HNN FOOD SESSION 1: NO NAME

With the arrival of spring, besides incredible flowers and guaranteed allergies, many seasonal foods also come along. But what are seasonal fruits? Well, this concept refers to all those foods that are typical of a specific season or time of year in a certain geographical area, so they have not been imported from abroad. With climate change, we are experiencing the arrival of scorching heat followed by polar cold; transition seasons like spring and autumn in places like Málaga have practically disappeared. This has a significant impact on the concept of seasonal fruits because certain foods that were not typical of spring are now present, as well as others that are no longer available or have been imported from areas with more extreme climates.

In places like Japan, there is a high awareness of the transience of edibility, with even adjectives to describe whether a fruit is in its early stages, at its peak, or in its "nagori" or last days. These adjectives make a complete difference in terms of flavor and aroma nuances: sour, sweet, bitter, etc.

The burrata

In Málaga, products such as strawberries, plums, apricots, cherries, and blueberries have traditionally been typical of spring. And others, like avocados from Axarquía, which we have all year round but cause water cuts to the population of Málaga due to the amount of water they require.

Last Saturday was my birthday (yay!) and thanks to an application (TheFork) my friends and I went to eat at a restaurant that claims to take into account all these nuances of food temporality. The place was called No Name and is located in the heart of Málaga, near Plaza Camas, an ideal location well connected with metro, bus, and suburban train stops within a 15-minute walk.

The atmosphere was very pleasant, the decoration featured real plants instead of plastic ones as usual in other places. The walls simulated an unfinished building, you could see the marks of the workers in the plaster where they had to cut or cement. The ceiling is industrial but the windows are large and bright. The truth is that we felt a bit hot because around 3-4 in the afternoon, the sun shone directly on the table where we were sitting. The service was ideal, friendly but not intrusive, and very fast and attentive. The wine was very good, without being an expert in any of that... And the food... We ordered 4 dishes to share: a burrata, some cannelloni, a tartare, and a risotto.

Oh my. Let's start with the first one, and my favorite, the burrata. It was super creamy and came with pesto sauce and oven-roasted vegetables, including delicious zucchinis and peppers. A safe bet, a 10/10 without a doubt. For me, someone who has lived in Italy for a few years, that burrata is a definite yes. By the way, the bread to dip in the pesto sauce and vegetables was one of the best things, so the plate was clean after wiping it.

The second thing we tried was the Málaga salchichón tartare: raw meat marinated with raisins and sauces. The truth is, for my taste, there was too much sauce or marination, it lost a bit of the raw essence of the tartare but it was delicious. So I give it an 8/10, as there are other small restaurants in Málaga where I think this dish is much better executed and raw (as a tartare).

The avocado risotto

Let's move on to the main courses now: the avocado risotto. It was like eating a real risotto but with guacamole in it. I liked it a lot because the essence of the risotto was never lost but perhaps for my taste, the sauce was too far from the avocado and very close to the guacamole. So I give it a 9/10.

The other main dish we had was oxtail cannelloni which came with delicious oven-baked potatoes. Alert: it comes in a crepe batter, which makes the interior heavier in the flavor palette, so it can be a bit heavy. The good thing is that next to it there was a bit of mustard sauce with jam which created a very interesting flavor contrast. I liked it although I'm not a big fan of this type of food because it feels heavy to me. I give it a 7/10.

Last but not least, dessert. We ordered two very delicious cakes, the two they had: one with amaretto and the other with ricotta. I have nothing memorable to add about them, perhaps that they were not super sweet, which I appreciate, and that they were good.

For all this, in my humble opinion, this adventure culminated in a 9/10 overall balance. The price was around 110 euros for four people but thanks to the application, it ended up being around 80 euros. I missed a bit of explanation about the dishes, where they got their ingredients from, inspirations, etc. But without a doubt, it was a very positive sensory experience. I hope you liked it and find this review useful, see you at the next HNN food session!