Irene Martínez does not do fusion cuisine. She adapts original recipes from Japanese and Mallorcan cuisine. What made me fall in love during my stay at Sushidokoro Man in Kyoto was the elaboration of the traditional dishes. With such care and attention to detail they work with the ingredients.... There are many similarities in the way we treat vegetables and fish in our two kitchens'. The Japanese kitchen, she stresses, has been able to preserve its traditional essence, with great respect for the product, but constantly introducing new techniques.
Anchovies in Japanese marinade
The new NUS has been in the mind of this straight-eyed cook for ten years. A restaurant of the highest level, capable of achieving a Michelin star in its time, even if it is not essential. The important thing is to do something of quality, closer, where customers really feel at ease'. She is happy with the challenge. The menu I have prepared for 'Kitchens and Cook with Passion' is important, because it is a good sample of my best dishes. Seasonal fish, powerful and tasty, but not heavy. And meat, like the Iberian pork, well marked, enriched with many traces of oriental cuisine'. Presenting a tasting menu to place the dishes in the centre of the table is another element of innovation. I have always liked to share. And this menu is designed for sharing moments. With friends, as a couple, with family'.
Oysters, tuna, anchovies and pork
Crispy oyster with tartar sauce
The crispy oyster fried in panko, a breadcrumb that barely absorbs the oil and gives it a light, crunchy texture. In the shell, a kind of tartar sauce based on dashi broth, boiled egg, sesame, dried sweet potato and seaweed, which offers an exquisite bite to start the menu. The tuna on the NUS menu comes from Gadira and is lightly seared in the embers of the kamado, the traditional porcelain or clay oven used in China and Japan for cooking with wood and charcoal.
Creamy omelette with kimchi
We continue with a creamy omelette topped with a kimchi salad, with a sweet and sour touch that makes it a tasty light dish. The centre dishes allow you to enjoy them as you like, but also to alternate them according to preference or to alternate between fish and meat, which enhances the intensity of the flavours. We continue the tasting with some small anchovies soaked in a Japanese-style marinade. Nanbanzuke 'marinade of the southern barbarians', in memory of the Spaniards and Portuguese who arrived in those lands in the 15th century, followed by the delicately flavoured Nigri squid, on a mellow Japanese rice prepared with olive oil, which combines magnificently with the soy sauce and lemon zest, without doubt one of the most delicate and tasty preparations of this complete tasting menu.
Tuna Kamado style
Irene Martínez immersed herself in this cuisine during the months she spent with Akira Umehara. It's incredible the respect they have for the product. The way they cut and prepare the fish. Akira, the chef's wife and their daughter, treated me like family, and would scold me if I left anything on the plate'.
Nigri Squid
The menu continues with fried Cap Roig. It is served with a spinach and kimchi salad. Fried crescent-shaped sliced aubergine, with a solid speck of miso sauce topping each slice. And the grilled Iberian pork, topped with an egg yolk cured for an hour with soy and miso, and accompanied by a sour Chinese cabbage salad dressed with ponzu sauce.
The feast ends with a Tocino de cielo with yoghurt. But rather than narrating it, it is better to experience each of these flavours.
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