Petit Comité Sevilla: Gourmet Catalan Tapas

This lovely restaurant in the Arenal neighbourhood of Seville, Petite Comité is on the cutting edge of modern-style Spanish tapas, taking Catalan cuisine to a whole new level. Great cooking, like great art, requires talent and imagination, and for tapas to stay relevant, they must keep evolving, and Petit Comité is at the vanguard of this evolution. French chef Thomas Laurent is in charge of the kitchen, and with a refined technique of pure Galician gastronomy, he has perfectly adapted local products and recipes with a touch of sophistication. The restaurant looks like a typical Parisian bistro with ornate tiled floor and seductive French vibe, wooden café-style furniture, hand painted wallpaper, indoor palm trees, and mosaic-tiled bull’s head for a whimsical Sevillano touch. Great cooking, like great art, requires imagination and talent, and chefs like Laurent Thomas constantly challenges himself in search of new ideas, in the same way that a painter faces a blank canvas. Sensational dishes such as Fried Anchovies marinated in Tio Pepe sherry, Risotto with Duck, Pumpkin and Foie Gras, Petit Comité Cured Duck Breast stuffed with Foie Gras, and sensational Octopus with Truffle Parmentier and Egg Yolk bring creative flair to traditional Andalusian recipes, for an unforgettable dining experience. Warm and inviting with superb service and innovative, sophisticated takes on regional cuisine have quickly won Petit Comité a loyal following among locals and tourists alike, so booking ahead is absolutely essential, but your tenacity will be well rewarded.

Set within three small rooms, Le Petit Comité has a charming Parisian ambience 

with outstanding food and excellent service

The menu features gourmet tapas and small plates, all designed for sharing

Serving Spanish Cava Parxet Brut Reserva in chilled champagne glasses

A delicious chilled glass of Spanish cava

Woven basket of Petit Comité flatbreads, biscuits and fresh bread

Extra thick-cut certified White Asparagus from Navarro

The kitchen busy with plating the Duck, Pumpkin and Foie Gras Risotto

Chef Laurent Thomas

Homemade Croquetas

Petit Comité Cured Duck Breast stuffed with Foie Gras

2016 Pazo de Señorans Albariño from Rias Baixas

Basket of Fried Anchovies 'Tio Pepe', one of the restaurant's most popular dishes 

but only seasonally available

Hierba Buena sauce, rather like a garlic-mint aioli, served with the 'Boquerones Fritos'

Octopus with silky mashed potatoes, truffle oil and raw egg yolk

Our server suggested we break the yolk and mix it with the mashed potato and octopus

The dish was a sensational combination of perfectly cooked octopus and silky smooth mashed potatoes  and runny yolk infused with intense flavour and seductive aroma of truffle oil

Lustau East India Solera Sherry from Jerez is a sweet sherry blend of aged drier Oloroso 

and sweet Pedro Ximenez

Burnished by time, full of salted caramel and dried fruits and roasted nuts

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Octopus with silky mashed potatoes, truffle oil and raw egg yolk

Serves 2

Recipe courtesy of chef Laurent Thomas

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup cream

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp paprika oil

1 tsp truffle oil

Maldon salt and black pepper, to taste

1 leek, timed and finely sliced

1 celery stalk, timed and finely sliced

2 egg yolks

1 raw Octopus tentacle, sliced 1/8-inch thick, about 10 slices

To start, cook the chopped potato in boiling water while sautéing the celery and leeks with a little olive oil. Once cooked through, add the potato with the sofrito of celery and leek. In the same pan, add the milk, cream and season with salt and pepper, and mix well to thoroughly combine. Then place the mixture in a Thermomix, blender or food processor and blend until smooth, while adding the extra virgin olive oil and truffle oil to obtain a tasty leek and potato cream.

Slice a octopus tentacle into 1/8-inch coins and place in a sauté pan with a teaspoon of olive oil on medium-high heat, and cook until just warmed through. To serve, spoon the leek and potato cream on the bottom of two dinner bowls, and arrange the sautéed octopus on top of each in a single layer then crown each with an egg yolk blasted lightly with a blowtorch, and finish with a spoonful of paprika oil and salt.