As alluded to in one of my earlier blogs, dining and eating well is a very important part of our trips. So far in Spain, we've found incredible value for our money....eating some incredible meals for very little money. Glass of wine..2 euros, beer 1 euro, the average tapas dish is 3 euros, a fancier main entree is 15 euros.
About two months before leaving on our holiday, my online reading took me to a blog titled 'the best dining experience in Spain' and I took note that it happened to be in Granada. When I tried to look deeper online to find details about this 'restaurant', things became even more intriguing. 'La Oliva' was listed as #1 restaurant in Granada on Tripadvisor, but there was no contact information, no website, professional reviews, or address to be found. As I read a few more blogs detailing this 'incredible 15 course tasting experience', I came across an email address for a man named Fransisco, who was listed as a contact. I sent off a very cautious email describing the dining experience I was hoping to secure a reservation for, but was very skeptical whether it was indeed the correct contact or whether I would receive a response. About a day later, I received a kind email back from Fransisco confirming that we could come for a tasting a certain address on August 24th. And that was about as much information as we had....
So, when the 24th arrived, Matt and I were both excited and cautious with our expectations for the evening. With the address in hand, we set off to find Fransisco. We arrived at a small hotel, asked if they knew 'Fransisco' and were guided down to the stone-walled dining room in the basement of the hotel, where we were seated at a table set for six. We were the only ones there, but could hear voices coming from the kitchen. We were soon greeted by Fransisco, a short stout man with warm eyes and a friendly smile. "Please feel like you are in the home of a friend" he said, "I am running a bit behind, but you can come in the kitchen and see what it is that I'm doing". As we followed him, he went on to explain how he is not a chef, but now finds himself having use of this small kitchen.
As we returned to our seats, another young couple walked in...immediately saying "oh, we know you, we sat next to you on the flight to Barcelona". That made for easy conversation as they pulled up seats beside us at the table and introduced themselves...he was from New York City, she was from Paris...both of them involved in making films. Soon after, another two young ladies came...an architect and an IT consultant from Melbourne. More 'getting to know you chit chat', and then Fransisco interrupted by saying 'let's begin'.
He started by telling his story...he owns a small shop in Granada that sells gastronomic products local to the area (olive oils, vinegars, meats, cheeses, etc.) He was finding that it was difficult to sell the tourists some of the less familiar products, as they didn't have the opportunity to try them. He started opening up some products to offer customer to taste before buying. This evolved as he realized his love for teaching people about the origins of the food and the Spanish culture. People loved it, and eventually he started inviting customers back to the store in the off-hours for a more extensive tasting experience, cooking up dishes on a campstove in his shop. One of those customers wrote a blog and a Tripadvisor review raving about the experience...and that is what changed his life. People started coming from all over the world to taste his food. He has been completely surprised and in awe of the experience. He started 2 years ago, and just one month ago he arranged to use this kitchen and dining space to accommodate what he wants to do....his dream.
That is when the food and wine started coming...tastings of olive oils paired with cava, then nuts, olives, and sherry, then three different gazpachos, swordfish, white wines, salads, prawns, chorizo...and more and more.
All of these dishes came with Fransisco's colourful explanations and passion for the food. He would answer questions and sought to get to know all of us. A magical thing began to happen around the 5th or 6th course...all six of us at the table were talking as though we were all friends out for a great meal together. Matt noticed Fransisco sitting back marvelling at this, saying to his assistant "it's amazing...an hour ago they were strangers!".
This meal was by far a highlight for us and an experience we will never forget. We asked Fransisco about his plans...will he open a restaurant, get a website, etc. He replied hesitantly "no, that is not my dream. I choose to keep this small. Perhaps I will open a school for people to come and learn about these foods and how to prepare them".
This is a man that embodies passion for what you do. He runs his shop by day, and prepares this experience for a handful of people by night. He definitely is not doing this for the money ...35 euros each got us a once in a lifetime meal (with 15 courses, and far too many glasses of wine). Incredible.