A recognizable and identity kitchen that only seeks the enjoyment of the diner
The trajectory of xanti elias It has always been very marked by two factors: the attachment to the cuisine and the product of his native Huelva and I pass her through large kitchens of the Basque Country , especially two years for Arzak, where he polished himself as a chef and from whom he still retains certain gestures of a solid Basque chef.
He trained from the age of 14 in the Islantilla Hospitality School It was in 2011, in the midst of the economic crisis and when he was barely thirty years old, when he decided to open acanthum in the Huelva capital.
In just a few years, Elías has managed to consolidate his project and has done so in the most natural way: adapting the public's palate to his kitchen and, vice versa, his kitchen to the customer's taste. A recognizable and identity kitchen that only seeks the enjoyment of the diner . Few effects and shrillness in dishes and a lot of common sense.
A kitchen that only seeks the enjoyment of the diner
Thus, between this visit and the previous one, the dishes have been stripped of decorations and have become more essential. The product is presented in all its greatness but it is pampered, nuanced and enhanced with the good taste of those who know how to treat it properly.
So we start with a mango gazpachuelo appetizer with anchovy oil , which could well be a perfect dish because it leaves you wanting more, and some micuit ling roe made in-house with Café de Paris butter spice bread.
More winks to the cuisine and the local product with the cherry tomato fermented with Oloroso and Amontillado , ham and mojama powder, mackerel marinated with Condado vinegars or prawn marinated with the juice of its head, pistachio emulsion.
Balanced and fresh dishes which give way to the fabulous shock croquette with cuttlefish, garlic and parsley noodles, of which half a dozen should serve, and the tollo – a kind of small shark – hydrated with tomato cream and green apple. only the avocado with Andalusian mole seems to deviate somewhat from that line.
Mussel from El Rompido with Moguer Fino, an olive cocktail and vermouth sphere
We return to our path with the oyster with cashew white garlic , the tuna tarantelo in colored Iberian pork lard, roasted mashed potatoes and lemon confit and the shrimp empanadilla with Nantua sauce , lime, cilantro and Swiss chard.
And we continue with a final firework worthy of a menu of this caliber with the stupendous – and beautifully presented – cuttlefish tartar with potato stew and its interiors , the almonds – cuttlefish – with almonds, a semantic and palatal game as simple as it is brilliant and with the wonderful Club Ranero cod skins with potatoes , a dish of bread and substance, skillfully and slowly cooked.
The product is presented in all its greatness but is pampered, nuanced and enhanced
Absolute luxury was finish off the task with a shank of deer confit with herbs and served with a reduction of its truffle juice, Anna potatoes and julienned boletus. Of ten.
In all this set of congratulations there are only a few buts to put: on the one hand, a rather dark room that can sometimes seem a bit soulless despite the friendliness of service and, on the other, a cellar that falls short for the level shown by the stoves.
A great kitchen deserves the possibility of drinking some great wines . Then, each one decides according to his tastes and his pocket. The trajectory of xanti elias seems to be just beginning to take off from him. New projects announce important venues and major changes in the near future.
Chocolate with passion fruit, occoa chocolate mousse and red chocolate