The Vietnamese-French chef Téo Barazer is soon to be seen at Kampen Bistro in Oslo. Get a sneak-peak on his dishes.

Photos: Amandine L.

13th of february. Spring has just arrived in Bordeaux. The Vietnamese-French chef Téo Barazer is standing outside talking to the «oyster-man» who has delivered oysters to his restaurant since day one. They discuss whether an oyster should be eaten natural, or with a little vinaigrette added.

Téo Barazer became famous overnight when he started a restaurant in the middle of nowhere in the early 2000s. Now he runs Chez Bibi, «the place to be», as it says on the mirror just inside the entrance.

The food is simply amazing. But the man himself is even better;)

Téo often tells me he has had no luck in life. It has only been a lot of problems. And shitloads of work.

I know he’s right.

You see, this guy laughs a lot.

And I happen to believe that there exists waaaaay more laughter among melancholists.

– I started this restaurant because I wanted to be my own chef.  I want to be free, Téo says.

He compares the mentality in a French cuisine with the army. Everybody is screaming, shouting and fighting. As a student he looked for a way out. Or a new way in.

– I spent one year in San Francisco and Mexico and witnessed a lot of chefs smoking pot while making food very gently and cool, he says.

– I told myself we don’t need armystyle. It doesn’t make any sense anymore. I decided to open my own restaurant and make it cool;)

Btw: His biggest dream in his present years was to become a rockstar.

– I studied music in school. I really tried to make it, but nobody bought my albums, he says and laugh.

Musicians & chefs have luckily something in common, he continues:

– When you make the mise en place in a kitchen, its all about repetition, he says.

– You repeat and repeat and repeat, just like when you practicing your instrument. In the evening you play a concert, with different people in the audience.

Téo serves me an amouse-bouche he just made with todays fish from the market. He wants to seduce my norwegian palette.

– I have a plan, Johanna. Hear me out. I want to meet a norwegian fisherman in Oslo and make food with your products. But I also want to bring some local, smoked fish from Bordeaux, he says.

– It’s a cool idea because the Norwegian people are the best people for smoked fish. You guys eat fish as your comfort food, just like I do!

I take a bite. It is the freshest piece of fish I have eaten for a long time. It was, as the hedonist Anthony Bourdain once described it, a protein rush to the cortex, a clean, three-ingredient high, eaten with hands. Amen.

Remember to reserve your ticket for BORDEAUX TAKE-OVER here.

This is a famous, old fashioned-recipe from France. Ernst Hemingway even wrote a hommage to this simple, elegant and tangy composition.

Potatoes and raw fish are marinated in grape oil. A lot of black pepper , onions, carrots, garlic and herbs are also added.

We both agree that we don’t find interest in food that has been slathered with too much sauce, mayonaise or what so ever. It often seems that the other ingrediens is there to hide the product. But if you use fresh, beautifully delicate whitefish, you want to elevate it, not hide it , right?

– This is traditonally a winter salad. Back in the days people only afforded the potatoes. But the oil make the vegetables even more nourishing, Téo explains.

I tell him I love it.

– YEAH! Don’t you think this is very French, but Norwegian style? It could have been a norwegian recipe!

– Oui. Let’s serve this for our guests in Oslo, I say.

– Oui d’accord. Maybe I change my mind. Let’s keep the surprise, its better with surprises, Téo answers and smiles slyly.

– Téo, I’ve been wondering about something for a long time, I tell him.

– Why does Bordeaux have so few classical bistros? It seems that American concepts are taking over the city. There are an enormous number of brunch places.

– You are right, Téo replies.

– People love brunch in Bordeaux. I don’t know why. Maybe because people are hungover all of the time.

– Even you refuse to be a tradisionalist, I continue.

– You tell me you serve french classic food, but your food is completely opposite!

– I actually make grandma-food, Johanna, Téo replies.

– Seriously? I would say you were more modern and crazy. I mean: Fish heads? Sardines with gingerbread filling? KIMCHI AND SNAILS?

– Kimchi with snails is really old fashioned, he says.

– You have a volcanic island in Korea called Jeju. The habitants live for over 100 years. The secret is seafood. They eat fish every day. Kimchi with snails is a part of their everyday-diet, girl.

I shrug my shoulders. I am constantly learning something new about this industry …

And not it’s time for desert! Téo is famous for this one.

– Why do you make tiramisu in a french restaurant? I ask him.

– People ask me that question all the time. I make it because it’s my favorite dessert, Teo says and fills an enoooormous portion straight from the long pan.

– Excuese my french.

Scroll down for english version.

For tre år siden hadde hun aldri jobbet på et kjøkken. Nå jobber hun som sjefskokk på en av de beste latinamerikanske mat – og cocktailbarene i Bordeaux. Historien starter med en julekjeks.

Foto: Camille Pichery

Jeg må innrømme at det kan være forfriskende å stikke innom den latinamerikanske mat – og cocktailbaren Malavida en gang iblant for å slenge på krakken med en pisco sour foran meg. Her eksisterer en Calle Ocho-stemning som er sjelden å finne i ett land som gjerne regnes for å være litt mer overfladisk enn gjennomsnittet.

Malavida består av en gjeng med latinamerikanske gærninger; de mannlige bartenderne rister på hoftene i takt med musikken og gir deg et vått kyss på kinnet idét de serverer deg kveldens forfriskninger. Mine kvelder på denne baren har mildt sagt vært … anti-franske.

Men det er Javi – den eneste kvinnen i denne sjappa – som spiller hovedrollen i denne artikkelen; kanskje er jeg ikke helt objektiv, ettersom hun også er min beste venn. Jeg møtte henne i Bordeaux i fjor, og visste at jeg hadde funnet et menneske for livet. 

Det er mye å si om Javi. Først og fremst er hun restaurantsjef i en mat – og cocktailbar som gjør seg stadig mer bemerket i Bordeaux for sine hyperkreative kreasjoner. Det er mildt sagt imponerende at hun gjør alt alene. Ikke engang oppvaskhjelp har hun hatt de siste to årene (gutta har gitt henne en hjelpende hånd en gang iblanti de hardeste skiftene;)). Dette kvinnemennesket har nerver av stål. Hun er en fighter av rang.

Men det er mer. Javi tar pedikyr og manikyr i helgene. Hun tar en middagshvil hver dag og minner meg på å gjøre det samme, av den enkle grunn at
“we are not men, we don’t stress”. Hun har bølgende, sort hår. Hun har de vakreste øynene jeg har sett. Hun er en utømmelig kilde av kunnskap og visdom. Hun fremstår tidløs. Jeg vil gå så langt som å si at for meg så er hun en jævla helgen.

Innbyggerne i denne byen hadde hatt jævlig godt av å ha Javi som deres personlige coach. Jeg har sagt til henne at hun burde begynne å ta betalt for å fylle den treige knollen deres med deilig innsikt. Men det later til at hun liker å dele …

Javi gjør ingenting uten intensjon. Hun oppsøker ikke mennesker for å kaste bort tid. Hun gjør tiden levende. Hun har sansen for dem som konstant undrer seg over livet.

1.mars kommer Javi til Kampen Bistro i Oslo. Sikre deg billett her.

Hun forstår seg ikke på uærlighet, intellektuell latskap og mennesker som reiser verden rundt, men som likevel ikke har “det bidige grann å fortelle”. Hun advarer meg mot å meske meg med middelmådighet, for til slutt blir man nøyaktig som dem eller det man omgir seg med.

Det min venninne finner mest inspirerende i livet, er å bevege seg fremover. Her forleden møtte hun en kompis på kaffe, og i etterkant var det nettopp hans ubendige karakter hun trakk frem som mest inspirerende:

– Johanna, today my friend told me that he still has not arrived to be the man he wants to be. He is so self-aware. That was inspiring to watch.

Hver gang jeg henger med huet over en eller annen latterlig problemstilling, sier Javi det som det er: 

– Take this opportunity to grow, Johanna. This is life telling you are challenged. And you are going to fix it. 

– BUT I DON’T HAVE THE TOOLS, svarer kanskje jeg, ofte med gråtkvalt stemme.
– THEN GO GET THE TOOLS! svarer hun.

Så stikker vi på gymmen og pumper jern.

– It’s important to develop different amounts of skills and abilities in life to be ready for everything, sier Javi fornøyd mens vi inntar hver vår proteinshake på vei hjem. Beina våre er som gelé.

Min venninne vet hva hun snakker om. For tre år siden hadde hun aldri stått på et hot kitchen. Nå er hun headchef.
Historien begynner med en enkel julekjeks.

Jeg møter Javi og grunnlegger av Malavida Fran Guichard en sen kveld i februar for å teste nye retter og cocktails i restauranten deres. 

Javi har nettopp blitt invitert til Oslo av Kampen Bistro for å gjøre en pop-up i mars, og vi skal bli enige om hvilke retter som skal serveres til det norske publikum.

Da Javi spurte sjefen selv om tillatelse til å reise, var han i tvil. Han må innrømme at den norske venninnen så temmelig gæren ut; ikke bare hadde hun platinablondt hår, var rent ut frekk i kjeften og skrev kritiske artikler om gastronomi; hun spilte også black metal som om hun var besatt av djevelen! En litt odd kombinasjon? 

Likevel, når alt kommer til alt, er det nettopp disse folka han er svakest for, forklarer Fran. Mennesker med såkalt driv.

Han falt pladask for Javi da han møtte henne for første gang. Historien hennes var unik. Og den bar preg av risiko, slik suksesshistorier gjerne gjør.

Hun flyttet fra Chile til Frankrike for tre år siden uten hverken jobb eller fremtidsplan. Hun behersket ikke engang språket. Hun brukte sine siste slanter på en flybillett til Frankrike og en buffer for en måned uten jobb. Hun kjøpte ingen returbillett.

Noen måneder senere vandret Javi fra restaurant til restaurant med en CV i hånden. Hun søkte jobb som oppvasker. Responsen fra restaurantene var alltid den samme: Vi trenger ikke folk akkurat nå.

– I dont give a shit, just take my fucking CV, svarte Javi.

Men hun kastet ikke bort tiden mens hun søkte jobb. Det var juletider i Frankrike, så hun besluttet å bruke siste sine sparepenger på ingredienser for å selge julekjeks. Hun hadde på følelsen at det var smart å ofre middagene til fordel for mel og sukker …

En dag kom hun til restauranten Buenavida og datidens sjef fortalte henne at de ikke var ute etter noen. Javi sa utmattet: –Bare ta CVen min.

Et par dager senere ringte en mann kalt Fran henne i forbindelse med åpningen av en ny restaurant kalt Malavida.

Han ba Javi om å komme til intervju. Denne dagen tok hun bilder av kakene sine for å selge dem på Instagram (selv om hun ikke kjente noen i byen.)

Hun tok med kjeksene på intervjuet, fortalte Fran og Buenavida-kokken sin historie, og ba dem prøve. Fran bestilte 60 julekjeks til den store åpningen som skulle matche en spesifikk cocktail.

– Jeg må innrømme at julekjeksene hennes gjorde meg nysgjerrig, sier Fran.

–  Jeg smakte på én, og den var …. Ekstremt god. Alle elsket dem.

Like etterpå ble Javi ansatt i restauranten for å lage desserter og hjelpe til med oppvasken.

– Hun trodde hun skulle stå for kakene, men det var ikke hele sannheten, sier Fran og smiler lurt.

– Hun skulle bli kokk. Hun bare visste det ikke enda. 

Kanskje minnet Javi om Fran selv da han møtte henne for tre år siden.

Han forlot skolen i en alder av 17 fordi han ikke likte undervisningsmetodene. Han har reist verden rundt. Han startet sin karriere som DJ. Han har vært med på å starte en mengde vellykkede bar – og restaurant konsepter. 

Og alt er selvlært.

– Everybody’s free to learn everything, slår Fran fast, og legger til:

– Det er Javi det perfekte eksempelet på. Hun hadde bakgrunn fra konditor-bransjen og ville kun lage desserter i restauranten vår. Hun var skoleflink. Men det er ikke en god ting, synes jeg. Hvis du jobber på et kjøkken og ikke vet hvordan du lager entrecote eller frites eller ceviche, vil det bli ganske trist for kokke-sjelen din etterhvert, medgir Fran.

Han mener at alle bør strebe mot å tilegne seg kunnskap om så godt som alt i sine respektive felt.

– Du er journalist, ok. Du skriver om restauranter og musikk. Men i morgen må du kanskje lage en politisk artikkel. Det er først når du kan alt at du kan kalle deg skikkelig proff, sier Fran og nikker i min retning.

Han tror at Malavida åpnet en dør for Javi. Og da hun åpnet den døren, tok hun karrieren til et helt nytt nivå.

Det er ingen tvil om at Malavida har peaket i omdømme etter at hun tok over grytene … Nå serveres en tartar som jeg ikke kommer til å glemme med det første. Det blodrøde, ferske kjøttet er dandert lag på lag, som et stort tårn. Og ikke bare ser det slående ut; tartaren er blant de beste jeg har smakt.

Hemmeligheten bak tartaren er brunet smør, forklarer hun. Smøret forsterker smakene i pepperet og gir retten karakter.

Eller denne katsusandoen. Maken til umami-bombe:

Hvordan vil dere beskrive en klassisk rett på Malavida? spør jeg.

– Menyen reiser gjennom hele stillehavskysten i Latin-Amerika. Rettene har en tydelig identitet, men vi gjør en twist med hver rett. Den eneste retten som er tro mot den klassiske oppskriften er ceviche fra Peru, forklarer Fran, og legger til:

– Alt det andre er våre kreasjoner. Vi elsker å leke med mat.

Den største forskjellen på det franske og det latinamerikanske kjøkkenet, er sistnevntes hang til fest, forklarer Fran.

– Hjertet i det franske kjøkkenet har alltid vært sausen; i Spania finnes det ingen ingredienser eller produkter som definerer kjøkkenet vårt. Men vi deler alle retter. Småretter og cocktails er en del av vår kulturelle identitet. Vi serverer mat som om hver dag var en fest.

Malavida er kort sagt en maktdemonstrasjon i hvordan feste som i Spania.

– Det er kjernen i konseptet vårt; maten var aldri det viktigste. Det var festen, sier Fran og smiler.

Ikke desto mindre er det spanske kjøkkenet blant de mest kreative i verden, forklarer han. Spanske kokker åpner restauranter over hele verden, fra Miami og London til Dubai, men sjeldent i Paris.

Hvorfor? spør jeg.

– Fordi det er ekstremt vanskelig. I Frankrike og Bordeaux er menneskene lukkede og ganske overfladiske. Servicen på restaurantene er også helt elendig. Kanskje gjenspeiler restaurantene kundene; de er irriterte fordi franskmenn alltid klager. Det er en ond sirkel.

Han tar en stor slurk av sin pisco sour og ser faktisk litt brydd ut. Kanskje lurer han på hvorfor han flyttet hit i utgangspunktet. 

– Frankrike kommer alltid til å være Frankrike. Jeg elsker landet. Problemet er folkene. 

I Spania derimot, eksisterer det hverken filter eller overfladiskhet. Med en latina ved din side, kan du være sikker på hvor du har vedkommende. På godt og vondt. Det er normalt at gutter slåss på fest og blir venner etterpå.

Det får Fran til å tenke på en poetisk liten skildring han har gjort seg:

– You love me? Baby, I don’t love you, but I will tell you why I don’t love you. And then we can start loving each other. Because we are honest.

– Malavida is honest.

Undertegnede synes det er morsomt å tenke på hvordan et folkeslag og deres kultur spiller inn på en restaurants atmosfære. Akkurat som med spanjolenes temperament, er rettene tvers gjennom ærlige.

– We make something unexpected with clean products, forklarer Javi. 
De unngår store endringer og tungvindte teknikker i møte med ingrediensene.

– You do as the scandinavian people then, sier jeg.

–Vi tar tilbake betydningen av ordet restaurant; to restore – å gjenopprette. Vi har lyst til å se oss i speilet og føle at samvittigheten vår er ren. Det er ikke vår feil hvis gjestene føler seg elendige morgenen etter.

–  Haha, exactly! Å ha evnen til å spille både lekent og vakkert med enkle ting, er den vanskeligste delen av yrket, sier Javi.

Hun forklarer at dagens forbrukere har større behov for å vite hva de faktisk spiser. En viktig del av servicen deres er å fortelle historiene bak rettene, hvor man fikk tak i produktene og hvordan råvarene ble tilberedt.

Man begynner kort sagt å å forberede tankene – og kroppen – på den nær forestående opplevelsen.

– Opplevelsen vil være en helt annen. Også i etterkant av måltidet.

Javi bruker en av hennes mindre kjente retter på menyen som eksempel; fisk med kald potetpuré. Folk blir umiddelbart skeptiske til noe så kjedelig som fisk og potet – og retten bestilles sjelden. Den kommer ut kanskje én gang per skift. Men det er en skikkelig god rett.

– Når gjestene våre prøver retten, bestiller de som regel en til.  Jeg forteller dem at dette er fersk tunfisk fra denne og denne produsenten, at denne deilige og salte pureen er typisk fra Peru med en hel del krydder og sitron, at dette er en saus laget på mynte, og den serveres med agurk og litt hakket rødløk.

Javi begynner kort sagt å flørte med gjestene sine. Og i Frankrike må folket bli forført. Sånn er det med den saken.

– Let me explain you this dish, sier Javi og setter øynene i meg.

Og så begynner hun å legge ut i det vide og det brede om utførelsen av denne juvelen av en rett:

– You see how you can completely change the experience before and after the dish just by explaining what it is? sier hun entusiastisk og ler.

– IT’S ALL ABOUT TO ACTIVATE PEOPLE’S IMAGINATION BEFORE ACTUALLY EATING. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE WORDS.

1.mars kommer Malavida til Oslo for å ta over grytene. Både Fran og Javi ser frem til å bli bedre kjent med nordmenn og våre spisevaner.

– Mat og cocktail-verdenen vil alltid være en utveksling av kulturer, sier Fran.

Og kanskje er det derfor vi alle lokkes mot bransjen, når alt kommer til alt: 

– Restaurantverdenen er en verden av kunstnere – musikere, dj’er, kokker, journalister, stylister. Vi er fanatikere på mange måter,og forer oss på energien fra menneskene som kommer for å se oss.

– Jeg håper at Malavida kan bringe en friskhet til det norske kjøkkenet; litt farger, smaker og ….

Og kanskje en flørt uten alt for mye spill imellom, tenker jeg i mitt stille sinn.

 ENGLISH VERSION:

You love me? Baby, I don’t love you, but I will tell you why.

Meet Javi, one of the up-and-coming chefs in Bordeaux right now.

Foto: Camille Pichery

I have to admit that it’s kinda refreshing to pop into the Latin American food – and cocktail bar Malavida once in a while. Here you’ll find a Calle Ocho –vibe that is rare to find in a country that is often considered to be a little more superficial than most places in the world;)

Malavida consists of a bunch of Latin American seducers; the bartenders shake their hips to the music and give you a wet kiss on the cheek while serving you a pisco sour. My evenings at this bar have been… anti-French, to say the least.

But it is Javi – the only woman in this restaurant – who plays the main role in this article; maybe I’m not completely objective, as she is my best friend. I met her in Bordeaux last year and knew I had found a person for life.

There is a lot to say about Javi. First and foremost, she is the headchef in a food – and cocktail bar that is becoming more and more reknown in Bordeaux for its hypercreative creations. She has done everything all by herself, even the dish washing, the last two years (the guys have sometimes given her a hand in hard shifts – let’s acknowledge them for that<3). This woman has nerves of steel. She is a fighter in every manner of the word.

But there is more. Javi book us an appointment at a nail saloon for pedicure and manicure in the weekends. She does her sacred 30 min nap in the middle of the day and reminds me to do the same, simply because «we are not men, we don’t stress». She has wavy, black hair. She has the most beautiful eyes I’ ve ever seen. She is an inexhaustible source of knowledge and wisdom. She appears timeless, yes, I would go as far to say that to me, she is a damn saint.

I think we all should have Javi as our personal coach.  I’ve told her she should start getting paid to fill people’s lazy heads with delicious insights, but I think she just enjoy to share …

This woman does nothing without intention. She doesn’t kill time, but make every hour alive. She loves people who are constantly wondering about life.

She doesn’t understand dishonesty, intellectual laziness and people who travel the world, but who still don’t «have anything to say». She warns me not to swallow mediocrity, because eventually you become exactly as those people you surround yourself with.

What my friend finds most inspiring in life is moving forward. The other day she met a friend for coffee, and it was precisely his seeking character that she pointed out as most inspiring:

– Johanna, my friend told me that he still has not arrived to be the man he wants to be. He is so self-aware. That was inspiring to watch!

When I get frustrated over a ridiculous problem in my daily life, Javi tells it like it is:

– Take this opportunity to grow, Johanna. This is life telling you are challenged.
And you are going to fix it!

– BUT I DON’T HAVE THE TOOLS, I answer, overwhelmed by tears.

– SO GO GET THE FUCKING TOOLS! she replies.

Then we hit to the gym and pump some iron.

– It’s important to develop different amounts of skills and abilities in life to be ready for everything, says Javi happily as we consume a protein shake on our way home. Our legs are like jelly.

My friend knows what she’s talking about.
Three years ago, Javi had never worked in a hot kitchen – just in the cold room making salads or desserts. Now she is a headchef.
Her story is remarkable, and starts with a simple christmas cookie.



I meet Javi and founder of Malavida Fran Guichard one evening in February to test new dishes and cocktails in their restaurant.

Javi has just been invited to Oslo to do a pop-up in March, and I am supposed to choose the dishes for this norwegian night.

When Javi asked the boss himself for permission to travel, he had doubts. He has to admit that her Norwegian friend looked rather crazy; not only did she have platinum blonde hair, was downright rude and wrote critical articles on gastronomy; she also played black metal like she was possessed by the devil! A slightly odd combination?

Nevertheless, when it all comes down to it, it is precisely these people for whom he is weakest, explains Fran. People with drive.

He fell head over heels for Javi when he met her for the first time in 2019. Her story was unique. And it had this mark of risk, as success stories often do.

Javi moved from Chile to France three years ago with neither job nor plan. She didn’t even know the language. She spent her last money on a plane to France and enough to live one month with no job. Without a return ticket.

A few months later, the Chilean woman wandered from restaurant to restaurant with a CV in her hand. She applied for a job as a dishwasher. The response from the restaurants was always the same: We don’t need people right now.

– I don’t give a shit, just take my fucking CV, Javi replied.

She didn’t waste time while looking for a job. It was christmas season, so she decided to spend her last money in ingredients to sell Christmas cookies meanwhile she found something. She had a feeling that it was clever to spend her last euros on flour and sugar rather than dinner for herself.

One day she arrived to the restaurant Buenavida and the chef of that time told her they where not looking for anyone. And Javi said exhausted: –Just take my CV.

A couple of days later Fran called her because he was opening Malavida.

He asked Javi for the interview, and that day she was actually taking pictures of her cookies in the city to sell them in Instagram (even though she didn’t know anyone in the city.)

So it was time to go to the interview and Javi arrived with her cookies. She told Fran and Buenavida chef her story and they asked me to try. Then Fran order her 60 cookies for the big opening to join a cocktail and asked her to do a test day.

– I have to admit that her cookies made me curious, says Fran.

– I tasted one, and it was… Extremely good.

Fran hired Javi for doing desserts and washing the dishes and helping the chef.

– She thought she was going to be responsible for patisserie, but that wasn’t the whole truth, says Fran and smiles slyly.

– She was going to be a chef. She just didn’t know it yet.

Maybe Javi reminded Fran about himself when he met her three years ago. He describes himself as an «autodidact». He left school at the age of 17 because he did not like their teaching methods. He has traveled all around the world, first as a DJ, later as a restaurant owner. He has helped start a number of successful bar – and restaurant concepts from Paris to Bordeaux.

And everything is self-taught.

– Everybody’s free to learn everything, Fran asserts, and adds:

– Javi is the perfect example of that. She had a background in the pastry industry and only wanted to make cakes in our restaurant. But that’s not a good thing, I think. If you work in a kitchen and don’t know how to make entrecote or frites or ceviche, it will get pretty sad for your chef-soul eventually, says Fran.

He believes that everyone should strive to acquire knowledge about almost everything in their respective fields.

– You are a journalist, okay. You write about restaurants and music. But tomorrow you may have to write a political article. It’s only when you know everything that you become a real professional, says Fran and nods in my direction.

He believes that Malavida opened a door for Javi. And when she opened that door, her career was taken to a whole new level.

There is no doubt that Malavida’s reputation has peaked after she took over in the kitchen.

Now a tartare is being served. The blood-red, fresh meat is stacked layer upon layer, like a large tower. And not only does it look striking; the tartar is among the best I have tasted.

The secret behind the tartare is browned butter, she explains. The butter enhances the flavors in the pepper and gives the dish a deeper character.

Or this katsusando. Such an umami bomb mate:

How would you describe a classic dish at Malavida? I ask them.

– The menu travels throughout the Pacific coast of Latin America. The dishes have a clear identity, but we make a twist. The only dish that is true to the classic recipe is ceviche from Peru, Fran explains, adding:

– Everything else is our creations. We love to play with food.

The biggest difference between French and Latin American cuisine is the spanish penchant for parties, explains Fran.

– The heart of French cuisine has always been the sauce; in Spain there are no ingredients or products that define our cuisine. But we share all dishes. Sharing plates and cocktails are part of our cultural identity. We serve food as if every day were a party.

Malavida is, in short, a demonstration of power in how to party like in Spain.

– That is the core of our concept; food was never the most important thing. It was the party, Fran says and smiles.

In Spain there is neither filter nor superficiality. With a Latina by your side, you can be sure where you have him or her. For better or worse. It is normal for boys to fight at parties and become friends afterwards.

That makes Fran think of a poetic little description he has made for himself:

– You love me? Baby, I don’t love you, but I will tell you why I don’t love you. And then we can start loving each other. Because we are honest.
– Malavida is honest.

I find it amusing to think about how people and their culture play into a restaurant’s atmosphere. Just as with the temperament of the Spanish, the dishes are thoroughly honest.

– We make something unexpected with clean products, explains Javi.

They avoid major changes and cumbersome techniques when dealing with the ingredients.

– You do as the Scandinavian people do, I say.

-We take back the meaning of the word restaurant; to restore. We want to look at ourselves in the mirror and feel that our conscience is clean. It’s not our fault if guests feel miserable the next morning.

– Haha, exactly! Having the ability to do both playfully and beautifully with simple things is the most difficult part of the profession, Javi says.

She explains that today’s consumers want to know what they are actually eating. An important part of their service is telling the stories behind the dishes, where the products were obtained and how the ingredients were prepared.

In short, you begin to prepare their mind – and their body – for the imminent experience. It would not be the same if you just served the food on a plate.

Javi uses one of her not so known dishes on the menu as an example; fish with cold mashed potatoes. People are immediately skeptical of something as boring as fish and potatoes – and the dish is rarely ordered. It comes out maybe once per night. But it’s a really good dish.

– When our guests try the dish, they usually order another one. And here the service plays a key role: I tell them that this is fresh tuna from this producer, that this delicious and salty puree is typical from Peru with a lot of spices and lemon, that this is a sauce made from mint, and it is served with cucumber and some chopped red onion and so on..

In short, Javi starts flirting with her guests. And in France people must be seduced. So it is with the matter.

– Let me explain this dish to you, Johanna, says Javi and sets her eyes on me.

And then she begins to lay out at length the execution of this jewel of a dish:

– You see how you can completely change the experience before and after the dish just by explaining what it is? she says enthusiastically and laughs.

– IT’S ALL ABOUT TO ACTIVATE PEOPLE’S IMAGINATION BEFORE ACTUALLY EATING. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE WORDS.

On March 1, Malavida comes to Oslo for making food. Both Fran and Javi are looking forward to getting to know Norwegians and their eating habits.

– The world of food and cocktails will always be an exchange of cultures, says Fran.

And maybe that’s why we’re all drawn to this industry, after all:

– The restaurant world is a world of art – musicians, DJs, chefs, journalists, stylists. We feed on the energy of the people who come to see us.

– I hope that Malavida can bring a freshness to Norwegian cuisine; some colors, flavors and ….

Maybe a flirt without too much play in between, I think in my quiet mind.