I walked through Cimadevilla looking for something inspiring for dinner. I came up short. El Planeta was closed and other restaurants in the area didn't seem to interest me much and had people standing around drinking and smoking. I felt like something a little quieter. I considered the recommened La Galana in the Plaza Mayor but didn't want to spend that much money. After much more looking, I almost walked into the decent menu del dia (but average reviews) of San Bernado 4 until I saw this quite cool looking corner bar.
Translated (on Google) to "do not let them tell you", I had to go inside to see what the menu offered. It was a Asian/Japanese-inspired menu much to my surprise. Again I didn't want to spend too much, but thought trying an Asian-Asturias fusion place was quite atypical.
Lots of items caught my fancy. But at racion size, it was quite limiting to how much I could order. The croquetas de oricio y manzana sounded great, tartar de atun and more seafood options. But I couldn't resist seeing what gua-bao in Spain is like...
- complimentary appetiser of anchovy with sardine sauce - a intensely potent flavoured anchovy with some sauces for balance. One of the finest anchovies I've eaten. The XXL ones from Santoña were advertised especially in Cudillero, so I wonder if this was one of these;
- Gua-bao de presa iberica con cebolla roja y rabanito €6.4 - that price for one bun is remarkably expensive, higher than even some London prices. The bun was ok but could have been softer and pillowier. I would have liked more meat too for that price, but the pork that was in there was nicely stewed and savoury flavoured. The onion and radish added some nice sweetness for balance in a combination I haven't had elsewhere;
- Tempura de langostinos, trigueros y zanahoria con mahonesa de aka-miso y agridulce €12.9 - black tempura coating some soft, sweet and deshelled prawns (other than the tail). Given some of the sizes of prawns I saw in Asturias, I would have liked to get some really fat ones. The carrot and asparagus tempura was simply coated in relatively unseasoned batter. All were fried well and crisp. The salty sauce of miso went best with the vegetables and the sweet sauce with the prawns (even though I think the waiter told me to eat it the other way... or did he...);
It wasn't the best meal or fusion or Asian food I've had but I'm glad I tried it. It would have been nice to have been able to get a half tempura and a half something else. Combined with the hipster Rawcoco cafe, at least Gijon has some different options to the Oviedo.