Toch: good bar, great seafood, even better bluefin tuna
Summary:
A logbook by Sensei Hiroshi Umi.
The dependability of simplicity, craftsmanship, product and experience. The certainty of perfection after almost two decades of hard work. It all adds up to a classic. That is how we could define Toch in just a few brief brush strokes, an essential venue in Alicante, presided over by master of ceremonies Antonio Domínguez (Tonet).
With Israel Aldeguer as a founding partner (they have been together in this commercial venture since the outset), Tonet took the culinary helm of Toch, and has gradually perfected a culinary style in which the finest ingredients are an unbreakable commandment, always with a subtle hint of the avant-garde, to heighten nuances and round off edges. And there are no shortcuts. Always the very best from the market. The pick of the fish markets of Santa Pola, Altea, Denia and El Campello. Galicia’s finest scallops, razor clams, cockles and variegated scallops. And for the bluefin tuna, the Fuentes hallmark offers guarantees and reliability on demand.
Your blogger went along to Toch to fan his face in the charmingly warm Alicante weather, a sea breeze inviting conversation and enjoyment. The establishment, with its barstools, more private tables, and a terrace for long after-dinner chats, is to be found in San Juan on the outskirts of Alicante, just a stone’s throw from the shoreline, and in one of the districts that has seen the biggest boom in terms of footfall and the restaurant business, with wealthy patrons who demand high quality.
Bluefin tuna tartar, a signature dish at Toch
“One of our real signature dishes is the bluefin tuna tartar, which has been hugely in demand almost from our earliest days. It comes on a base of mayonnaise, mango, avocado, sriracha… Dressed with a little soy, oil, togarashi, sugar and salt. A few fried sweetcorn kernels crushed on top give it a bit of a crunch. A dash of wakame, and it’s ready…”, the chef explains, as he plates up. The 120 grammes of bluefin tuna, weighed on a scale for each serving, make sure that the dressing does not overpower, but enhances the dish.
Raised in La Albufera, in Alicante province, and an office worker by profession, Domínguez isn’t one of those natural born chefs whose earliest memory is of the kitchen. He did not soak up the finest essence of cooking from his grandmother or mother, and then find himself trying out the same recipes by way of tribute. No, Tonet was self-taught. As seen in his rice with bluefin tuna, artichokes and garlic shoots. A fine layer with a profound flavour and Mediterranean heritage.
“I discovered that the kitchen was the place for me. When I was young, I got a job one summer in Alicante, as a barman, at the age of just 20. I ventured into the kitchen, and never looked back. I just carried on, and it became a passion. I’ve learned so much from all the places where I’ve been. Before I decided to set up Toch, I was busy at the Manolín Group, the name behind the famous Piripi,” he recalls. As he tops off 160 grammes of bluefin tuna sashimi with strawberry and green peppercorn jam, wasabi and dried tomato, he admits that the opening of Toch back in 2005 was an event that got a little out of hand.
The key to his success: never lower your standards
“It was a real triumph, monumental. We continued developing the menu, and are now the product of all those years, with ups and downs, but we have survived despite all the crises. We have a loyal clientèle, and there are even people who come here from the cruise ships. And the rule is never to lower your standards, always have the very best. The meat, the seafood… And we have had bluefin tuna since the very start. There weren’t many people serving tataki or slicing sashimi properly 20 years ago,” he argues.
Every Sunday, Tonet skilfully serves up at least 15 or 16 dishes of rice. The bluefin tuna version stands out for its simplicity, with a flavourful stock soaked up by bomba short-grain rice from the Ebro Delta. “I put the chunks of half-cooked tuna in at the end. It’s an outstanding product,” he declares with satisfaction.
Ceviche is no secret for Tonet, but does offer him a choice: “Fuentes tuna in escabeche, with whatever vegetables we have in season, is something else. I reckon that in summer we get through around 16 kilos of bluefin tuna, although we don’t cook the belly here. People aren’t so keen on the level of fattiness. Tartar is much more popular, our star dish, which is what people really come here for, like the rice. Our menu also includes pork cheeks and trotters, oxtail, and above all plenty of fish of the day, wonderfully fresh, such as cod, sea bass, turbot…”.
When asked about the name, “Toch doesn’t mean anything as such, not even in Valencian. It just sounds good”. Whenever he is not in the kitchen, and family life allows, Tonet indulges other hobbies. “I have really got into swimming. It gives me so much peace. I’m taking classes with an instructor, because I thought I knew how to swim, but I’ve realised I didn’t. It was my wife who got me into the hobby, as she is an open-water swimmer. Swimming also gives me the chance to meet new people,” he explains. Once out of the water, a stroll around Alicante Market to scrutinise the outstanding seasonal products. On holiday, with the family in a motorhome. Tonet is always busy. Always a classic. Giving his all with every stroke. And on the horizon, an expansion lies in wait. “We’ll see. I would love to”.