
Lure: the new Sergio Giraldo begins its journey in Valencia.
A TRIBUTE TO THE SEA AND ITS FISHERMEN
After the departure of Sergio Giraldo and Cristobal Bouchet of the tailor shop –their latest project in the city– during the first half of 2021, both began the search for a new location that would meet all their needs. They found him changing the streets of the Cabanyal-Canyamelar maritime neighborhood for those of the center of Valencia, next to the emblematic Columbus Market.
But this time too they took the sea with them and from the name, through the decoration of the premises and the uniform of the room service to most of the proposals on the menu, the sea and its guardians are the main protagonists of this equation called Lure.
"Everything is a ode to the fishermen , we wanted to pay tribute to them who are our first and almost only suppliers. In the end, without them, we would have absolutely nothing, we buy everything we can in the Mediterranean but also in Galicia, Cádiz and other parts of Spain. The name goes for the fishermen, the menu too and the blue and yellow of both the decoration of the premises and the aprons of the staff is a reminder of the sea and raincoats that on many occasions they wear when they go to work”, tells Condé Nast Traveler the chef Sergio Giraldo.
“Decoy is a local scoundrel but serious, fun but serene and where anyone who wants can come every day to eat and never get tired of it. We rented the space on August 1 while we were shaping the project and on September 8 we started the works, ”he adds.
Sergio Giraldo and Cristobal Bouchet.
Three months later they open their doors coinciding almost on dates with the delivery gala of the Michelin stars 2022 held in person at Valencia on December 14, demonstrating that the city is hotter than ever.
In reference to the area in which they have opened, Giraldo was clear: "one of the reasons why we have opened here is because most of our clientele is Valencian and we saw that almost all of our public lived or worked in this area and we wanted to be close to them. Furthermore, we firmly believe that the Columbus Market It is a nerve center of the city of Queda and that suited us perfectly because around it they breathe our same way of seeing gastronomy, ”he says.
The best? Sergio and Cristóbal do not arrive alone in the neighborhood. They do so together with other renowned chefs who have also opted for these streets to open their new premises, such as Tony Boix de Lavoe that where Baobab used to be (Gran Vía Marqués del Túria, 73) opens to change the concept of tapas in a bar called Varetto. And let's not forget the iconic Ricard Camarena which has just opened on the ground floor of the Mercado de Colón, its BarX . Tapas, tapas and more author tapas!
"Definitely, we want Lure to be everyone's home. Let it be a place where they have fun, where we make a neighborhood. The first thing we did the opening week was different dinners, one for neighbors and another for nearby hoteliers. From then on, the rest began to arrive”, adds Sergio Giraldo. And what a welcome! The full poster It is already common in the place and the positive reviews do nothing but spread like wildfire between word of mouth and Internet reviews.
Tradition, unpretentious signature cuisine and a tribute to the guardians of the sea who go out to fish every morning.
TWO DIFFERENTIATED SPACES FOR ACCORDING TO WHAT OCCASION
One of the main requirements for this new premises was its differentiation in two marked spaces where Cristóbal Bouchet and Sergio Giraldo will lead the singing voice in each one of them.
“We looked for a place where we were comfortable both in the cocktail part and in the product kitchen, where we had two differentiated spaces. This is how we have created a first area with a more dynamic bar and more rogue, to then find a dining room in which to make a more current gastronomy always around the grill and around a product that above all comes from the sea” announces Sergio Giraldo.
As soon as we enter Señuelo, we are greeted by the bar area with the display case of naked fish with seafood and fish of the day. Here we find all kinds of options from hedgehogs to San Pedro, king crab, spider crabs, oysters…
This Lure area is perfect for try the cocktails and accompany them with some more casual tapas like the semi-liquid red prawn croquettes and their fried heads, the Peking style duck taco with red onion, cilantro and emulsion of its juice, the warm razor shell and ceviche juice or the Lobster brioche with coral mayonnaise and pickled slate.
Grilled marrow, matured cow slices and Vinaroz prawn.
Already in the dining room area, two options to choose from by the diner: a la carte or a tasting menu that collects the most gastronomic part of the entire Señuelo team. The local stars? It is Giraldo himself who replies –and from Condé Nast Traveler we support–: “I think that crab in Asturian Thai dressing what we are doing is a real wonder or the oyster in soft temperate pickle and oscetra caviar which is also delicious.
Now in season we are with a tear pea grilled with egg yolk and finished with grated truffle. Our hedgehog stuffed with kimchi is already a sign of the house and a few more things that we are going to do with hedgehogs, like the sticky rice with sea urchins and spider crab or the one with field pigeon, bimi and fresh thyme” , he indicates.
The idea is that approximately every two months and depending on the seasonality of the product , the customer finds totally different dishes on the menu. “In fact, the most successful proposals will be the first to come out in order to accommodate other dishes. In short, what we are looking for is that it be a party around the table”, he adds.
January or February will arrive with the extension of a covered terrace area that in the season of good weather will join the dining room and during the colder months, they will be two totally different spaces.
YOU ALSO COME HERE TO DRINK
And let's not forget that here you also come to drink. That's where the knowledge and experience of Christopher Bouchet in front of a good cocktail shaker. Cocktails already invented and others worked expressly in Señuelo, a total of twelve references that promise to give a lot to talk about and that will evolve according to the demands and needs of the clients.
“We work on a fine line where the commercial and the alternative come together to offer a different menu that is typical of Lure”, says Bouchet.
“I think that in the end a quite funny proposal has come out. We always rely on the raw material with which Sergio works to infuse within the distillates such as dried octopus, barnacle seaweed or shrimp juice” , he adds.
Among the cocktails that we should not overlook, are the Bouchet Signature that under the seal of Cristóbal Bouchet himself collects gin aged in American oak barrels, vermouth and chamomile ; and the Lure –the most refreshing option and suitable for any time of the day– with Jamaican overproof rum, ginger syrup, pineapple and lime.
The time has come to unseat the cocktail alone from the after-work or after-dinner moment, and welcome it at any hour of the day. “I always say that the cocktail can be taken at any time, as a consumer I start with a cocktail, I continue with a good wine –at Señuelo we have a total of 170 references– and I finish with a cocktail but because I like it that way; whoever wants can follow the whole meal with a cocktail as long as it accompanies and pairs well” , indicates Cristóbal Bouchet.
Without a doubt we are before the most personal project to date by chef Sergio Giraldo, where they have no brakes when it comes to quality and it shows from the first bite. And of gastronomic distinctions? It is Giraldo himself who answers firmly: "What we really want is that people leave with a smile and wanting to return. Obviously we like all the recognitions and all those who arrive will be well received, but we are not in a hurry and right now it would not be an issue that obsesses us. We think that with the good work Arrive alone".
If this is just the beginning the rest promises… and a lot!