Alain Chapel was one of the most important chefs of his generation. Supreme advocate of nouvelle cuisine, he represents a milestone in the history of gastronomy. His style, calibrated, light, directed at exalting the product, has influenced an entire generation of chefs, and his kitchens have formed some of the great talents of our time (it suffices to mention one name: Alain Ducasse). After his premature passing in 1990, Phillipe Jousse, executive chef of Chapel’s restaurant in Kobe, was brought back to France to take the reins of the kitchen and perpetuate the teachings of the master.

This restaurant, situated in the fishing port of this beautiful and touristy town, is considered one of the temples of fish in Italy. Each day, boats unload the best that the Adriatic has to offer: fish and shellfish of extraordinary quality, exultant with freshness. As a result, raw materials are the first and greatest element of the cuisine of Mauro Uliassi, who makes a monograph of the sea. The raw Adriatic is his greatest obsession, and this line of work has innumerable examples.

We repeated it times and times again: “Hilario Arbelaitz changed the menu without a hint of alteration in his very defined identity”. Now, at full maturity, at a time when everything seemed to be defined, a discrete but significant change has occurred. Hilario, faithful to himself, still practices what he best does and loves: wise, refined, harmonic and creamy cuisine. What has changed is the latter aspect, “creamy”, ie. the density of the sauces and its impact on the main ingredients. The dishes have become more immaculate, purer, smoother, more slender, lighter, more dietetic and aesthetic…, less affected. They have gained a bit of personality preserving the identity of the cook, who has always been consistent with his feelings and bears silkiness and harmony inside. We are frankly happy about this evolution; a qualitative leap in which there are not so many proposals to be eaten with a spoon; a spoon that was, is and will always be made of gold and diamonds.
Hilario Arbelaitz, as level-headed as before, is more clairvoyant and modern than ever. His techniques and his modern chromatism offer very refreshing flavours: aromatic herbs salad with grapefruit jelly, cheese cubes and spherifications, and grapefruit vinaigrette. The classical cod brandade is dismantled to avoid the hotchpotch of flavours and allow the elements to express themselves individually: the sauce in the bottom of the plate, the potato on it, and the iridescent cod slices, accompanied by a hint of caviar and a crown of herbs oil. The chef also winks at the Japanese cuisine without going too far: marinated tuna on hardly gelatinized dashi soup, microvegetables and herbs salad, and mustard ice cream with a touch of wasabi. The style of the dishes is very constant: roasted crayfish with gelatinized ginger sauce, vanilla ravioli and various sautéed bulbs. Another testimony of nobility, precise doneness and pertinent accompaniment is the grilled Gillardeau oyster with foam of its own water. For more top raw materials, precision and naturality, taste the sautéed baby squids with sautéed vegetables and vinaigrette made with the animal’s ink. The red mullet filet lain on steamed endive leaves with pumpkin and orange, flowers and another foam belongs to a new generation. And the feast goes on with utterly exquisite pig’s trotters, previously caramelized and grilled in their juice, accompanied by some memorable mashed potatoes.

This opulent seafood house serves sumptuous oceanic treasures that are as majestic as the marine paradise that supplies them—the Domínguez family, Manuel and his son Diego, who is fully involved in the management of the establishment, always shell out whatever is necessary, and even something more, to obtain the best of the best. Consequently, one always visits one of the two Combarros in the hope of finding what can be found in very few restaurants: unforgettable experiences of yesteryear that, though seemingly improbable, not only are reaffirmed but sometimes surpassed.