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I have to be well-equipped with skills in order to keep creating

beautiful surprises for diners, going beyond their imagination.

饕餮GOURMET

On TheContraryThe food of Spanish culinary sensation Andoni Luis Aduriz is all about contra dictions

TEXT LIM HUI SIN & 陈彬雁 PHOTO MUgarItz

矛盾的火花

Andoni Luis Aduriz, the man whom celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal calls “the smartest chef in Spain”, can spell out contradictions in everything about his restaurant, from its location to its cuisine. And therein perhaps

lies its charm.Mugaritz, ranked No. 5 in the The World’s 50 best Restaurant Awards 2010,

is one of those obscure destination restaurants in San Sebastian that can confound even the most earnest GPS-toting diner. And after beating many a winding path through the Basque mountains to find the place now known for its high-tech cuisine, one is greeted not with sleek metal and glass interiors. Instead, he is faced with a simple farmhouse and an earthy décor of teak ceilings, ceramic tiles and wicker furniture. Huge windows lend an easy, natural feel.

Why pick such an obscure location for the restaurant? Says Aduriz, who founded Mugaritz in 1998: “In the beginning, it was because we didn’t have money for a downtown location. Now, I just think this is the best location.”

The restaurant, which has two Michelin stars, is found in Spain’s Basque region, “and we belong there, but we also belong to our customers, who come from

all over the world”, he elaborates. “We respect tradition, but we are in a modern time and environment, so even though we are in a small village, our cuisine is reflective of the world.”

Mugaritz has been contributing to the innovative Spanish cuisine scene at a fast pace – rather unexpected for a restaurant set in a village. “We have too many things to do, but we have too little time and we have to work as quickly as possible. This opportunity for me to live and learn from two extremes is given to me by the kitchen.”

To get an idea of how creative Aduriz has been, just dig into one of his starter dishes, Eatable Stones, or what he calls “ceramic potatoes”.

Expect lots of contradiction because its unpalatable name says nothing about the final dish, which looks deceptively simple to prepare and tastes divine.

The potatoes first have to be boiled before being put in lactose, black corn syrup and edible kaolin clay, then bathed in hot water before being put in a dryer. The result is a potato that is crispy on the outside and buttery and soft on the inside.

The dish was inspired by a trip to Peru, when he came across an ancient

method of cooking potatoes. Back home, he poured heart and soul into experimenting with a new way of cooking potatoes, which includes using edible kaolin clay for the right amount of crackle – an idea offered by a minerals researcher.

Aduriz notes: “The important part is that the potato has to be served at 45 to 50 deg C, so that when the diner bites into it, there will be a cracking sound – like with chocolate.”

Ignatius Chan, owner of Singapore’s renowned Iggy’s restaurant, attests that it tastes nothing like its name.

“There is so much thought and so many steps behind this deceptively simple dish – his creations have a lot of depth,” says Chan. “He is always so inspired by the earth, the region he is in and the seasons. The dishes he presents are so unique, surprising and memorable, and the bottom line is, [the ceramic potato] tastes great.”

This February, Chan invited Aduriz and five other chefs of repute to Singapore for a charity dinner held at Iggy’s. The chefs prepared nine dishes in all for 45 diners, who paid $3,000 each.

Kudos to Chan that these diners had the rare treat of sampling Aduriz’s cooking outside of Spain. Aduriz, 39, says he has received many invitations to make an appearance from Singapore, but has declined so far because he never cooks outside of his own kitchen. He made an exception as a favour to Chan.

Aduriz’s cooking showcases that fine balance between food technology and good old-fashioned fine cooking. This is showcased in dishes such as Fossilized

Salsify with Algues Tops finished with a briny roe. In this dish, the dried burdock is not dehydrated – while dried on the outside, the inside remains soft. The flavours are concentrated in the drying process, with an interesting texture being created at the same time. And the saltiness of the roe garnishing complements and enhances the dish perfectly.

This creation and other similar feats have earned him the label of “the future of Spanish cuisine” from gourmet critics. It has been said that in the avant-garde culinary world, Ferran Adria is like Picasso while Aduriz is like Monet. He has inherited the spirit of exploration in the kitchen, unveiling new discoveries of old and primitive flavours. His assured use of chemistry and advanced techniques to do this sees him roasting carrots in clay and creating crispy milk flakes and even hay consommé.

Aduriz counts himself luckier than the chefs who had come before him, as his generation from 10 years ago “started to work with other food scientists, so we can get more valuable material from scientific talent”.

The transformation of the Basque region into the cradle of high-tech cuisine is all thanks to chefs like Aduriz. A decade ago, he shared tips at a culinary festival in San Sebastian, such as the perfect temperatures for making poached eggs (62 deg C) and foie gras (60 deg C). In recent years, these tips have become accepted as the norm, publicised and used globally.

Even so, Aduriz is convinced that his cuisine is simple. “Usually, each dish has three or four ingredients and the focus is on maintaining harmony between these ingredients while showcasing the special taste of each.” But his “simple” dishes appear to have a rather complex mission: In addition to provoking surprise, he desires to create a gourmet experience that money cannot buy.

Why does he push himself so hard? “Because I want to steal the hearts of diners,” he explains. “The clients who come to the restaurant are not common; they have travelled the world and come with a deep wealth of knowledge. I have to be well-equipped with skills in order to keep creating beautiful surprises for them, going beyond their imagination.”

A dish of clashing contrasts – heavy cream, sweets and leaves. (Photo: Jose Luis Lopez de Zubiria)

Fossilized salsify with algues tops finished with a briny roe. (Photo: Jose Luis Lopez de Zubiria)

Mugaritz (Photo: Oscar Oliva)

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矛盾的火花在美食家眼中，“2010世界50大餐厅”排名第五

的米其林二星餐厅Mugaritz是天堂所在，但对创办

人Andoni Luis Aduriz而言，Mugaritz却是不折不

扣的大矛盾。

他说：“我们处在巴斯克地区，客人来自

全世界。我们尊重传统，但处在当下的时代，料

理却必须照顾世界的口味。我们有太多事情要完

成，但有太少时间。”

被名厨Heston Blumenthal赞为西班牙最聪慧

的厨师，39岁的Aduriz坦言自己是因为成绩不好

才走上厨艺之道。

“父母不晓得怎么安置我，14岁就把我送到

圣塞瓦斯蒂安烹饪学校。在学校里我看到Michel

Bras、Ferran Adria等大厨的作品充满心思和灵

魂，开始被打动，觉得烹饪是创意表达。”

在厨房里我学到许多， 表现接近完美

的时候，我感觉自己 一只手在天堂，另一只手

在地狱。把最完美的 饮食体验带给客人，

让他们感到开心的同时，我们承受着许多痛苦，

但一旦接受这矛盾，自然会找到新出路。

设计DESIGN 饕餮GOURMET

他说：“美食不单为填饱肚子，很多人千里

迢迢来到餐厅，不是为了吃，而是寻找连他们自

己都不晓得的一种体验。他们需要一个人为他们

创造这样的体验，这就是我的工作。我尝试让每

道菜超出想象范围，让人有所惊喜，并在趣味中

得到启发。”

他有一道菜叫Eatable Stones，灵感来自一次

秘鲁行。他看到当地古老的马铃薯烹调法，觉得

技巧太美妙，于是创作了这道“能吃的石头”，

做法一点也不简单。将熬煮的马铃薯放入乳糖、

黑玉米汤及食用高岭土内进行汤浴，之后将马铃

薯脱水，至皮干而香脆，里面则保持奶油般的软

滑口感。上桌时温度须保持在45—50摄氏度，目

的是制造宛如咬下巧克力的清脆声响。

“吃时建议客人用手指捉着‘石子’吃，直

接感受食材、技巧之美，我觉得这方式很诗意。”

作为Aduriz的拥护者，Iggy’s餐馆老板曾广

熒说：“他总是受大地和季节启发，所呈现的美

食，组合独特，让人玩味无穷，底线是，味道

棒。看似简单的菜，背后用尽心思，所以作品有

深度。”

月前，Aduriz应曾广熒之邀，偕6名厨师来新

参加一慈善晚宴，为45人炮制九道菜，每人收费

3000元。

Aduriz在做菜方面的认真实验和研究精神，

是他最为人称颂的地方。为了做好完美的水煮

蛋，他曾投入超过两年的时间研究食物凝结科

学；为了做好鹅肝，再用两年研究肝脏脱氧核糖

核酸。他说：“我想偷走客人的心。来到餐厅用

餐的人绝不是泛泛之辈，他们行走世界，知识渊

博，我身上必须有许多武装，以及很多的手艺，

才能不断给他们制造惊喜。”

曾到过多家米其林三星餐馆取经，Aduriz十

年前已在当地美食节发表一系列烹饪心得，如煮

蛋（62摄氏度）和煮鹅肝（60摄氏度）的完美温

度，近年这些心得逐渐在世界各地传开。

尽管在烹饪中动用各种高科技，Aduriz始终

认为自己的料理是简单的。“一般来说，每道菜

就三四种用料，着重让食材保持和谐，同时呈现

各自的特色。”往深层看，这些被他归结为简单

的料理，其实有着十分不简单的使命，是用钱也

买不到的美食体验。

卖相似微型伊甸园的Vegetables, oven roasted

and raw, sprouts and greens正好说明他的企图心。

“碟子盛的是园里山里最好的收成，有钱也买不

到，必须到山里采。”他餐厅外有过千尺的菜园，

栽种百种草本植物，有水果、蔬菜、蒜头花、红

椒、花椒、豆芽等，一些取其花瓣，一些用其根

茎；一些经烹调、另一些则原味上碟。

把握好美食与科技之间的平衡，是他被美食

评论家大赞“西班牙烹饪之未来”的原因。

在Fossilized Salsify with Algues Tops

finished with a briny roe里，脱水的婆罗门参

（又称西洋牛蒡）干而不燥，外干内软，通过脱

水巧妙浓缩味道，也创造有趣的口感。鱼子的点

缀有更实际用途，以自然咸味为这道菜调味。

A piece of milkveal roasted and perfumed

with vine cutting embers是烤牛肉，以黑炭模样

亮相。原来，黑炭表皮实为百里香熏制，渗透丝

丝香味，切开牛肉，一片粉嫩，咬下去时不会硬

梆梆，鱼肉般的轻盈质感，让人对牛肉有全新的

发现。搭配煤屑、盐巴，味道的层次更显分明。

A d u r i z 提 炼 味 道 的 精 准 度 ， 也 表 现 在

Roasted Tomato Salad, cool chufa milk里。这

个番茄的变奏清爽无比，浸泡过钙水的番茄，甜

蜜被浓缩得就像葡萄干一样，没两下子便惊醒味

蕾。当中的番茄冰糕是更浓烈的刺激。

甜点Inte rp re ta t ion o f van i t y : Mo is t

Chocolate Cake, cold almond cream and cocoa

bubbles，是巧克力慕斯蛋糕，充满香气的气泡

是童趣而味美的饮食经验。

很多人说Aduriz的美食充满艺术气息，育有

11个月大儿子的他说：“我有许多艺术界的朋

友，但朋友都说我不是艺术家，对我来说，是不

是不重要，关键是，烹饪是我人生中自我发现的

重要工具。”

“在厨房里我学到许多，表现接近完美的

时候，我感觉自己一只手在天堂，另一只手在地

狱。把最完美的饮食体验带给客人，让他们感到

开心的同时，我们承受着许多痛苦，但一旦接受

这矛盾，自然会找到新出路。”

矛盾的挣扎让他不好受，但随着时间的推

移，他学习原谅自己：“状况不佳的时候，我会

想起自己是如何的幸运，然后努力激励自己，帮

助自己达到更高的水平，做最出色的自己。”

Mugaritz aldura aldea 20-Otzazulueta Baserria E - 20100

Errenteria gipuzkoa,Spain +34-943-518343

Eatable Stone (Photo: Jose Luis Lopez de Zubiria)

Aduriz说，圣塞瓦斯蒂安能有这么多星级餐厅，因为当地的环境有利于良好竞争。

每次只容纳50人的餐厅Mugaritz，一共有35名厨师。(Photo: Oscar Oliva)