Arte de Cozina

arte cozina
After having visited Arte de Tapas twice in two days, and after meeting chef and owner Charo Carmona, I was torn. Charo had told me that that I really must try her restaurant in order to understand her philosophy, but as my friend had returned to Sevilla and I was on my own I didn’t think it would be possible. Seriously, I’m hopeless at dining alone in restaurants (though of course tapas bars – no problem!). And as I was explaining this personal foible to Charo she suggested that I come and have lunch with her! Okay, this came about after we’d already had a few chats, and I think Charo understood how interested I was in her place… still, it was a very generous offer, which I very gratefully accepted. But then it turned out that my new friends and Antequera food gurus Angela and Mikel @polloyensalada were able to join me for lunch after all, so I let Charo know and assumed we would just order from the menu. Instead we were all invited to a wonderful tasting menu chosen by Charo herself. Heaven.

The restaurant is in a beautifully restored old townhouse in the centre of Antequera, next to the food market where Charo remembers spending a lot of time when she was a girl. Perhaps this is where her passion for maintaining traditions began. At Arte de Cozina the menu changes seasonally and – I suspect – at the whim of Charo. She is dedicated to finding old forgotten recipes and, not only reviving them in her restaurant, but also passing them on. Guests are given recipe cards for dishes they have particularly liked, explaining the history of the dish and how to prepare it at home. Brilliant. Some of Charo’s recipes date back to medieval times and it was truly an amazing experience to try food that was both lovingly prepared and honestly cherished.

As is typical with Spanish meals, the “sobremesa” (table talk once everything has been cleared away) can be almost as important as the meal itself. And we were lucky that by this time the main lunch service was finished and Charo could sit down with us and tell us her stories, and the history behind her restaurant. As for the food… I’ll let the photos mostly do the talking but I have to say that the orange porra, the partridge in mystery not-this-nor-that sauce, and the exquisite confit “de orza” pork still leave me wanting more. But to be honest, every dish was exceptional, and the setting couldn’t have been more perfect.

Muchísimas gracias, Charo. It was an experience that I will always remember and cherish.