Right on Talamanca beach, one of the quietest beaches in Ibiza, close to the port and the centre of the town, is Almar, a very popular restaurant on the island which, for the second year, is presenting a menu of rice dishes designed by the renowned Valencian rice chef Toni Boix.
As a novelty this season, it offers an unprecedented concept on the island, a pop up or ephemeral space of BĪCHI, a bar specialising in Japanese haute cuisine that already triumphed last year in Formentera and which is the heir of Madrid’s Asiakō.
BĪCHI, which in Japanese means beach, operates in Almar in a bar with an open kitchen where the team prepares the Japanese dishes in front of the diner, giving the grill all the limelight. In this way, fans of the rice and fish dishes on the Ibizan restaurant’s menu will be able to share a table and tablecloth with lovers of the best sushi.
Backed by the Madrid-based Asiakō, a business project led by the entrepreneur Juan Alfaro, who is also the owner of Mr. Ito Lab, Asiakō and Casa Mr. Ito, BĪCHI is headed by Canarian chef David González.
The chef who defines himself as "a normal guy"
Trained at the Escuela de Hostelería Hofmann in Barcelona, he worked for twelve years as head chef at Kabuki Wellington, Madrid’s sushi temple, under the orders of Ricardo Sanz. “El flaco”, as he is known to his friends, was born and raised in Las Palmas and although his family would have liked him to follow the family tradition and study law, which he did for two years, he finally convinced them to realise his dream.
In love with Asian cuisine, which has formed part of his life, his travels and, of course, his work, he combines the maximum knowledge of the product with a mastery of classic Japanese cuisine fused with Mediterranean touches. Thus, in his creations you can perceive his creativity, the Canarian touch that his homeland gives him and a nod to the Balearic Islands, where you can find mojo picón or mojo verde, family recipes learned from his mother, but also sobrasada or honey from Formentera.
As a good islander, he spends his free time enjoying the sea, scuba diving, surfing and photography, another of his passions. Those who spend long days with him in the kitchen say it is a real pleasure to taste and witness his creations, to watch him enjoy his work.
Sushi and the best charcoal-grilled product
The live sushi bar is the ideal setting for the Canarian chef to show off his skills. Sashimis, nigiris and uramakis, Japanese snacks with a touch of fusion share space with tartares such as semi-spicy tuna or salmon with avocado and white truffle dressing, with oysters with ponzu sauce and Mexican tajín or with tuna or salmon sashimi. Their selection of fusion nigiris is outstanding, such as scallop flambéed with sobrasada and honey from Formentera, guancciale with caviar, king crab with kimchi mayo, salmon with lime, tuna with ponzu sauce or sirvia ibicenca (lemon fish) with Canarian mojo and a mixture of spicy Japanese spices.
But the mainstay of BĪCHI this summer is its unbeatable grilled offerings featuring nasu kamu, aubergine with miso sauce, with smoky hints of wood and charcoal; grilled artichokes with guancciale and fresh sichimi or grilled vegetables with Japanese chimichurri. The best fish from the best fish markets in the country: from the Atlantic waters of Cadiz and Huelva, from the Cantabrian Sea and, of course, from the Mediterranean, including the Ibizan fish market itself and the bluefin tuna from Fuentes, a Cartagena firm, also pass through the coals. Dishes include grilled sea bream with yuzu vinaigrette, grilled lemon fish with butter sauce and red tuna tataki with snow peas and teriyaki sauce. The same goes for the meat, represented by the grilled skewers, such as the classic yakitori with Ibizan pagès chicken, the Japanese beef sweetbreads cut into tataki to be handled with chopsticks, the entrecôte with wild asparagus and Chinese-style bacon cooked in two ways, in miri, sake and soy, finished on the grill and accompanied by Japanese pickles.
Almar: Mediterranean tradition
Called El Barco until recently and as it is still known to its regular customers, Almar is one of the most popular restaurants on the island. The rice menu designed by Toni Boix includes rice with crab, prawn and artichoke, with lobster from Formentera, with carabinero, with vegetables, black rice with razor clams and prawns, with sea bass and cockles and with octopus and tender garlic, all delicacies prepared by the Granada-born chef Jesús Martín Molinero.
To make the wait more bearable until the order arrives at the table, it is possible to enjoy a fresh snack with a choice of tomato with tuna belly, anchovies, anchovies in vinegar, sobrassada croquettes… The other pillar on which Almar’s cuisine is based is the fish: turbot, megrim or sea bass, mostly from the Ibizan fish market, which are prepared here on the grill. And of course, you can’t miss the typical Ibizan stews such as the tasty bullit de peix, always made to order, squid with sobrasada or scrambled eggs with carabinero or lobster.
