Whisper it rather than shout it, and certainly don’t tell everyone, but something very exciting is happening in the Gredos region of Spain. Drive two hours northwest from Madrid, where diners lack no shortage of plush restaurants, to encounter a truly different experience. Three days in the region left your reviewer and his group of five dining comrades swooning for both more of its food and wine.
While the focal point for our group’s stay was the city of Ávila with its stunning and fully intact medieval city walls, much of the real action occurs in the hills around. This is proper mountain territory, reminiscent in parts of Tolkien, with altitudes averaging over a thousand metres above sea level. Here, farmers are reclaiming abandoned land, embracing biodiversity and in the process generating a slow but sure revolution. Long-neglected vines with ages of up to 90 are being brought back to life to produce a wonderfully pure, lean and mineral iteration of Garnacha, or Grenache. Rejuvenated fruit trees offer up an indigenous version of the peach. Cashews and olives are also grown in the area. And don’t forget the Avileña cow, an autochthonous cattle breed that roam free in the Sierra. It was abundantly evident from all our conversations with the individuals spearheading this revolution (particularly Daniel Landi and Fernando Garcia at Comando G) that respect for their land mingles with a genuine passion for production. Part of the conversation with Dani and Fernando took place over slices of Avileña, grilled on an open fire that had been fuelled by old, discarded Garnacha vines. The philosophy: embrace nature to its full and create a virtuous circle. Leftovers become part of the manure that goes back to the land.
60km away and within the city walls of Ávila, the same modus operandi is at work at Barrò, its sole Michelin-starred restaurant. Fronted by Carlos Casillas, a native of the region, the restaurant embraces local and seasonal ingredients and has a zero-waste philosophy. Although the décor is minimalist, with a Nordic-style vibe, the cooking is distinctly Gredos-style. Throughout our ten-course tasting menu an adherence to local tradition combined with a willingness to take risks was abundant. The approach could be considered thoughtful, and in almost every instance, the desired effect came off. None of group doubted that the venue merited (at least) one star for its food quality, even if the service did appear, on occasions, somewhat stilted with room for improvement. Being offered water unprompted – as opposed to having to ask – should be a basic for any venue Back to the food though and we marvelled at the presentation and flavour combinations that occurred with each dish. Your reviewer’s stand-out favourite was the land snail served with grilled leeks. This was placed atop a leek, vichyssoise and snail sauce. It achieved delicacy and intensity. Mountain rabbit featured as well as the obligatory Avileña cow, here, home-cured for 200 days.
Choosing a photo to accompany any review is never an easy task. The Gilda chicken with home cured ham, blueberry and grilled spinach would have been the favoured option from Barrò (note, this picture is on Instagram). Alternatively, the cured jamón and chorizo that we were served in almost every venue would have sufficed as emblematic of what Spain does so well. Each morsel tastes fresh, wholesome and fatty in a really good way. Several of our team were blown away by a dish we enjoyed twice (at La Querencia in Villanueva and El Almacén in Ávila): flame-grilled pork belly sits atop a sweet potato and chilli purée. However, the choice picture captures for your reviewer what eating should be all about. Food does not need to be posh, it just needs to be done really well. Grilled octopus leg at El Almacén, served with potato and paprika mayonnaise epitomises this perfectly. To try is to believe: go visit the region.