Bistro Sixteen82 has made a name for itself with its seasonal tapas menus rich with flavour and texture, dishes curated locally and from global inspiration. This time, chef Kilpin journeyed through Barcelona, eating at 13 restaurants, even queuing for four hours outside the famous Tickets tapas bar and restaurant – owned by the even more famous Ferran Adriá and his brother Albert. Ferran Adriá is of course chef du patron at the world-renowned El Bulli.
“My favourite experience was dining at a tiny chairless tapas bar, Quimet & Quimet and the equally quaint Cal Pep. Tasting my way through the famous La Boqueria Food Market was another highlight, but my biggest triumph must be getting a seat at Tickets,” recounted Kilpin.
In Barcelona, the food takes centre stage, not the sauces or garnish. She said she was awed by the simplicity of the tapas dishes, which usually contain only three ingredients: a protein, olive oil and garlic or parsley.
This is how she described her culinary crusade: “Humble bread, rubbed with fresh tomato and soaked in olive oil is a staple tapas everywhere, while the Catalan take on bruschetta – toasted bread with olive oil with a variety of toppings – which varies from bar to bar. The most common bruschetta in Barcelona is topped with crushed ripe tomatoes, called ‘pa amb tomaquet’, Catalan for bread and tomato.
“We were spoiled for choice by the sheer abundance of the freshest seafood with the most wonderful flavours. Besides delicious scallops, clams and mussels, I fell in love with razor clams – more commonly known in South Africa as pencil bait.”
Her greatest find: truffle honey, which she now makes herself, infusing local honey with truffle oil. It’s delicious, as the sample given to all guests at the launch attests. My personal favourite: smoked salmon drizzled with truffle honey and a squeeze of lemon!
“Its wonderful smoked, earthy character captures all the tastes and aromas of a typical tapas bar filled with whiffs of mature serrano hams hanging from the rafters. What an amazing product!” enthused Kilpin.
The new menu is a veritable feast of flavours, with dishes so beautifully plated that you want to preserve the memories in photographs as much as eat them. The media were treated to a sample of the entire menu, accompanied by wines from Steenberg’s adjacent winery.
We started off with a bruschetta duo of wild rocket, marinated tomatoes, goat’s feta, Japanese mushroom, brie and truffle honey; followed by white anchovy with marinated peppers, artichoke, soft quail egg; and West Coast mussels with saffron veloute, coriander and spring onion; finishing with fish pot stickers with celeriac remoulade, coriander and lime dressing.
Our ‘main tapas’ menu was stuffed with: pulled lamb with spicy tomato ragout, rosemary polenta frites; smoked pork and manchego croquettes with whole grain mustard mayo; beef tataki with truffle, corn, chilli, shimeji mushrooms; and braised pork belly with apple cider jus.
Kilpin hit the sweet spot with a medley of lemon posset, a granadilla and yoghurt sorbet, berry coulis, white chocolate shortbread; followed by dark chocolate marquise with raspberry ice cream, chocolate soil, orange foam and chocolate cigar; and a yoghurt panna cotta with rose vanilla ice cream, phyllo cigar, star anise and vanilla poached pear.
While Barcelona dominated her taste buds, the chef also drew inspiration from London in the form of the roast pork belly with apple and fennel doused in a cider jus; as well as a grilled fish with smoked cauliflower purée and hazelnut butter.
A sublime treat for the longer summer days that are approaching. Your taste buds will thank you.
