Ángel León is a celebrity chef from Spain, known for using fish scraps, plankton and other “second class fish”, usually ignored by chefs or fishermen. He is a big advocate for the sea and sustainable fishing.
You can experience Ángel León’s passion through his cooking at 2 Michelin starred restaurant Aponiente, located in the beautiful and spacious marine-themed 17th century tide mill in the suburbs of Cádiz. While I loved the philosophy and the concept of the restaurant, especially the fake sausages and the charcuterie made exclusively of seafood, I felt that the rest of the grand “Mar de Leva” menu fell flat. Having said that, I enjoyed the experience nonetheless and would probably come back to Aponiente if I were back to the region.
Shrimp fritterSea “pastry”: cream,squid,San Marcos crab and plankton “cakes”Cold sausages and hot butchery served by chef Ángel LeónSausage made of seafoodSelection of “charcuterie”Sea snacks: Halofilo taco,roast sardine,little shrimp omelette,Rotena discard fishSaline bushes and sea snail saladMussels cold soupCumin oystersLobster cocktailMackerel cevicheSea stew ” Berza”The open kitchenThe locationThe restaurant façadeGrey mullet rableCuttlefish à la presseCuttlefish à la presse. Although it was impressive to watch the ritual of this legendary technique, the final result didn’t taste anything more than potato ravioli with cuttlefish ink sauce.Risino with planktonLemon-apricotCherries-coffeeCoffee
