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The Albacete chef Fran Martínez and the Bilbao chef David García have become the main protagonists of the Repsol Soles 2023 awards gala by entering the highest category of the Repsol Guide for the first time, with three Soles each for their respective restaurants: Maralba, in the Albacete town of Almansa, and Corral de la Morería, in Madrid.
Together with them, Hilario Arbelaitz, chef of the Gipuzkoan restaurant Zuberoa (with three Soles, which closed last December after 52 years of service) and Abraham García, owner of Viridiana (with two Soles, which will close its cookers this spring after 40 years of operation) were distinguished with a Sol of Honour, as references in the sector and for having contributed modernity throughout their careers, leaving their mark on several generations of chefs.
In addition to the two new winners of the highest distinction, there are 18 restaurants that can already boast two soles – Ambivium (Peñafiel, in Valladolid), Amelia (San Sebastián), Bo. Tic (Corsá, in Gerona) Castell Peralada (Perelada, in Gerona), ConSentido (Salamanca), Deessa (Madrid), El Lago (Marbella), Garena (Dima, in Vizcaya), Hika (Villabona, in Guipúzcoa), Mantúa (Jerez de la Frontera, in Cádiz), Montia (San Lorenzo del Escorial), Nub (Costa Adeje, in Tenerife), O Camiño do Inglés (Ferrol, La Coruña), Oba- (Casas-Ibáñez, in Albacete), O’Pazo (Padrón, in La Coruña), Rekondo (San Sebastián), Umiko (Madrid) and Voro (Capdepera, in Mallorca) – and 81 more that are making their debut in the guide with their first Sol. Another 248 are listed as “recommended restaurants”, which may be candidates for a Sol in future editions.
With the new additions, there are now a total of 713 restaurants in the Repsol Guide‘s Olympus: 43 with three soles, 164 with two soles and 506 with one sol, in addition to the 1,269 recommended restaurants. By autonomous regions, Catalonia, with 105, and the Community of Madrid, with 98, lead the ranking, followed by the Basque Country (68), Andalusia (66), the Community of Valencia (58) and Castile and Leon (58).
The gala was brilliant and was directed by the actress Silvia Abril -who made amusing speeches about the obsession of restaurateurs with “kilometre 0” or guessing the presence of the guide’s inspectors in their establishment-. It was also attended by the president of Repsol, Antonio Brufau, and the president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Ximo Puig, as well as a large representation of the cream of Spanish cuisine, with names such as Joan Roca, Elena Arzak, Andoni Luis Aduriz, Pedro Subijana and Ricard Camarena.
In his speech at the gala, Repsol Chairman Antonio Brufau said that “the awarding of the new 101 Repsol Guide Soles confirms the excellent moment that Spanish gastronomy is experiencing. The talent in Spanish kitchens has surpassed itself for yet another year. It is very good news that such an economically important sector has recovered and is more vigorous than ever. Few things make us as happy in our culture as sharing a good table. Spain is an internationally recognised gastronomic power with still much potential to discover to the world. Rest assured that at Guía Repsol our vocation is to support and encourage the national tourism and gastronomy sector to become stronger and better known”.
For her part, María Ritter, director of Guía Repsol, pointed out that “there is no better news than calling a restaurant and being told that they are full. It means that cuisine fills us in many ways and, for this reason, people are so eager to sit down to try dishes that provoke exclamations, to socialise and to give their recognition to those who give them satisfaction, both in cities and in charming villages”.
Maralba and Corral de la Morería are among those establishments that provoke exclamations of admiration. The former, opened 20 years ago in a town at a crossroads between the land of La Mancha and the Mediterranean Sea, offers just that: a blend of the best traditional La Mancha cuisine with the freshness of the best products from the Levantine fish markets. The bodega is run by Cristina Díaz, winner of the 2022 National Gastronomy Award for the best sommelier in Spain.
The second is a surprising and unusual establishment, located in a renowned flamenco tablao, owned by the veteran dancer and choreographer Blanca Ávila, artistically known as Blanca del Rey, which has just five tables in its gastronomic restaurant. David García has been in charge of the kitchen – both the restaurant and the more conventional menu offered in the tablao – since 2016. Juan Manuel del Rey, the bailaora’s son, is in charge of the wine cellar, which has more than 1,200 references from the Marco de Jerez.
Soles for sustainability
Also worthy of note are the Sustainable Sol Awards #AlimentosdEspaña 2023, which this year have been awarded to four restaurants that have stood out for their fight against climate change and the responsible use of produce: Culler de Pau (three soles from the Repsol Guide, in the Pontevedra town of El Grove), La Finca (two soles, in Elche), Molino de Alcuneza (one sol, in the Guadalajara town of Sigüenza) and Finca Alfoliz (in the category of “recommended” restaurants, in the Huelva town of Aljaraque). They received the award from the Director General of the Food Industry of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, José Miguel Herrero, Repsol’s Director General for Clients, Valero Marín, and Repsol’s Director of Communication and Branding, Marcos Fraga.
Finally, to end the gala, the Repsol Guide brought together the chefs of the Valencian Community who hold Repsol Soles to make the 22 dishes that made up the dinner menu.