Mercado tapas restaurant in Glasgow’s Merchant Square have welcomed new chef Alfons Jurado from Barcelona.
Mercado invited the 5pm Blog along to meet him and sample some of his dishes new to the menu (we particular recommend the marinated olives) and have a chat. Here’s what he had to say.
“Just before I came to Glasgow i was working in Barcelona and Girona, another province in Catalonia in the north near to France. I have a big influence from Catalonia but I am actually from Andalucia and I also have family in Madrid and Galicia. This influences my menu – every dish of from a different region of Spain.My home, Andalucia, is actually the home of tapas, but tapas hasn’t always been my area of expertise.I have experience of different dishes through my years working in the kitchen.”
“I have worked as a chef for almost twenty years.I have always worked, never stopped, never unemployed. I was in New Orleans for six months, working there and learning, Spain, and right now – Glasgow. I love it here. in Spain it’s too hot and if you’re working in a kitchen it’s madness.”
“My olive recipe (which is on the menu at Mercado) is marinated olives made with onions, garlic, parsley paprika, and oregano – first you do the onions then the garlic because if the paprika is warm it becomes bitter which is not good. Then the Paprika, oregano and parsley, then add olives.”
“If I had to pick one tapas that is my favourite I’d pick the salted cod with calamari – it’s very nice and it’s a typical [dish] from Basque country. Its from the sixties or fifties, in Spain when people were suffering and had no food. I love it. I love seafood.”
Thanks, Alfons! Over at 5pm Dining we currently have an offer of £7.95 for 3 tapas from the lunch menu at Mercado so you can try his dishes for yourself.