Pedrito Sánchez, in Andalusia there’s a chef who’s a gem

Everybody told us – great Spanish chefs and gastronomic critics of the same latitude  - that it would be a pity not to include Bagá in our foodie tour of Andalusia; so we did include Bagá. It’s not a banal choice: it’s in Jaén, a town with 120K inhabitants, a little out of the way and not on the usual itineraries, little over an hour’s drive both from Granada and Cordoba, north of the former, and east of the latter. But it’s worth the trip because patron-chef Pedrito Sánchez, quiet, humble and a little solitary, repays any effort.

«With only two or three ingredients, Sánchez produces thrilling dishes. Subtle harmonies, without any superfluous frills, clean, with no flowers, herbs or other garnishing. In his offer there’s throbbing sensitivity and knowledge. (...) For sure, he’s one of the best chefs in Spain at the moment. (...) A minimalist style, difficult to copy despite its seeming simplicity, full of essential flavours, light textures and indefinable sensations»: these are the recent words of the most important Iberian wine and food expert, José Carlos Capel, in an article titled "Pedrito Sánchez, cocinar con el alma", cooking with the soul.

This is what we experienced ourselves, when we sat in his miniscule place in the heart of the town: four stools by the counter, facing the kitchen, and three more tables, nothing else. That’s it, «I want to cook very close to clients and, most of all, I want to research on local products», he explains. Minimum space, «we work in 3 square metres, with a home-oven, a thermomix and induction stove». This is enough for him to marvellously reveal the essence of flavour.

He was born in 1977 and, before opening in his hometown Jaén, he worked for 16 years – his solo career indeed started with Bagà, in September 2017 – at Casa Antonio, a famous restaurant offering a "new take" on tradition, also in town, after other significant experience: Château de Bagnols in France, part of the Relais & Châteaux, as well as with Martín Berasategui in Lasarte and Dani García when he was still in Ronda, and Tragabuches.

He acquired something from each one of them, you can’t tell one in particular. His style is personal, the result of individual ideas: focused on ingredients, on expressing the deep nature of (and in) taste. His cuisine is not conceptual – in fact his dishes are merry, lively, straightforward, explicit – but it’s thought-over, adding great concepts.

His connection with the region is not banal, but an input for his research: «Jaén is different from coastal Andalusia, where you have vegetables all year round. Instead, seasonality plays a big role». And then: «Our province is the largest producer of olive oil in the world», and he enhances this peculiarity in his dishes, also using olive oil he produces himself.

His Quisquillas with spices and partridge scapece are spectacular, with a lovely prawn from Andalusia – sweet and fat – which meets the sourness of the partridge scapece, in a sort of Andalusian ceviche, in the words of Sánchez himself; the Angulas with water from black olives and eel are memorable (sometimes precious products like angulas, are used with conceit, as if they were enough by themselves, and there was nothing more to add. In his case, instead, he highlights an unspoken potential); the Ajoblanco with coconut and almonds, granita of pine cone and extra virgin olive oil has such extrovert complexity that it’s surprising; the Fennel and salted cod pil pil shows how a masterpiece can be born from a simple intuition; the Presa iberica de bellota, "milk" of ham and trout roeis simply marvellous... And so on. Bravo.

Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso

Bagà
calle Reja de la Capilla 3, Jaén, Andalusia
tel. +34 953 047450
bagagastronomico.com
closed on Monday. On Sunday, open only at lunchtime 
tasting menu 65 euros