Txokoa prepares Bacalao al pil pil
Dried cod in mayonnaise is a Basque specialty. The autonomous Basque region in northern Spain is known for its excellent cuisine. That's something Ager Urigüen Uribe shares in his restaurant Txokoa.
A vision of Spanish hospitality
"The Gastrobar, the idea behind it was to do something really informal. Something like gastronomic, like really high cuisine where I was working before, but to make it accessible for people. It is a kind of democratizing the high cuisine. A restaurant with the atmosphere of a bar." - Ager Urigüen Uribe
Dream team
Ager Urigüen Uribe is the chef in the kitchen, Giovanni Gonzalez Miranda the host. Together, they are the creative minds behind Txokoa, a so-called "gastrobar." The concept was something they brought with them from Spain: small dishes to share in an easy-going atmosphere. Nothing chic, just the finest Spanish cuisine.
Txokoa - Basque for "cozy corner"
Fitting to its name, the restaurant found a home on the corner in Neukölln. Ager Urigüen Uribe and Giovanni Gonzalez Miranda liked the diversity in the western Berlin neighborhood, which has developed quite a bit in recent years. In the beginning, the restaurant was only open in the evenings, but they now have a lunch menu.
The secret is in the Spanish sauce
You don't need many ingredients for Bacalao al pil pil, but you do need a fine touch and the right timing. The especially tricky part is creating the mayonnaise out of the fish skin's gelatin. That can only be done through a slow simmer. The oil cannot get too hot. The emulsion which develops from the oil and gelatin is known as pil pil.
Bacalao al pil pil, a special root
"The fishermen used to go to cut this cod to cold waters in the north and they used to cut it and part of them were put on salt for the conservation of the fish and part of them they put it on oil and the movement of the boot actually created this incredible sauce, actually just oil and the gelatine of the fish." - Ager Urigüen Uribe