Abantal – What the Spanish Do Best

When it comes to gastronomy, the Spanish are known for a few things.

First, there are tapas which is a fun experience, but gets old rather quick.  There are of course, traditional dishes like Paella, and Iberico ham, which to me are good, but not worthy of a trip to Spain.  For me, what Spain does really really well, and worth a trip to Spain, are creative, multi course tasting menus.

This brings us to Abantal which is located in Seville.    It has one Michelin Star.  What I loved about Abantal was:

• everything was delicious
• the service was excellent
• the food was not overly gimmicky which can happen especially in Spain (it was after all, the home of El Bulli and “molecular gastronomy”); this kind of food can be fun, but not when its overly done
• the wine recommendations were fantastic
• the price was reasonable and excellent value
• although it was a long menu, the portions were correct and at the end of the meal, I did not feel stuffed, just right

We opted for the Grand Daily Chef Tasting Menu.

The meal started with some delicious amuse bouche and bread:

…and then the meal:

Then finally, the dish I had been waiting for all night, and it did not disappoint!

Wheew.  Next the desserts:

…and finally, some petite fours

Unlike other tasting menus, which I am happy to experience once, this was an experience AND made me want to return.  As mentioned above, there were so many positives to this meal.  Highly recommended.  10/10