In Sauce | Opening: Daitan, respect for Asian cuisine as the main ingredient

Daitan in Japanese means bold, daring, daring. “You have to be very daring to set up an Asian cuisine restaurant, since you have to train a lot and precision is super important, that’s why we called it Daitan,” he says. Adrian Deaconone of the daring people who decided to open this business a month ago in Mérida.

And, despite the risk, he does not lose his smile. It is obvious that she is enjoying herself, although she has been manually filling and closing gyozas for more than an hour. “In each service I make between one hundred and two hundred because they are the most requested dishes, but I don’t care, it entertains me,” she confesses. After more than a decade as a chef, he has been running Vaova Gastro for four years with Eduardo Cumbreño, who also participates in this new project. In addition, they have strengthened the team of partners with the head of the room Diego de la Cruz and the sushi chef Alberto Ramos. Four good supports so that the idea is stable and lasts over time. “I’ve been in a hurry for years, working hard, in the kitchen, always in a hurry, but now at Daitan we have a bar, which is the true essence of the place, and I’m really enjoying it,” he details.

Only six lucky people have space at this bar. You will see with your own eyes the cleanliness, technique and precision with which these professionals work. In addition, you will be able to have a conversation with them and learn a little about Asian cuisine. «We have a lot of respect for Japanese cuisine, that’s why we don’t want to classify ourselves as such. Additionally, if there is a Korean or Filipino dish that we like, we also put it on the menu. That’s why we call it ‘our thing’. At Vaova we had always had some things but, as a result of the pandemic, we began to investigate and study more and that is how the idea of ​​setting up this business arose. Furthermore, we had Alberto working with us, who wanted to grow and there he could not perform all the art that he has within him. “It’s a piece of sushiman,” says Adrian.

His story, Alberto’s, is very motivating. And he tells it: “I had no studies, but I started to see that I was good at sushi, I liked it and I thought it could be useful for something, so I trained and I have put a lot of hours and effort into it.” To talk to him and to Adrian is to receive a masterclass about the rice – which they give 80% importance to – its temperature, the looseness of the grain, the pressure that must be exerted on the nigiri… and even about the tools of Japanese gastronomy.

In addition, Daitan has the first tap of Japanese beer in Extremadura, Asahi, which, being soft and dry, pairs very well with fish. There are also various sakes, cold teas and even cavas. As for the desserts, they are unexpected and refreshing, such as the mochis filled with the cookie cake or the crèpe millefeuille with matcha tea, among others.

Daitan ‘On our roll’

• Address
  C/ Berzocana, 7

• Location
  Merida

• Time
  Closed Monday and Tuesday. The rest of the days from 12 to 5:30 p.m. and from 8 p.m. to midnight

• Telephone
  924 099 861

• Terrace
  No

The place does not clash with this original and homemade cuisine. With blue tones and several Japanese tapestries, it is authentic and exudes the care with which it has been designed and renovated for a year. It has capacity for 48 people.