FROM THE TAJO TO THE BAY:
APONIENTE WELCOMED THE BARDAL FAMILY TO EL PUERTO DE SANTA MARÍA
The chefs Ángel León and Benito Gómez offered a menu under the concept of ‘Cuisine, without discourse’.
- The Aponiente team, headed by Ángel León, received yesterday the Bardal family, a restaurant that can only be understood through flavour, the end of a work where the Ronda region, the local producer and the raw material were the main guests.
- In a unique event that brought together Benito Gómez and the” Chef of the sea”, two masters of Andalusian cuisine, in Puerto de Santa María in Cádiz, the menu ‘Del Tajo a la Bahía’ was devised, a gastronomic experience divided into three chapters: Salty Maritime Appetizers, Salty Maritime Cuisine and Sweet Maritime Cuisine.
- The two-Michelin-starred Bardal restaurant in Ronda, Málaga, is known for its direct and honest approach to cooking, where the flavour and quality of local ingredients are the absolute protagonists. On this occasion, Benito Gómez presented dishes that highlight the purity of Ronda’s local produce. Ángel León, chef of Aponiente, which sums three Michelin stars, a Michelin Green Star and is ranked #72 in The World ‘s 50 Best Restaurants, added his innovative vision.
- ‘This meeting has brought us happiness; we are very proud to have had the privilege of cooking at Aponiente. It is a dream come true. And I will always take with me the memory of this nod to meat, cooking my dishes with meat in Aponiente, something unusual for this restaurant that always looks out to sea. I deeply admire Ángel and all his crew, it has been fantastic to work with them,’ said Benito Gómez about the menu created with León.
- ´We have wanted to collaborate with Benito for a long time, a colleague whom I respect and a friend of the house. I am convinced that his Bardal project will be the next 3 Michelin Stars in the area. With Benito we share our passion for the flavours of Andalusia, simply letting the dishes speak for themselves. Meat, hare, ingredients that we never cook at Aponiente have passed through here. And this is part of the creative freedom that we allow ourselves in this type of action,’ added Ángel León, who will star in the next season of Chef’s Table on Netflix, which will premiere on 27 November.
Puerto de Santa María, October 17th, 2024. In an unprecedented encounter, the Aponiente team, led by sea chef Ángel León, opened its doors yesterday to welcome the Bardal family, led by chef Benito Gómez, in a unique collaboration that united the essence of two great Andalusian cuisines. Under the concept ‘La cocina, sin discurso’, both chefs offered diners an unforgettable culinary experience through the menu ‘Del Tajo a la Bahía’.
The two-Michelin-starred Bardal restaurant in Ronda, Málaga, is known for its direct and honest approach to cooking, where the flavour and quality of local ingredients are the absolute protagonists. On this occasion, Benito Gómez presented dishes that highlight the purity of Ronda’s local produce. Ángel León, chef of Aponiente, which sums three Michelin stars, a Michelin Green Star and is ranked #72 in The World ‘s 50 Best Restaurants, added his innovative vision.
‘This meeting has brought us happiness; we are very proud to have had the privilege of cooking at Aponiente. It is a dream come true. And I will always take with me the memory of this nod to meat, cooking my dishes with meat in Aponiente, something unusual for this restaurant that always looks out to sea. I deeply admire Ángel and all his crew, it has been fantastic to work with them,’ said Benito Gómez about the menu created with León.
´We have wanted to collaborate with Benito for a long time, a colleague whom I respect and a friend of the house. I am convinced that his Bardal project will be the next 3 Michelin Stars in the area. With Benito we share our passion for the flavours of Andalusia, simply letting the dishes speak for themselves. Meat, hare, ingredients that we never cook at Aponiente have passed through here. And this is part of the creative freedom that we allow ourselves in this type of action,’ added Ángel León, who will star in the next season of Chef’s Table on Netflix, which will premiere on 27 November.
The proposed meal, designed to highlight the creative gastronomic freedom of both chefs, paid tribute to their close friendship by connecting their visions of Andalusian cuisine and produce.
The menu, divided into three parts, included a first chapter of savoury maritime appetizers (Tomato broth and trout churro with chantilly, Canutillo of sea bass skins, Sardine salad, Oysters and their water); a second chapter of savoury maritime cuisine, with dishes such as: Tortillita de camarones & beurre blanc de cabra, sauco, asparagus and caviar; Razor clams, corn and vanilla; Plankton brioche & plankton butter + lobster Zurrapa and lard colorá; Cephalopod roe; Mint-flavored shrimps; Cappelletti, labneh and hare consommé; Hare saddle with Cumberland sauce; Mushroom collagen; Sea urchins and marinera-style peas, and Royal-style hare.
The final chapter, dedicated to Sweet Maritime Cuisine, offered Sea Soya, The Silk of the Sea Sheep, Fig and Pine Nuts and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Coffee.
About Aponiente Restaurant & Chef Ángel León
***Michelin, *Michelin Green for Sustainability, #72 The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024, Most Sustainable Restaurant The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 and #13 The Best Chef Awards 2023.
The Aponiente restaurant is located in a former 19th century tidal mill. In the heart of the Bahía de Cádiz Natural Park in El Puerto de Santa María, the area is inhabited by marine life that is subject to constant change, given the local climatic conditions and the rhythm of the tides.
Led by chef Ángel León, Aponiente is not just a restaurant, but a project that seeks to reactivate and recover the surrounding environment, restoring and creating an ecosystem for future generations and re-establishing the natural balance, caring for the natural capital of the estuaries and marshes.
A benchmark in sustainability, it promotes the defence of the environment through gastronomy. Sustainable fishing and the use of species that have historically been considered discarded products are the hallmarks of the gastronomic proposal of the ‘chef of the sea’, together with innovation, creativity and honesty.
About Bardal and Benito Gómez
Bardal is much more than a gastronomic proposal. It is an agri-food project, agitated daily by a team that designs an experience that can only be understood through flavour, the end point of a work where the region of Ronda, the local producer and the raw material are the main guests. Two Michelin Stars and two Repsol Suns endorse the career of Benito who, accompanied by Manu Romero (kitchen) and Marco Trujillo (dining room) has made this place a place of pilgrimage for gastronomy lovers from all over Spain.
Born in Barcelona and from Ronda, Benito Gómez is a chef, businessman and passionate sportsman. He began his career in the world of the kitchen almost three decades ago at the prestigious Escuela de Hostelería de Sant Pol de Mar. From there, he developed his professional career working in the kitchens of restaurants such as Jean Luc Figueras, Manolo de la Osa’s Las Rejas, Ferrán Adriá’s Alquería in Hacienda Benazuza, in Seville, and Tragabuches in Ronda. Spaces where he acquired passion and a good technique that he applies every day in his two restaurants: Tragatá and the gastronomic Bardal.
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