What is experiential gastronomy?

What is experiential gastronomy? An increasing number of restaurants are following this trend, understood as getting more out of going to a restaurant than simply having a meal.

Experiential gastronomy: it means enjoying a meal in a restaurant in an unforgettable way and with added value. An increasing number of restaurants are following this trend, understood as getting more out of going to a restaurant than simply having a meal. A perfect example would be ATUNANTE (por amor), a new restaurant with innovative, trendy culinary ideas for Chiclana de la Frontera, in Cádiz. The menu revolves around tuna as the main ingredient, from starters right through to desserts. This is also an added value restaurant, as seeks to create what is known as experiential gastronomy, turning a lunch or dinner into a world of sensations, where food, music and art all come together.

Experiential restaurants with experiential names

In the case of ATUNANTE (por amor), for example, its name makes reference to the lifestyle of tunas as being similar to those of rogues (which would be 'tunante' in Spanish), both of which wander from one place to another. Each year, tunas swim a long way from the northern seas to the Mediterranean, stopping off in Cádiz to fall in love, because as heard in Rafaela Carrá's song, you've got to go south.

A restaurant with a different menu

The menus featured at these restaurants strive to be original, to go where others have not ventured, to be cutting edge and take diners by surprise. ATUNANTE (por amor) serves a range of original dishes, inspired by Cádiz and its coast and, of course, by the red tuna of the Almadraba. Thanks to this, the restaurant has created dishes such as the Carámbano de Toro del Mar (a tartar dish), the delicious Columnas de Hércules (columns in the shape of tuna bullions cooked in a Moorish style) and the delightful Templo Helado en Calma (where the tuna is served in the form of a carpaccio with a sphere of yozu). The red tuna of the Almadraba plays such an important role in this menu that it has even been included in the desserts in a very intelligent way, as in the Atún y Piñonante, which combines cream cheese, tuna, pine nuts and caramel.

Emotional gastronomy is born

Eating and bringing out emotions, feeling... far beyond eating for the sake of eating. The ATUNANTE (por amor) restaurant serves what is known as emotional menus. They are created with great care according to the taste, personality, emotional state and other factors of the diners. So ‘Una habitación con peces’ (A room with a fish) is not a painting but a delicious dish. ‘Pasa la vida’ (Life goes on), ‘Bésame mucho’ (Kiss me, kiss me), ‘Volaré’ (I will fly), and ‘Me gustan los malos’ (I like bad ones) are the other menus. These involve the music played in the restaurant, with songs that remind us of those titles, and even art, with paintings such as Rembrandt's The Anatomy Lesson, which in this case provides a lesson on the different parts of a tuna.

The key is in the little details

All the elements within this restaurant have been chosen with the utmost care: from the delicious ingredients to the decorative elements, such as the cutlery, which has also been inspired by the red tuna of the Almadraba. The restaurant has also been invaded by art, as is reflected by the shoals of tunas which can be seen swimming above the tables. Lastly, ATUNANTE (por amor) considers the choice of wine to be of great importance. An original selection of non-traditional wines is featured, granting new brands and surprising flavors the chance to make themselves known. Hence, ATUNANTE (por amor) makes the experience of dining in a restaurant a fascinating and entertaining event for all five of your senses.