At Bichopalo, Dani Pozuelo, its chef, reminds us that free will exists. Pozuelo does not limit himself to just cooking, but he approaches each pass as an exercise in intentionality, technique and personality. His proposal is closer to the laboratory than to the recipe book -coherent, knowing that he has trained with Diego Guerrero-, and his restaurant has been on the radar of the Michelin Guide for years.
With only seven tables and a bar that is now kitchen and stage, Bichopalo has earned the status of classic within the Bib Gourmand circuit, that category that rewards the best value for money. Here there are no cloned dishes or concessions to fashion. Instead, there is technique, risk and a very personal look that draws from South Korea, Japan and China.
OCOO as a symbol of a cuisine that challenges.
One of the resources that best defines Pozuelo’s proposal is the use of the OCOO, a Korean cooking machine with double pressure that allows working at low temperatures. With it he prepares, for example, lentils with deer and five Chinese spices that have little to do with those of the traditional recipe book, and also an oxidized carrot that appears in savory dishes and desserts. Oxidation, like all decision-making, is not a side effect here: it is a sought-after resource, because it intensifies sweet flavors and makes them rounder.
The look towards Asia is recurrent. The Asian aspect is present in the technique -such as kombujime to cure hake among kombu seaweed-, in details such as the takuan of a gilda or in ingredients such as black sesame or wasabi root. But it is not imposed, but mixed with nods to local recipes, such as the classic green sauce (the green comes from the wasabi) that accompanies an impeccably braised hake.
When the desserts arrive, it seems that Pozuelo does not want to abandon the savory part. Here there is still a game, an almost challenging will to test the diner: a tapioca rice pudding with black sesame ice cream followed by a mushroom ice cream, deep and umami, which does not seek to close the menu with sweetness but with tension.
Honest menus in a city that is not always honest.
The gastronomic proposal takes the form of two tasting menus: a short one of six courses (40 €) and a long one of eleven (75 €), both expandable with seasonal suggestions or zero kilometer products. The first includes two snacks, two starters, a main course and a dessert; the second, four snacks, three starters, two main courses and two desserts. And yes, in a city where for a cachopo and some croquettes you can spend more than 40 euros, Bichopalo’s prices feel almost like a declaration of principles.
The liquid section is signed by Guillermo Pozuelo, Dani’s brother and the other half of the project. His menu is focused on wines, but with space for interesting references of vermouth and other less common drinks. A background work that accompanies, without stepping on, the dishes.