With an innate energy that means he never stops moving and talking, Nino Redruello revealed the soul of Fismuler, the “child” he shares with Patxi Zumárraga at San Sebastian Gastronomika-Euskadi Basque Country. 

Nights in Madrid and Barcelona have not been the same since the two Fismuler restaurants opened first in the capital and later in Catalonia. They are places that, under the baton of Nino Redruello and Patxi Zumárraga, have become a reference point not only in terms of gastronomy but also in terms of fun and the desire to have a good time. 

According to Redruello in conversation with the gastronomic journalist José Carlos Capel, the key is that “the philosophy behind Fismuler goes beyond the restaurant, it is a way of life, values that all those who go to Fismuler share”. Spontaneity, honesty, simplicity, balance, fun, solidarity, essence, sustainability and democratisation. It is a credo that is reflected in the dishes and the attitude because “the essential thing is to believe in what you do and to have fun”. And Nino Redruello enjoys himself. As do all those who come to this temple of “traditional cuisine with a spark, with a desire to amaze”.

The chef is honest and warns: “we are not haute cuisine, we are not avant-garde”. Redruello and Zumárraga pursue cuisine in which the product determines what will be cooked: “we look for dishes where the product speaks for itself; we do not explain, we do not interrupt conversations”. Fismuler is a place to be enjoyed. “It’s a different story”, he concludes. 

While he was unleashing the Fismuler spirit, Redruello was also working in the kitchen showing us some of the dishes that have proved so successful in his restaurant. He surprised the palate with a squid fritter on top of a stew base made of onion, garlic, fried squid and pork cheek with dashi and oyster sauce. Then came a black fritter fried in a squid ink tempura, “a witty, fun and tasty snack; an aperitif to stimulate the pupils”.

And with the papillae activated, the chef went on to present an appetiser full of “fun but simple and natural contrasts”. He chose sea bream as the main ingredient, cured quickly to achieve a smooth texture, accompanied by shallots (“freshness, with a bitter tone”), red grapes (“a sweet spot”), toasted almonds (“crunchiness”) and sriracha powder (“spice”).

But Redruello could not leave the congress without one of his emblematic dishes. He is not called the “omelette guy” of Madrid restaurant Las Tortillas de Gabino for nothing. Nino showed us his perfect French omelette, “a very airy omelette, in which the egg never sets”, with a filling of Iberian bacon, snakelocks anemones  and an enriched bacon foam.

As Nino Redruello said at the beginning of his presentation, “no one has” the keys to success, but no one will deny that, with (feigned) spontaneity and expressing a lot with a little, Fismuler have hit the nail on the head. But Redruello insists that the best thing is: “the goodwill that you breathe”.