Abantal is located a bit farther out from the city center but is an easy ~20 min walk, which is…read moreespecially nice after eating a large meal.
They have two tasting options, and we opted for the chef's grand tasting menu, which was just €20 more than the regular menu, with 3 additional courses.
They have a wine pairing, but we went by the glass, and a glass of champagne was only €12, and rioja was only €7 - unheard of for a 1 Michelin star restaurant.
Snacks:
- Fried swordfish with tomato chutney
- Chorizo and cheese cookie
- Foie sandwich: perfect ratio of foie and bread (coming from someone who doesn't eat foie)
- Oyster leaf with seaweed
- Homemade grissini
Breads: multiple choices, but we tried:
- Chorizo
- Curry and honey roll: indeed curry but single
- Chive roll: reminiscent of scallion rolls from Chinese food
- Focaccia: the star in terms of flavor and texture. It had a slight sourdough taste and reminded me a bit of the inside of the tartine country loaf
The tasting:
1. Oyster with micro seaweed, capers, crispy cod skin, and oyster emulsion, spray of vinegar of aged oloroso
2. Garlic shrimp, dressed potatoes, shrimp fritters, almond and micro seaweed cream
3. Sea bass, spinach with cumin, adobo broth, Andalusian dressing
4. Large red prawn with sauteed quinoa and tomato; body cooker in the oven, head cooked under the grill
5. Bluefin tuna belly over Andalusian ratatouille and a tuna shellfish broth
6. Venison meatball in truffled stew, mint, rosemary
7. Marinated veal tenderloin, aubergine "cannelloni", walnut cake, smoked vegetable broth, mushroom cream
8. Crispy Iberian pork cheek with spiced potato foam, PX sherry bernaise
9. Suckling pig, red lard and chorizo sauce
10. Passionfruit sorbet with chocolate, ginger creme anglais and spiced yogurt foam
11. Andalusian sweet porridge with lemon cream and fried pastry
12. Chocolate, Bailey's cake, berry coulis, dark chocolate mousse, almond, hard chocolate
Petit fours
- Peach macaron
- Dark chocolate and white chocolate chip cookie
- Pumpkin chocolate bonbon
At €125/person for the meal plus the cost of wine, this meal was a hot deal for what we got. Service was great, and the pacing was on point with each course - not too rushed and not too slow. The food highlighted the regional cuisine in a creative way, and every dish was solid.