b THE GOURMET chef’s profile
The name Pablo Castillo first came to our attention when he won two highly coveted awards: those for Best Tapa at the Málaga en la Mesa competition (2017) and for Best Five-Star tapa in the Ruta de la Tapa (Marbella and San Pedro 2017 and 2019). Both are commendable considering the fact that tapas play a key role in southern and national cuisine. Moreover, the Ruta de la Tapa is an 11-year old event that is one of the highlights of the yearly gourmet calendar. WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS PHOTOGRAPHY KEVIN HORN
178 / OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020
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ablo’s penchant for fusing world flavours was evident in his winning recipes. They were the liquid nigiricroqueta with kimchi and tuna belly tartare, the pan con tunaka (tuna loin sashimi on crunchy crystal bread with a tomato pulp and extra-virgin olive oil, semi-dried tomato, shichimi togarashi and dehydrated tomato), and the smoked ajoblanco with barbecued sardine and fig sorbet. The culinary traditions of Japan, Korea, and Spain were strongly present, yet Pablo (born in Málaga and raised in Marbella) is just as likely to grace his dishes with Cuban or Morrocan touches. He is certainly knowledgeable about world cuisine. After studying at the Escuela de Hostelería de Bellamar and
