Graze Across Galicia: Árbore Da Veira

The last of my Galician dining adventures (until the next go round, which I hope will be soon) was an artfully presented lunch at Árbore Da Veira, an upscale Michelin starred restaurant in A Coruña.

Chef Luis Veira’s frisky if restrained approach toward haute cuisine highlights immense culinary talent and an especially inventive palate through a light-hearted approach that refrains from straying beyond the bounds of elegance and formality.

Interiors and furnishings at Árbore Da Veira are minimalist and modern with dashes of frivolity and splashes of colour (a glossy yellow and ceramic sculpture of a cartoon hippo serves as centerpiece at one table; a server pushing a creaky antique candy floss cart comes round with petit fours at the end of a meal).

Plated creations brought to table with perfunctory precision demonstrate a similar sophistication mixed with playfulness. Squid with smoked lemon ice cream was the initial offering of the 12-course tasting menu I enjoyed. Highlights along the way included a ball of foie gras in the shape of cherry with a stem; asparagus with caviar and horse mackerel; scallops with marrow soup (the best dish during the serving – and maybe the tastiest of my entire time in Galicia); and vermouth, basil and citrus ice cream.

In all honesty, I loved my meal, highly recommend the experience and would be in no ways averse to planning a repeat visit – but at the time, the fancy/fun ratio felt unevenly balanced with quirks sometimes seeming to have been inserted as an afterthought rather than infused as elements of initial consideration. Upon reflection though, my memories of my meal remain fond and the exceptional food and chef’s ambitions outweigh any kinks.

You would be wise to reserve a table well in advance of a visit.

Árbore Da Veira is located at Rúa San Andrés 109, 15003 A Coruña. Find out more at arboredaveira.com.

That about does it for my Graze Across Galicia miniseries. I’ll be back soon with one more post to wrap things up.