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El Pellizco turns the south of the island into a gastronomic destination with mature signature cuisine, deep and exciting, that justifies the trip
There are trips that are justified by necessity and others that acquire the category of rite.. The one who subscribes to The pinch (Repsol Guide Restaurant), in Costa Calma, Fuerteventura, undoubtedly belonged to this second species. I live north of Lanzarote; to sit at the table Rigoberto Almeida I had to walk around 300 kilometers by car, between round trip and crossing by boat the arm of sea that separates both islands. It was not a minor journey. Neither was the reward I brought.
I came summoned by The Guantanamera, the long menu with which Almeida has decided to tell, from contemporary haute cuisine, the history shared between Canary Islands and the Caribbean. And I must tell you, even by dint of doing spoiler, that what happens there is not a simple succession of passes, but a gastronomic story with a beginning, climax and denouement.
The experience begins in the environment: terraces open to the turquoise blue of the Atlantic, a redesigned garden and a viewpoint converted into a restful prelude to the culinary journey. The service—precise, sober, cultivated—accompanies without interfering, as befits great restaurants.
The first bites function as a declaration of intentions. Dried fish, Banana and fermented coconut, Canary black truffle, Pejín in marinade from Majorero and a goat chicharrón of exact intensity, They display a taste map where memory and risk coexist. There is root in them and there is technique; there is territory and there is world.
The “Fish in the water”, with its majorero tomato jelly, cured fish and basil oil -plus a burgao of sidecar-, introduces a more conceptual dimension: freshness, salinity and vegetal subtlety in millimetric balance. It is followed by the famous Air Octopus Cookie, sustained by an emulsion of plankton and codium buds, edible metaphor of the ocean as a transit space between continents. It is an ethereal and wild pass at the same time, delicate in texture but deep in flavor.
One of the highlights comes with the “Cheese Trilogy”: salty meringue, Stuffed donut and cream topped with aged cheese shavings (self healing, during 24 months). Three techniques, three temperatures, a single identity: that of majorero cheese elevated to contemporary language. In the “Flower and goat nectar”, Almeida enter the cabrabushi —goat reinterpretation of marine katsuobushi— and achieves an evanescent texture, almost intangible, that sticks in memory with surprising persistence. Prior to all this, the no less famous Tuna Basket, crispy gofio basket, stuffed with tuna and flambéed green garlic foam. A bite that is improved from the previous gastronomic proposal.
He “black fish”, Aquanaria sea bass with bean demi-glace and fried banana gel, articulates a dialogue between depth and sweetness and takes us to the tables of Cuban homes, while the Carabinero al pork negro—cooked at low temperature in its lard and topped with a sphere of the juice from its head—constitutes a resounding affirmation of Atlantic identity.. Refined technique at the service of flavor, without superfluous artifices.
The sweet stretch does not reduce creative tension. The “False Cheese”, fresh predessert based on frozen citrus cloud with Indian prickly pear infusion, surprises with its deceptive lightness and prepares you for the surprising end of the party: “The goat”, fat and goat meat ice cream, cheese cotton and caramelized crunchies, on a goat and vanilla crème brulée, subverts any expectations and confirms the coherence of the discourse: the island's iconic product runs through the entire menu, even the dessert. The petit fours, evocation of the chef's Cuban childhood, close the narrative circle.
Throughout the after-dinner session there was not a single pass that detracted. The level was held firmly and at several moments it bordered on frank emotion, the one that forces you to stop the conversation and only attend to the plate. Technical investment is perceived, historical reflection and an unequivocal desire to create its own language, oblivious to passing fashions.
I returned to Lanzarote night, without making the pairing because of responsibility behind the wheel. They fell yes, two glasses of Chinija Salvaje (Rash, Lanzarote), a, y dyed Aray (Tailguén, The Palm). And it was a shame because The pinch boasts a well-stocked wine cellar with more than 200 island references, national and international.
After retracing the kilometers and crossing the sea again, as the ship sailed through the darkness - in the midst of a notable swell, by the way-, I mentally reviewed each dish. And the conclusion was unequivocal: it was worth the trip. And a lot.
For those who love El Pellizco gastronomy and its Guantanamera They are not another option on the map of the Canary Islands. They are a must see. No matter how far away they live.
THE PINLIZCO by Rigoberto Almeida
Chef: Rigoberto Almeida
Director and Sommelier: Yahimara Ferrand
Head of room: Annerys Hernandez
Address: C. Sulfur Mountain, 1, Costa Calma (Fuerteventura)
Telephone: +34 607 081 083
Web: elpellizco.es
Mail: rigofuerteventura@hotmail.com
Social networks: @elpellizcocostacalma (Instagram)
Time: of 14.00 a 23.00 hours uninterrupted
Closing days: Tuesday and Wednesday
Tasting menus: 'The gauntlet' (95 €)); "La majorera" (80 €). Without pairing
