Posted by susanvida

Someone’s in the Kitchen with…. Eddie of La Comisaría -Tapas y Copas Ilegales

One of the delights of Valencia is that you never know what you are going to find as you wander down a narrow street or turn a corner.    The day we were wandering through the Carmen, was just such a day.  There was a sign that said La Comisaría- Tapas y Copas Ilegales . Of course we thought that was amusing and took a picture, as have many people.  What we didn’t know initially was that La Comisaría  is an absolutely wonderful place to experience some exceptional food and some equally exceptional service.   We are now regular customers who find ourselves there often.  So, it seemed logical to make La Comisaría my next interview.

 

At 10:00 AM on a Tuesday morning, I met with the chef/owner Edward Phillips Blanco, know to all as Eddie. As he prepared his kitchen and assembled a couple of dishes for me, he told me about his personal journey to become a chef and how La Comisaría- Tapas y Copas came to be.

Eddie, son of an international investment banker, traveled a great deal with his family. They took advantage of their travels to dine on a wide range of international food. His mom loved to cook and even stocked her kitchen with ethnic foods, categorizing them by cuisine types.  It only seemed natural that Eddie developed an interest in cooking.   A cricket and rugby player for Midlands Regional, Eddie still found time to work in a restaurant at age 16. As was expected by his family, he went on to University in Nottingham. While studying economics, politics and Spanish, he found himself more devoted to the kitchen than the university.  Unlike his sister and brother, who are also investment bankers, he felt this was his calling. His parents were not keen on this decision, concerned about the hours, the stress and the commitment.   However, he felt it was time to fly the nest.

 

 

 

 

Working at Nottingham’s 2-star Canal House, Eddie started as demi-chef of desserts and rose to chef de partie (line cook) of the garde manger in 6 months.   He had made a commitment to himself and his father, that if he was going to be a chef, he’d go to the best.  In London he had the good fortune of securing a position as a stash (apprentice) at Gordon Ramsay’s Michelin 3-star Claridge’s and sister restaurant Petrus . He started with lettuce, then starters, then deserts and finished as a chef in the fish section.   He worked in a kitchen with a staff of 35 that gave him exposure to chefs from all over the world. After two and a half years of British Modern French food he was ready for a new experience.

 

 

Through a contact in Human Resources, he was able to get a position as stash in    Nobu , a Michelin One-star Japanese Restaurant.  Within 2 months it turned into a paying job.   Nobu afforded him the opportunity to work with a staff that was primarily Asian. It gave him an understanding of the philosophy of Japanese cuisine at its essence –getting the base flavor and taking it up to another level with technique.  I was amazed to learn that a well-trained Japanese chef may spend up to 7 years learning how to cut fish.

 

 

 

 

 

After 2 years at Nobu, he wanted more experience. At the invitation of friends, he decided to visit Valencia for a month.  He fell in love with the city and its people.  At that time he had received an offer to go to Japan to work for Alain Ducasse at one of the best restaurants in Japan.  Before he could leave for Japan, a family illness prevented him from accepting it.

In 2001 he returned to Valencia and spent a short while working in Denia.  He later met Marie, his fiancé and mother of their daughter, Grace.  Marie was only in Valencia for a couple of months, so he went with her to Hamburg when she returned to Germany. There he worked at the 1-star Tafelhaus, with  featured modern Germanic-French fusion cuisine.  It was a good team and experience  but Valencia kept calling him.

In 2007, he was sent a business plan by a group of businessmen in Valencia who wanted him to open a restaurant on the 6th floor of the Ateneo.  They wanted Michelin level cuisine and staff.  He selected his staff and returned to Valencia.  Six months later, due to lack of finance, the project ended.    It was time to set up something for himself.

At a time before the “gastronomic tapas” became the vogue, he opened Tapa 2 Gastonomic in the Carmen.  It served   “small plates of lovely food.” It was very successful but after 2 years he sold the business.   His next venture was the 80-seat Tahine near the Mercado Moissén Sorréll.   The business was going well and he began working on opening the smaller restaurant.  Unfortunately Tahine was closed down due to license problems in 2009.

In 2011 he opened La Comisaría with  very personal style Mediterranean food.  He is clearly achieving his goal to create a place that consistently delivers “perfect service and the perfect cuisine.” Watching Eddie and his small staff work only 85 cm from your table, you can feel the love and passion that they have for the food and their desire to create a memorable guest  experience.   Watching Eddie prepare a plate is watching an artist at work.  As they begin their 2nd year, they are planning to revamp the menu and the image, always attempting to reach perfection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As our conversation ended, I asked how he came up with such an unusual name for the restaurant. He explained that on the night he put down the deposit for the restaurant, he went out for drinks with a few of his police buddies .  As the evening progressed, they started suggesting names for the restaurant. They came up with La Comisaría- Tapas and Copas Ilegales.  It seemed to stick.  Eddie hopes to brand the concept and open another in the future.

Plaza del Arbol 5, (por calle Baja) Barrio del Carmen, Valencia www.restaurantelacomisaria.com

Someone’s in the Kitchen with …..Mike and Santi

I firmly believe that you learn something new every day.  The day, several years ago, when our friend Pepe Monfort invited us for a gin and tonic at The Ginger Loft was no exception.  It was a lovely evening and we chose an outside table.  We were soon approached by Santi Noce, waiter and mixologist extraordinare.  I ordered a Tanqueray and Tonic.  Santi very kindly informed me that they only had very exceptional gins, some sixty brands, and simple Tanqueray was not one of them.  I am a big fan of gin and tonics but had no idea of the range of choices that existed.  Santi then asked if I liked my gin dry, floral, botanical or with a hint of citrus.  I settled on a Tanqueray Rangpur and was soon served the best gin and tonic I had ever had.  This was the first of many wonderful cocktails I was to enjoy over the next few years.  As we headed home, Pepe mentioned that it was also a great place to eat.  We returned a few days later and were not disappointed.  We have been eating there nearly every week since then.

So,  it only seemed right that I should learn a bit more about  Santi Nose, from Peru and Mike Gray, from Scotland and how they ended up with a delightful restaurant with an Asian flair in Valencia Spain

I met Mike at the restaurant as he arrived from the Mercado Central with the day’s meat and vegetables.  We chatted as he set up the work area and checked all his equipment.  The “kitchen,” if you could call it that, is a very small workspace behind the bar with a convection oven, induction plate and two small burners.  It amazes me what Mike can produce with such limited equipment.

 

 

 

 

 

Mike, who grew up in the kitchens of restaurants where his mom worked as a waitress, says he knew he wanted to cook from early age.  In spite of his parents’ attempt to convince him to follow other career paths, Mike was clear about what he wanted to do.  He took a year of general culinary training at Aberdeen Technical College.  This was followed by 2 years of more intensive classical culinary training  with a emphasis on French cooking.  He also took additional courses in the business side of running a restaurant.  He began his career cooking for a small privately owned hotel group, working in the smaller  of the 3 that had a fine dining restaurant.  When they opened a small Country House Hotel, Mike moved there, later working in various restaurants throughout the UK.  He spent 3 years a the famous London French restaurant, L’Escargot .

For Mike, things had gotten a bit repetitive and he decided to go back to school and go into food manufacturing. He spent 2 years as a development chef and 2 more year in processing for a large multi-national company.  Mike described food processing as “attempting to make massive quantities of food that taste like it came out of your grandmother’s little sauce pan. “

A friend ,working in Japan at an English Garden in Nagano, encouraged  Mike to come to Japan . A Modern British Café featuring “restaurant style” plated pastry was opened next to a department store carrying a line of English design clothing .  Mike had just the skill set they needed and he soon found himself in Japan.   After a  one and a half years, Mike took a position at an American Restaurant in Tokyo where he remained for two and a half years.

Santi, with a Peruvian mother and Japanese father, followed a different route.  His studies were in fashion design. A family move to Japan did not offer him an opportunity to continue in fashion and he found himself working in a car factory in Nagoya.  It was in Nagoya where Mike and Santi crossed paths.  It was at Mike’s suggestion that Santi applied for work at the Aichi Expo 2005 as they were looking for someone who spoke English, Spanish and Japanese. Santi was fluent in all three.  After an initial rejection, Santi was offered a job where he continued until he moved to Tokyo.

In Tokyo, Santi took a job at a Latin restaurant that he describes as “the worst job of my life.”  He later accepted a position at the restaurant where Mike worked, beginning as a busser, then server and then host.  Always curious and asking questions, Santi spent time “shadowing” the bartender. When the restaurant needed a bartender, Santi was asked to step in. Never one to pass up a new opportunity, Santi  said “yes.”

One evening a regular customer who worked in PR  at the Four Seasons Hotel gave him his card and suggested he come work for the hotel.  He was offered the job.  When he told his boss at the restaurant,  she made him an offer he couldn’t refuse – more money, more hours and a promotion to Assistant Manager.    While working in the restaurant, Santi began to work at Ralph Lauren as a personal shopper and sales assistant.  This eventually led to a full time job at Ralph Lauren.

After several years in Japan both Mike and Santi felt it was time for a change. They settled on Spain because at least one of them spoke the language of the country. A friend at the Spanish Embassy encouraged them to consider Valencia.  After three visits the decision was made and The Ginger Loft was born.

The Ginger Loft is an informal space with an Asian feel to it. The menu, while varied, leans toward Asian and Middle Eastern dishes.

 

 

 

 

The food is fresh, well seasoned and the tastes are authentic.  Mike even makes his own English Muffins for the Eggs Benedict for Sunday Brunch – a treat you shouldn’t miss if you are in Valencia.The soups vary according to the season and are always a wonderful way to start your meal.

The cocktails are amazingly good and Santi doesn’t hesitate to create something original for you.

When I asked Mike how they had arrived at this concept,  he said, “The stuff we do here is what we like.  We love Asian décor, good cocktails and Asian flavors and spices.¨  The good news is that their customers love it too.

 

 

As Mike and I finished the interview,  my husband and I decided to stay for lunch.  I asked for the apple, carrot and garbanzo soup I had watched Mike make.

 

 

“Hot or cold?” he asked.  It was a warm day so I said cold and he promptly chilled it for me.   We then decided to share an order of Moroccan meatballs with couscous and Thai pork with rice.

 

 

 

 

 

Both were perfectly seasoned with just the right amount of heat and absolutely delicious.   We lingered over coffee and dessert and then left, feeling, once again, that we’d enjoyed a great meal with old friends.

 ¡Aquí se come bien!

the ginger loft
Calle Vitoria #4, by c/san vicente martir and c/moratin, 46002
Valencia, Spain (34) 963 523 243
ginger@thegingerloft.com

Someone’s in the kitchen with…….Teresa of A•Nou

 

Bandeja

After several years of enjoying and photographing the food of Valencia,  it seemed time to do something more than pass on my photos to my husband for his blog and post a few on Facebook. With a little prodding from Marty, I finally did what I’ve talked about for years.  I approached a number  of restaurant managers. I asked if I could take pictures of their chef working in the kitchen, as well as get a recipe from them.  To my delight they not only said,  yes, but thanked me for wanting to do it.

My  first stop was  A•Nou,  the restaurant almost directly across the street from our apartment.   In November of 2010, I watched with interest as the construction was completed and it opened it’s doors.  Little did I realize this project  had started in 2006.  As with many things, a variety of permit and construction issues delayed the opening. The good news is ever since A•Nou opened its doors we have had the good fortune of enjoying  many delightful meals prepared by  Chef Teresa and served by warm and friendly Javier Daza .

So,  how do you create a wonderful restaurant?  Well,  in the case of A•Nou, you take one industrial engineer, Teresa Carratalá Ferrer,  and one computer specialist, Javier, who decide their passion was not in the fields for which they trained.  You add a passion for cooking and clear idea about what they would rather be doing – creating a unique dining experience for a diverse public to enjoy.

Teresa  enrolled in culinary school, for formal training.  While that gave her the basics she needed,  she admits that working in a number of restaurants gave her a more realistic understanding of what it took to be a creative chef and have her own restaurant.  Javier decided the dining room would be his domain.

An enthusiastic Teresa describes their vision

 When I asked Teresa to describe their vision, she explained it was Cuina d’ Intuicio  “Intuitive Cooking” and provided me with a definition of intuition .

Intuition-  The ability to understand things instantly without logic. An intimate and instantaneous perception of an idea o a truth that seems evident to the person who has it.

La cucina d’intuicio” is a project created by a young couple, casados por el banco, dedicated to  creating a  dining experience  with traditional flavors but reinterpreted  in a way that manages to surprise, using the best of fresh product and letting the product and intuition dictate the result.   It is a winning combination.

Bandeja

Bandeja

A• Nou is an informal and attractive space with deep red walls serving as a lovely contrast to the black and white chairs and the crisp white table clothes.  The kitchen is in view behind the bar area giving one a glimpse of the chef and her staff as they work.

 

 

 

 

 

I began my visit in the kitchen as I watched Teresa and Javier prepare for the day.

Javi checks the paperwork for the day

 

Teresa places order with a vendor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am always pleasantly surprised when the first course of “the menu of the day” arrives.  It is a bandeja with three different taste treats.  They make a lovely picture and allow you to enjoy a variety of wonderful tastes.

Bandeja

Bandeja

The main course of the “menu of the day” always includes a choice of arroces, fideúa or coca. Coca is a Valencian pastry that can be either savory with meat, fish or vegetables,  or sweet.    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Coques.JPG   There is also a varied a la carte menu.

Arroz Meloso

Salteada de Verduritas con Coca

 

Bandeja con Coca de Huevo y Jamon - photo courtesy of Teresa

Fideuá de Mariscos

 

It would be rude to lick the pan, but it was tempting.

 

For those of you who cannot drop by to enjoy, Teresa has kindly given me her recipe for Fideúa de Secreto con Setas A•Nou.

Fideúa de Secreto con Seta A●Nou

(A● Nou Pork and Mushroom Fideúa)

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 200 gr.           Secreto ibérico  (highly marbled cut of pork)*
  • 50 gr.             Seta de cardo (substitute Oyster Mushrooms if not available)
  • 50 gr.             White Mushrooms
  • 50 gr.             Setas  (Wild Mushrooms)
  • 200 gr.          Angle Hair pasta
  • 1 clove            Garlic chopped
  • 2 Tlb               Grated tomato
  • 250 gr.           Chicken stock
  • 1                      Sprig of rosemary
  • 1 tsp                Sweet paprika
  • ½ tsp              Colorante **
  • Salt, pepper, olive oil

*  The Secreto Ibérico is a piece pork that is behind the shoulder and into the bacon. The meat that accumulates fat infiltration in muscle mass, creating a white veining which provides a texture and exceptional flavor

** A  powdered food coloring that gives color to rice dishes and fideáu)

Instructions

  1. Saute the pork in a paella (or large frying pan) in a little olive oil until it is golden
  2. Add the mushrooms and saute them well
  3. Add chopped garlic and tomato and saute
  4. Add the noodles and mix them with a teaspoon of sweet paprika  and ½ teaspoon of colorante.
  5. When all is well mixed and the noodles are glossy add salt and pepper
  6. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes over high heat.
  7. After 3 minutes adjust the salt and place the sprig of rosemary on top
  8. Let rest for about  3 minutes then enjoy

¡Aquí se come bien!

C/ Borrull 33, 46008 Valencia, Spain
963912986

Afternoon at the Beach

Yesterday I had business to do out in the Port area. I decided to take advantage of the beautiful day to walk along the beach and take a few pictures. In spite of the fact that it is February and still a little cool, I wasn’t the only person with that idea. Around 2:00, Marty joined me and we had lunch at La Perla where enjoyed the meal and the sun filled view.

 

Snacking at the beach

 

We hopped a bus back to our place. While in route I decided to get off at Nuevo Centro to pick up a few things I needed at Corte Inglés. Outside the mall are a number of large tents. I quickly discovered that this is where they display the Ninots until March 14 when they are moved for the Fallas which are celebrated from the 16th to the 19th. These are amazing figures that reflect the theme that has been chosen for the year’s event. They are highly political and very satirical. Most of all they are quite beautiful and delightful to see.

 

Human Touch

So, as I waited for the guitar concert to start at Instituto Luis Vives last night,  I observed something that got me thinking.  A woman got up from her seat to greet several friends who had just seated themselves in the row in front of me.  The friends, 2 men and a woman,  got up from their seats and there was much cheek kissing  and hugging.  For the length of the conversation that ensued, the two women held on to each other’s hands.  It occurred to me this was a very common interaction here in Valencia.  This led to the question, “How does all this touching  reflect the basic nature of the culture, or does the basic nature of the culture result in all this touching.  This then led to a conversation later in the evening with Marty.  My point of view was that the kind of contact I had observed was very positive and nurturing.  It made people feel good, at least here in Valencia.  I do not think that is the case everywhere or for everyone.  This morning Marty researched the topic.  There is not a great deal of scientific research on the subject, but what there is was very interesting.  The article he found points out the Human need for physical contact and that environments where this is more the norm are more peaceful societies and those where physical contact is less prevalent, frowned upon or less acceptable, tend to be more aggressive. Here is the link, and while  the article is titled Touch and Sexuality, Sexuality is not the main point of the article at all.

http://faculty.plts.edu/gpence/PS2010/html/Touch and Human Sexuality.htm

Earlier during our stay in Valencia, Marty and I had talked of how “connected” we feel here.  Our observation was as we were no longer arriving in our destinations by car, but walking, we were much closer to our environment and the people in it.  People greet us in the street as we pass, stores often have their doors open and proprietors wave or say hello. The  abundance of besitos  and abrazos ( kisses and hugs)  from old friends, but also from people we meet for the first time has definitely contributed to my sense of connectedness as well.  I must admit,  I really love it.

Patio of Instituto Luis Vives