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.
Calle de la Calzada, 29
Tel: 952 840 014
Arte de Cozina Website
€ € € € €
Food 10 | Wine 10 | Service 10 | Ambiance 10
celebrity chef Charo in GeoVoyage mag
olive oils
three porras – with recipes!
fennel and álora olive salad
Botani garnacha
zarangollo (Sephardi recipe) with eggs, courgette, chives & pimentón
wild asparagus gazpacho with battered asparagus “crouton”
partridge in “caldogazpacho” (not caldo, nor gazpacho)
pork loin “de orza” (preserved in pork fat)
with chips fried in olive oil and whole baked garlic
desserts: tostón molinero, leche frita, capirotada de cuaresma
la sobremesa (table talk) with Charo Carmona
stewed pluma Ibérica
churrasco a la parrilla
grilled chorizo criollo
secreto Ibérico
breaded secreto Ibérico
garlicky grilled presa Ibérica
albóndigas en salsa
stewed pork tongue
flamenquín
grilled paleta Ibérica
tender stewed abanico Ibérico in PX sauce
grilled presa Ibérica
Alfonso pouring beers
bar area
dining area
pig parts
Best. Beertaps. Ever.
Over the years Cafe Royalty has become our official merienda (a kind of Spanish High Tea) stop for coffee, dessert and cocktails. The Royalty is certainly unique, describing itself as the only historically preserved grand romantic café in Andalucia, and with its ornate gilt plasterwork, painted ceilings and early 20th century furnishings it looks the part, and would not be out of place in Paris or Vienna.
apple strudel with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream
picatostes gaditanos – a house speciality
cava “benjamín”
Irish coffees
massive G & T
deep-fried aubergines with honey
cod and vegetables on toasts
three kinds of salmorejo
chicken with tabouleh
duck confit couscous
falafel
grilled tuna ventresca with sesame seeds
violet, rose and green tea ice creams
the bar
fried aubergines with salmorejo and jamón
flamenquín cordobés
grilled chorizo
smoked sardine on toast with guacamole and tomato jam glaze
lomo de orza
MEAT
rabos de lagartija (“lizard tails” really pork strips in sauce)
grilled solomillo
grilled presa Ibérica
view into open kitchen
nook
upstairs tapas area
the bar
the Big in Japan gin cocktail
jamón Ibérico croquetas
bacalao in tempura with chive sauce and paprika oil
sea bass ceviche with red onion, green apple & lime foam and cilantro
puntalette “risotto style” with boletus and duck confit
roasted pluma Ibérica de Bellota with smoked potato purée
cochinillo confitado with crispy skin and potato millefeuille au gratin
violet icecream with strawberries, lime crumble, leche merengada
the kitchen
porra caprese with buffalo cheese, tuna ventresca and basil
cauliflower au gratin with creamy white wine sauce
cheesy tomatoey herby garlic toast
crispy cordero “al stilo turco” in filo
“caesar” salad – really it’s a smoked chicken tropical fruit salad
sardines, wheat sprouts and aubergine confit
free range fried eggs with gambas pilpil and fried potato straws
croquetas de puchero
Andrés, Frank & Rosa
the terrace
the bar
open kitchen
gambas pil-pil
bacalao “al carbón” (salt cod in squid ink tempura)
stewed bulltail with creamy potato purée
fried free-range eggs with potatoes and grilled foie
dumplings with sweet chili sauce
lagramitas de pollo with barbeque sauce
chocolate coulante with white chocolate ice cream
rooftop bar and restaurant
prawn and seta springroll with kikoman soy reduction
salchicha de Málaga fritter
pork meatball with almond sauce
dining area with open kitchen
Lauren and Ale
