In Gaucin, Andalusia A Celebration Of World Tapas Day Goes Haute

This year, to celebrate World Tapas Day in Spain, there were numerous tapas bars to choose from. Instead, I picked Azulete in the white village of Gaucín in southern Andalusia, a cozy rooftop restaurant where the main soundtrack is the song of the swirling swallows. There, 29-year-old chef Gabriel Arnaud and his partner in life and work, pastry chef Daniela Rodriguez, 34, have created a simple haven, far from trends and clichés.

Simple perhaps, but one bite and it’s clear there’s nothing simplistic about the cuisine. In fact, it’s personal, thoughtful, delicious. Their tapas bar, Azulete Bar, will open nearby this summer.

At Azulete, the seasonal menu is solidly rooted in the Andalucian repertoire but each dish, including the original desserts, reveals strong personalities. The chefs work with fishermen, “down the coast,” a butcher in Malaga who specializes in free-range meat, and an organic farmer from “the campo,” the fields that surround the village.

In the tiradito, cubes of seared cured bonito bathe in an orange and apricot dressing dotted with cilantro and avocado lime cream, surrounded by ethereal rice crisps. Lamb sweetbreads are glazed in butter. There are croquetas, of course, but they are made with liquified local goat cheese, honey and thyme. The arroz al horno, an oven-baked rice dish, is tender but crispy, moist but not soupy. The crujiente de patatas topped with silky wagyu tartare is as far as you can get from the typical greasy beignet. Instead, it brings to mind a crispy potato millefeuille. No one should resist the plump solomillo de cerdo Iberico, a pork filet mignon taken from the 100% bellota Iberico pigs who graze the Spanish forests served with potato purée à la Joel Robuchon. Desserts include a lemon/lime tart with fruits from the village in the form of two shortbread discs between lemon curd and topped with soft, caramelized meringues, and a coconut mousse blended with coconut milk and white chocolate

“I always wanted to do something with my hands,” said Mr. Arnaud, boyish allure and shy smile. “At home near Paris, our family loved the Sunday lunches at Grand-Mère’s house.” But his trajectory was not easy. Mr. Arnaud left traditional school at 14 and was fired from his first stage. At the Ecole des Métiers de la Table, he discovered his passion for cooking. Once he graduated, he moved to London, determined to find work. The brasserie at Hotel Connaught was looking for help.

“The sous-chef told me, ‘Get some shoes, knives, and come tomorrow for a day,” he said. “I was sleeping in a hostel, sharing a room with five others. I stayed up all night.” He passed the test but soon told his boss what he really wanted was to work at Hélène Darroze’s, the then two-Michelin-starred restaurant, across the hall.

“I can introduce you,” said his boss.

At age 20, he started in the cold appetizer section, learning, spending days chopping and plating, watching what others did, in awe of the creativity that came out of the kitchen. He could have stayed and climbed the ladder there, but the English winters are long, so when destiny came knocking in the form of a friend offering a spot of chef de partie at Heart, the Adrià brothers eatery/club concept in Ibiza, he jumped.

What a shock! The young chef, who didn’t speak a word of Spanish, went from an urban and rarefied Michelin atmosphere to 200 covers per night at hipster-central; from a strict, French organization to, “A massive rectangular table in the middle of the kitchen where 20 cooks worked side by side—chaos!”

One of them, a young woman from Colombia, took a look at him. “Who’s this guy?” she asked. She turned out to be the only cook who spoke English. She’d lived in Buenos Aires and Singapore, studied pastry, interned at Albert Adrià’s Tickets and Andreas Caminada’s Schloss Schauenstein in Switzerland. The pair became friends, and the rest is history.

They spent time in Paris, moved to Barcelona. The more time they spent together the more they felt they had in common. Then, Covid hit, and the restaurants closed. The couple retreated to the Costa del Sol where Daniela’s mother was living.

One day in late 2020, the couple drove to the village of Gaucín, in the mountains, between Ronda and Marbella. Hearing that there was a locale for rent, they decided on the spur of the moment to visit it.

“I fell in love with the space,” said Ms Rodriguez, statuesque in her simple white shirt and pressed jeans. “It needed work, but we had time!”

Today, she divides her time between their young son, Lenny, serving the 25-plus covers at lunch and dinner, Wednesdays through Sundays.

No longer a chef de partie or a sous, Mr. Arnaud is now literally a one-man show in the kitchen.