Canarian food cleverly and deftly reimagined
Gran Canaria is an interesting place and completely different from every other island in the Canary Islands that I’ve visited. Las Palmas, the island’s capital, has a pretty historical centre and excellent seafood restaurants, and it buzzes day and night. It’s nothing like the southern part of the island that’s most popular with tourists and holiday-makers due to the white sandy beaches, party-vibes and family-friendly resorts. Las Palmas, to the north of the island, still offers long stretches of sandy beaches but it’s far more cosmopolitan and diverse. And that’s where Mrs HB and I decided to spend a few days.
We were out having a coffee in quite a cool new coffee house a short walk from our hotel and, as usual, I got talking to the guy behind the counter. And he gave me a list of three places to try whilst we were staying in Gran Canaria. Not one of them featured on any of our lists from the countless hours of research we’d done prior to arriving on the island. And, after looking them up and phoning all three to get a reservation, the only place that answered their phone was Tabaiba. It’s new, and little known, even to the locals. But the coffee shop guy said if we were able to get a table here, we simply had to go. So, given that we’d a pretty mundane experience at another restaurant recommended to us previously, we booked a table for Tabaiba, not really expecting much.
Togged up in our smart casual attire for evening, we got a slightly hair-raising taxi ride to the restaurant. I was certainly glad of the fresh air as we got out of the car in a dark backstreet, only to realise we were very close to Playa Las Cantera – the ‘city-side’ beach which boasts white sands and a promenade packed with tapas bars and eateries. As usual, we were early for our 8pm booking so we went for a breezy stroll and a beer in one of said bars before heading back to grab our much-anticipated table.
The building which houses Tabaiba is unassuming from the outside. In fact, we had to look twice before realising we were in the right place! But step through the doors and you’re greeted by a very white interior with funky lighting and funky ceilings (cleverly disguising the extractor pipes et al), and an open kitchen where two chefs are working in absolute silence.
We were greeted by a waiter dressed in a tweed three-piece suit looking altogether like he was getting ready to go out on a pheasant shoot. There were no other diners in the restaurant and we wondered whether they might have been round the corner in another part of the building. But no, this was it – and for 8pm in the evening, I was starting to panic a little about what we had let ourselves in for. Our next challenge? Communicating with the waiter.
Now look, I fully recognise that we shouldn’t expect everyone to speak English everywhere we go, so we attempted to use our pithy Spanish to ask about a drinks menu, and how the menu worked (it’s only in Spanish on their website). Failing appallingly our waiter then attempted to tell us how the menu worked – a tasting menu no less! There are two tasting menus to choose from – the Tabaiba (€55) which is 9 courses, and the Experiencia €70 – 12-courses, no less!
We decided on the Experiencia menu; why not hey? If you’re going to eat 9 courses you might as well go the whole hog and have all 12! But then the next challenge… what to drink. There is a wine list but it was a little complicated trying to ask what wine would go well with the stye of food – no entiendo! We got there in the end and the waiter presented us with a rather lovely Reserva Malbec from Argentina. Which went very well with most of the dishes on the tasting menu. They don’t currently offer a wine flight for the tasting menu, which I believe would be a fabulous addition, but their wine list is solid and, if you can get over the language barrier, it’s worth asking about them.
First disaster averted, we sat and waited for our experience to begin. With no other guests in the entire place (and only 15-18 covers at that) you could be made to feel one of two things: rather special, or that you were making a terrible mistake! And I’m pleased to tell you that there are no mistakes made here. I now understand why they call the tasting menu the Experiencia.
Our very first course was a delight – we were taken for a picnic on the beach! A little coolbox containing savoury ‘ice cream sandwiches’ on a brightly striped ‘beach towel’ and a tomato and olive cocktail had me grinning from ear to ear. What a playful way to start a meal!
Our next course was mojo mole – a thick chocolate ‘pate’ served with shavings of lime zest and the lightest, most surprisingly delicious chilli and cinnamon sugar brioche. The balance of chilli heat with the sweetness of the sugar and the mole was astoundingly good; I wanted more!
I’ve mentioned the tomatoes already but there wasn’t a pip or a skin in sight with our next dish. Tomato four ways (granita, ice cream, gel – and a perfectly clear consommé) combined perfectly with a light creme fraiche ice cream and herb puree which cleansed the palate in preparation for our next course. Ready?
Oysters. With a coriander emulsion and goats curd. Mrs HB loved this one but it wasn’t for me. I love an oyster, and it’s only a single mouthful, but I think the combination of the goats curd and coriander was a little too much for me. Onwards!
The chickpea and chicken stew was possibly my favourite dish of the evening. Adapted from his grandmother’s recipe, this small dish of slow-cooked chickpeas and chicken stock served with a slow cooked egg yolk and cock’s comb (slow cooked crest of a cockerel, not the plant) and crispy chicken skin was rich, full of flavour and depth. Served with warm, nutty, homemade bread, it took me back to my own childhood spent sitting around the kitchen table with the family. No family rows here though!
Two fish courses followed: langoustine tartare with nasturtium, and cherne (a local Canarian white fish) with white vinegar gazpacho and micro herbs. Both were so delicately prepared and presented; it was almost a shame to eat them.
Next up: rabbit. Not something I would ordinarily choose on a menu, and something that got lost in translation(!) so we weren’t 100% sure what we were eating. And moving swiftly on we were served a plate of the most unctuous slow-cooked goat. With silky smooth potato puree and little pops of crispy wheat which added the texture to what could have otherwise been a rather sloppy dish. What a joy! Considering the majority of my experiences with goat have been with badly cooked goat curries, I freely admit that I could eat this time and again and never get bored.
Thankfully we had a little break before being served with the sweet dishes. If you like figs then this next dish will be right up your street. Everything on the plate – and I mean everything – is made from elements of fig. Fig ice cream that is smooth and sweet, fig leaf granita that had an intriguing bitterness that made you want to keep coming back for more, a fig bark glass that snapped to the touch and fig dust, adding a contrasting colour and flavour to the plate. The elements on their own could be a little harsh but when combined created a rounded, balanced dish with a pleasant, earthy yet herbal aftertaste.
You’d think we’d be at the end of the meal and yet. And yet! The last course (before the petits fours which I’ll come to in a minute) was bread. Bread I hear you say?? Yep. Imagine a Galaxy ice cream with its crispy crunchy outer layer. This was exactly that – but made from bread. All of it. Including the caramel drizzle on the top. Canarians love their bread and this is a clever and quirky way of incorporating it into a menu. It’s also a sustainable way of using bread offcuts instead of throwing them in the bin. But for me, personally, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this course. The ice cream centre is smooth but there’s a graininess that unsettled me. And the slightly cloying ‘chocolate’ coating combined with the overly sweet bread caramel was too much. It needed something fruity or sharp to cut through the sweetness, and it just wasn’t there.
Our meal finished with another quirky twist. Coffee and petits fours. Nothing special about that right? I wish you could hear me chuckling quietly as I write this. The coffee is strong and thick and the petits fours are sweet – very sweet. Tiny bites of doughnuts, truffles and jellies. But you’ll have to go there to get the full experience – and then you’ll know why I’m still chuckling.
Tabaiba is one place you should definitely visit when you’re in Gran Canaria. Canarian cuisine is not known for being anything particularly special. But oh my, this is different. Abraham Ortega has taken the food of his childhood, lovingly prepared and cooked by his mother and grandmother, and elevated it to another level. You’ll find Canarian family favourites here: mole, tomatoes, chicken stew, fish – but they’ve been redesigned out of all recognition. And I urge you to go here as soon as possible.
The Hospitality Boss Rating
Overall rating (out of 5)
