Gurea restaurante-arrocería is the gastronomic project that has brought chef Arkaitz Soto, from Bilbao, and young Javier Jiménez, from La Orotava, back to Tenerife, but who has been making rice for several years in a restaurant in Palma de Mallorca. Both chefs are busy these days to develop the future restaurant with a terrace, located on Salto del Gato road, 61, in the municipality of El Sauzal.
Arkaitz Soto, 41, is a well-known gastronomy in the islands due to his time at the El Reloj bodegón, in La Orotava, whose work led him to be recognized as the best chef at the XXVII DIARIO DE AVISOS Gastronomy Awards that were delivered in 2012.
For his part, Javier Jiménez, 26, has been trained at the Hotel Escuela Santa Cruz, HECANSA, and won the second prize in the I National Championship of Young Promises of Spanish Cuisine, which was held in Palma de Mallorca organized by the Protur-Hotels company with its old plate in brine at low temperature and velouté de burgado. The award served as a springboard for him to work making rice at the restaurant in Palma de Mallorca.
Both knew each other from the stage in La Orotava de Arkaitz and have maintained contact since then, which has led them to join efforts and savings for this project in this house in El Sauzal, which had previously been a restaurant and cheese factory, among other activities. .
The building consists of two floors, although at the moment only one of them and the terrace will be used, both with generous views of the vineyards that surround the area.
Gurea, a Basque name that means ours in Spanish, is relevant because Soto and Jiménez want to emphasize that the project belongs to both, with their savings and the implications that this entails.
The menu will consist, as it cannot be otherwise, with Basque touches and the search for the best Canarian products, rice dishes, at least eight different ones provided by Jiménez, and also a lot of grilled meat and fish. The menu will move according to seasonality, say Soto and Jiménez, who emphasize that there will be a good value for money, given the difficult times in which we live. Initially, the restaurant is scheduled to open in mid-October.
