When Jesus Sanchez opened what was once simply Amos, Juan Luis Guerra was playing, stated to Hola in 2023 in light of its anniversary menu. I imagine Jesús León and Fátima Villanueva starting their first service with enthusiasm; one year later they would receive a well-deserved Sol Repsol. which would confirm them as one of the culinary sensations in the city. They are the artery of Mr. Crab the cuisine and sommeliers embrace this project that transcends awards.
Pantry, cellar and funds, stews and deep vinaigrettes. The insurrection of spaces like Mr. Crab is great news, where the closeness and the haute cuisine converge in the best of contexts, feeling at home but eating much, much, infinitely better.
Letting yourself go at this Arenal restaurant sounds as good as it tastes. And in this regard, things kicked off with the mojama and tamarind canutillo, almost a salted caramel that anticipates that the fun is served. An experience that we started with the limited Santa Brígida produced by Barrialto in Sanlúcar, a palomino to open the mouth.
Taste and sapience in El Arenal
It was followed by the now time-honored Cangrejo anchovy and eggplant, with miso and textured oil, and the kinilaw-style scallop, a mango and papaya ceviche with mint and rhubarb oil that, well, another roll.
Celler Dumenge harmonized the dishes that followed with the sparkling wine baptized under the same name as the winery. A refreshing pass from the hand of the orchard, a tomato salad you’d want to eat at home with a loquat and macadamia nut vinaigrette that was a ten out of ten.
Another irrefutable proof that Mr. Crab is taste and sapience: its corn aguachile with white shrimp and avocado. The spiciness is not evident or persistent, this dish is. Pure smoked, lots of flavor.
Why Mr. Crab catches from the very first bite
Where the grasses nest and the sea embraces, there is a stronghold that they also know how to manage with mastery. Specifically, we are talking about the gazpacho of Verde tomato and bonito marinated in kimchi, bell pepper pilpil and mustard.
La Barrita Brava lights up and the stage gradually begins to get livelier. The dishes do not stop parading from its small-format kitchen through an impeccable service.
And if gastronomy were not enough, Fatima is able to elevate the experience and enhance the flavors with her wines. Because Sr. Cangrejo cannot be understood without the contribution of a rich winery in continuous transformation and growth. The umpteenth proposal, Skin contact, prepared the palate for two top-notch closings.
Namely: mackerel with siracha and mint and sea bass parpatana where precise cooking points and sauces to which one could indulge all night long do not escape.
To top it off, two desserts which are a return to the origins, with pickled cherries, gingerbread and allspice and rice pudding.
As we have already mentioned, this restaurant is not part of the gastronomic scene in Seville. In other words, it is they who function as an inevitable magnetism. Whether to lead a fresh and committed trend in the city or to bring us back to fun flavors, to eat with our hands, to baste each elaboration.
It’s beastly what the guys from Mr. Crab do. Because it is wonderful in this environment surrounded by crustaceans, with a marked Andalusian seal, a hidden place to find special wines. A barbaric restaurant.
The concept of this space, which transcends the definitions given to the bars and to the bars and to the restaurants refined, is to take you somewhere novel with its bites while still reminding you how it feels to eat well.
To the list of those places that make haute cuisine feel like walking around the house belongs Mr. Crab. A mecca since it only asks for repeat, repeat, repeat.
Unclassifiable gastronomic orbits that seduce before entering, that catch you once you are inside, that take off like culinary rockets and venture into a promising future because the present, it is easy to verify, has already been conquered.