Alberto Chicote traveled to Seville for his program Batalla de Restaurantes, in which four restaurants in Seville competed for the distinction of elaborating the best tapas (and a succulent prize of 10,000 €).
For the occasion, he visited four restaurants with their owners or chefs: Deleite, Benavente, Pan y Circo and La Antigua Abacería de San Lorenzo.
The mechanism is simple. The five diners, including Chicote, taste a selection of tapas and desserts and, at the end of the service, they score by categories. Namely: space, cuisine, food, service and price. From the average, the order of this ranking is determined, which varies substantially when, at the end of the program, Chicote reveals his own scores.
How is the winner of Batalla de restaurantes in Seville?
This edition of Batalla de restaurantes featured Deleite, a very large restaurant in Eduardo Dato; Benavente, the gastrobar of Antonio Fernández; Pan y Circo, the gastronomic gallery of Kike Domínguez and Cristina Galeote and La Antigua Abacería de San Lorenzo, currently run by Alejandra Respaldiza.
At the end of a program not exempt of tensions between the owners, Deleite came out as the winner, taking the highest note from his fellow restaurateurs; also as far as Chicote is concerned.
According to the renowned chef, “it is presented as a modern restaurant with a modern decoration and an updated gastronomic offer, but in reality nothing stands out or is presented as its own”.
He also emphasized that “the dishes are good at the table. The best cuisine I have found in ‘Batalla de Restaurantes’ should be good enough for much more”.
The other participants
Benavente Gastrobar took second place, which in Chicote’s words “offers a unique gastronomy, but needs to expand its knowledge and recipes”.
Pan y Circo, took third place: “Some dishes are convincing and others pass through the table without exciting. It would be a good idea to establish the dishes that work and refine those that creak“.
Finally, the Antigua Abacería de San Lorenzo is at the bottom of the ranking. “It is part of the history of Seville, but today it needs an update of both its facilities and its recipes. The soul of its history must be preserved, but it is a place that deserves an overhaul now“.