We had the wonderful opportunity to dine at the Michelin starred restaurant Abantal, which is presented as contemporary Andalusian cuisine, and we were very excited to experience Chef Julio Fdez Quintero’s cooking.
The restaurant was very modern from the outside, with large glass windows and the name ‘abantal’ projected onto the outer walls of the building. The interior was very dark and gorgeous, the walls and separators fluidly weaving the room together. We had a table near the back windows (quite chilly) but it was great to have a view of the room. Our staff were trained and knowledgeable, but quite a few things were lost in translation – which is not a negative judgement, since we are dining in a different country, but more of an observation.
The amuse-bouche featured a stunning trio of bites – the absolute highlight being a spanish style gazpacho with a beautiful toast accompaniment. The dishes ranged from a single oyster spritzed with sherry vinegar to fish in deep umami broth and a piece of Jamón cooked to rare perfection. The dishes were refined with qualities you would expect from a Michelin restaurant, a few dishes toed the line of being slightly too simple in flavour and execution. The chocolate dessert was a lovely highlight for the end of the meal.
Throughout the meal we had wine pairings that were meant to pair with two dishes each, and I believe were the highlight of the entire meal, as the quality and excellence of the wines was hard to deny.
Despite a few order mix-ups, the experience was a stunning showcase of Andalusian cuisine, beautifully relaying the complexities and heritage of the products and raw ingredients of Seville and Spain.
