Pablo Alburne is the chef of La Zorra, and in terms of rice has no dogma.
Before becoming a chef, the Asturian Pablo Albuerne wanted to be a photographer, but he was in too much of a hurry. Sitting at one of the tables of La Zorra, the rice shop that he opened a year ago in Sitges with friends, he confesses that he was so naive that he thought he could become a Cartier-Bresson in four days and when he realized that the issue was more complex than he had imagined, he changed the third.
However, the spark of passion for the stoves was fired, he says, by images of haute cuisine dishes in a book by chef Santi Santamaria, who fell into his hands in a binge at dawn.
“I felt such magnetism that it changed my life. That same night I decided that I wanted to cook and the next day I announced it to my father, who supported me, of course, inviting me to pay for my apprenticeship”.
The Asturian, adventurous and rebellious chef was nicknamed Gipsy Chef and began to travel the world as a private cook aboard a ship; he pecked at several projects and created his own youtube channel with the recipes of a globetrotter.
Without giving up that touch of the rebellion he proudly exhibits, he has found his place in Sitges. In La Zorra, he prepares daring rice dishes: it can put slices of lime challenging those who see that old custom as sacrilege; it can combine in a black rice butifarra, cuttlefish, and burrata (each ingredient incorporated in its right moment for nothing….).
Some diners have been offended by what they considered irreverent paellas “when I don’t say that I make paellas”. There’s nothing forbidden to him except disrespect. And he insists, he deeply respects the diner, he respects rice and the products with which he likes to play.
He wants to continue learning without losing that punk spirit. Serves up exquisite snack dishes, such as fish and chips with Pasajes longline hake or Thai mussels. To drink, an extensive menu of natural wines (many from the area) and casual cocktails such as its cuisine.
Source: La Vanguardia
