

Sections
Services
Highlight
M.L
Miércoles, 29 de enero 2025, 17:30
Axel Smyth and Claudia Merchán continue to garner accolades for their restaurant Simpar in Santiago de Compostela. This Galician duo, who also won the award for the best ham croquette at Madrid Fusión, added another prestigious prize on Wednesday, becoming the Emerging Chefs of 2025.
They were favourites in many predictions. After winning the best ham croquette contest last Monday, the possibility of achieving a double victory at Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España loomed over this remarkable pair. Chef and pastry chef—she was also nominated for the Emerging Pastry Chef title—lead Simpar, a young project in Santiago de Compostela that has made a strong impact on the Galician and Spanish culinary scene.
On the stage of this international summit, they were celebrated as talented professionals in the final act hosted by the Ifema auditorium. The Emerging Chef title is one of the most coveted by new chefs and, as demonstrated in its 22 previous editions, it serves as a significant springboard for its winners.
Last year's winners, also a duo, were Sara Peral and Jorge Muñoz, who lead Osa in Madrid, which earned a Michelin star just months after opening. The list of past winners includes notable figures such as Dabiz Muñoz, Eneko Atxa, Ricard Camarena, and Rodrigo de la Calle.
The last double win—on that occasion a triple, as they also won for the croquette and the escabeche—was achieved by the team from Cañitas Maite, now Michelin-starred at Oba and Cebo, with several restaurant projects across Albacete, Madrid, and Ibiza.
Smyth and Merchán, who triumphed a few months ago at the VII World Tripe Championship held at San Sebastián Gastronomika, secured their victory with the jury's secret votes against the other finalists.
Among them were many other couples leading restaurants across Spain: Beatriz Fernández and Rodrigo Fernández from Arsa in Logroño; Rita Llanes and Manu Lachica from Leartá in Seville; Ausiàs Signes and Felicia Guerra from Ausiàs in Pedreguer, Alicante; Icíar Pérez Cejas and Juan Carlos Pérez from Moral in Santa Cruz de Tenerife; and, solo, Lucía Gutiérrez from Lur in Madrid and Àngel Esteve from Restaurante Sisé in Lleida.
Axel Smyth and Claudia Merchán launched their restaurant in the summer of 2023, after the closure of Auga e Sal. That establishment, where the Santiago native and his pastry chef earned a Michelin star, closed abruptly in May 2022. Their dream in the Michelin guide's Olympus lasted only five months. That fleeting moment vanished after the owner, Albert Ruiz-Gallardón Utrera—son of the former minister, former president of the Community of Madrid, and former mayor of the capital—decided to end the project founded in 2016.
That is now history, as this duo, who have forged their own dream in uniqueness, regained that star in the latest Michelin review last November in Murcia. Not surprisingly, they named their restaurant Simpar for being "unique." It is located in the heart of Santiago de Compostela, on Rúa do Vilar, just a few meters from the Cathedral square. There, they execute a cuisine centered around seasonal products. They pride themselves on applying only the necessary techniques to enhance their quality and flavor.
At the heart of their kitchen beats a love for tradition that they do not hide, enhanced with nods to Galician-style fish—the best they find that day at the market—stews like their award-winning tripe—which they even prepare for takeaway—and bites like the croquette awarded at this XXIII edition of Madrid Fusión, which will require them to prepare and fry thousands this year.
Currently, they offer two tasting menus—'Conocer,' with 11 courses for 85 euros and the option to add an extra with the tripe for an additional 12 euros, and 'Simpar,' 14 dishes for 110 euros. Among the dishes available this season are their Cambados scallop with an Iberian meunière, their royal of Galician rooster with chocolate and truffle, or their Santiago tart, which has already gained its own fame throughout the city of the apostle.
Publicidad
Publicidad
Te puede interesar
Publicidad
Publicidad
Esta funcionalidad es exclusiva para registrados.
Reporta un error en esta noticia
Comentar es una ventaja exclusiva para registrados
¿Ya eres registrado?
Inicia sesiónNecesitas ser suscriptor para poder votar.