A Tafona: dish and story
Lucía Freitas's flagship restaurant isn't one of those where the chef's commitment to the land overshadows the food.
Their tasting menu, Alba de Gloria, begins with a comforting chestnut broth, guiding us through the estuary and its surrounding farmland, inviting us to eat with our fingers. This is followed by a dozen dishes, perfectly balanced in texture, flavor, and preparation, finished with beautiful presentations, some almost like landscape paintings.
There's earth and sea air, but also fantasy, as if he wanted to connect the senses to the rational and then beyond, very Galician. Freitas pays homage to popular cuisine without limitations. He offers trompe l'oeil dishes of octopus or mussel shells, and plays with his imagination to pair chicken with an oyster or a humble mackerel with cauliflower.
She moves with natural authority in her house, attended almost exclusively by women, and skillfully pairs the noble lobster with a piquillo pepper sauce and the beef with a touch of caviar. Alba de Gloria concludes with a string of desserts that could have sent Alice back from Wonderland, green with envy.