Each year, thousands of tourists spend glorious holidays at Seaside Los Jameos hotel in Los Pocillos. They enjoy its beautiful gardens, its traditional yet elegant and modern décor and the incredibly high quality of its food.
But what many people who live on Lanzarote aren’t aware of is that they can also enjoy these dining opportunities. In fact, if they don’t, they’re missing out on some of the finest food on the island.
Vicente Rodríguez is the Head Chef at Seaside Los Jameos. A local lad from Las Breñas, he has ended up in charge of dozens of staff at one of the island’s most prestigious luxury hotels. We met up with him to talk about the hotel’s latest and most impressive restaurant,
Arroz y Fuego. Arroz y Fuego means “Rice and Fire”. What’s the concept, Vicente?
This is a restaurant that serves paellas and arroces, freshly- prepared Mediterranean rice dishes that are cooked in front of your eyes on the large stoves in the restaurant. We also serve a variety of tapas dishes and, of course, a wide range of local and national wines.
What’s the difference between a paella and an arroz?
An arroz is any rice dish, but a paella is a Valencia dish that should be prepared in a special pan on an open flame. The star ingredient of a paella is the rice, while other rice dishes focus on the other ingredients.
What rice dishes do you offer?
There are dishes with lobster, with Iberian pork, with fish, seafood or chicken. There’s a Canarian rice dish with rabbit, and a vegetarian option.
Jamie Oliver nearly caused a war when he put chorizo in his paella. Would you ever do that?
That might be taking things a bit far with a paella, but I have made a rice dish with longaniza sausage that turned out very well indeed.
What ingredients do you use?
The rice comes from Molino Roca in Valencia, one of the best suppliers that exists. Really good olive oil is important – a kilo of rice requires 100 mls of oil – and we use an extra virgin oil from Ronda in Andalusia. All fresh ingredients are locallysourced and every ingredient apart from the stock is prepared from scratch.
What about the tapas?
We offer cheeses from the dairy in Uga, a classic Canarian rabbit recipe called Conejo Al Salmorejo. We’ve developed a salad with sweet potatoes, and another with local beetroot, apples, fennel and goat’s milk yoghurt.
The restaurant is stunning, and the food looks irresistible. How do you manage to provide a large hotel with such a high standard of dining?
I like to say I surround myself with people who know more than I do. My staff are vital, and many of them are trained locally at the catering school.
How do you reserve a table at Arroz y Fuego if you’re not a guest at the hotel?
Simply call the reception on 928 51 17 17.
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