In times where omakase sushi is imposed as a paradigm of exclusivity and minimalism, Gaman proposes just the opposite: excess, variety, freedom. And it does so with an astonishing seriousness, without lowering the quality of its cuisine one millimeter or betraying the spirit that has made Luis Arevalo ‘s restaurant one of the Nikkei references in Madrid. His new proposal, the Tabehoudai (食べ放題), moves to the Salamanca neighborhood one of the most popular customs of everyday Japan: eat as much as you want, but with criteria.
For 55 euros, the diner sits in front of the bar or at one of the tables of the premises, located on Ferrer del Río street, and attends a parade of up to fourteen different nigiris, all prepared at the time, all with the unmistakable Arévalo seal.
Its hallmark? The back-and-forth balance between the Peru of the chili peppers and the Japan of the precise cut. The concept has been such a success that getting a reservation for Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday nights (the only days it is available) has become a chimerical task .
Haute cuisine without solemnity: from anchovies to foie gras, from rocoto to spicy chocolate.
What could have been a repetitive formula becomes a changing, fun and surprising experience.
From salmon nigiris flambéed with aji amarillo to such unusual combinations as eel with spicy chocolate and Maras salt, the menu avoids any temptation to standardization.
It plays with textures, with temperatures, with sauces that embrace the fish or challenge it. Some pieces shine on their own -like the gunkan batakaki or the squid with miso butter and furikake- and others fall by the wayside, but the whole is so generous and well thought out that it is hard to imagine a restaurant that gives more for less.
There is butterfish with huacatay pesto, octopus with botija olive aioli, glass shrimp, foie gras, sautéed squid with garlic butter, and even a gazpacho with yuzu as an appetizer. One diner, we are told, ate 80 nigiris in a single night. At that rate, the bill is paid off in the first twenty bites.
The format is somewhat reminiscent of what houses such as Santoku have already done, but with a more casual character, less dependent on omakase mysticism and more focused on immediate satisfaction.
Luis Arévalo: a recognizable cuisine
Behind this proposal is Luis Arévalo, one of the fundamental names of Nikkei cuisine in Spain. With a past at Kabuki and 99 Sushi Bar, Arévalo has built a career marked by crossbreeding, experimentation and a deep loyalty to his roots. Gaman -which holds a Repsol sun- is his headquarters, although he is already preparing new projects, such as a tavern inspired by Lima in the 60s or the expansion of his hand roll bar Akiro, which will soon open in Chicago.
Gaman does not intend to compete with the great temples of sushi, nor does he need to. His Tabehoudai is a daring, generous and very Madrilenian proposal in its way of understanding gastronomic enjoyment.