Tan, who is an only child, lives thousands of miles from her parents. But this young woman originally from Shengyang, a cold city in the northeast of China, has found in Barcelona a group of people that she cares for and loves like her family. And it is no wonder, because Arthur, Mariela, Moonsun, Gabrielle, Anton and especially her partner, Woody, have helped her achieve her dream of opening her own restaurant. Together they run Mikan, a small but comfortable place on Aribau Street where they serve tapas from Northeast Asia and natural wines. This business, in which Tan is the chef, started half a year ago and is already a success.
Before that, this affable cook studied business in Japan and worked for large companies in the food sector. But then she performed tasks away from the stove and she always ended up asking herself the same question: “Do I really want to dedicate myself to this for the rest of my life?” She was never afraid to leave old projects behind to start new ones, because it was her happiness that was at stake. A courage that she could have inherited from her grandparents, who fled North Korea when they were very young and settled in China to start a family far from that regime.
He also inherited his knowledge of Korean cuisine from his grandmother, while his mother showed him the most homemade side of Chinese cuisine. For this reason, Mikan prepares dishes that combine both cultures, among which the chef finds many similarities, such as the recurring use of soy sauce or spicy seasonings. The proposal of this restaurant also presents Japanese influences, from when Tan lived there.
Vegetables are another essential part of these cuisines, something that is reflected in the menu. The cucumber salad with katsuoboshi; rice noodles with shiitake, soy and spicy oil; or the delicious eringi mushrooms sautéed with garlic, yuzu ponzu and butter are some examples. Tofu is another common ingredient, because “I grew up eating tofu and I love it. “It is not a food only for vegetarians,” he insists.
Meat and fish are not left out and shine in dishes such as the beef salad with cilantro, garlic and red chili, which is fresh and spicy; shrimp with wasabi sauce or Iberian loin katsu, crispy on the outside and deliciously tender on the inside.
The Asian tapas that Tan and her team make, designed to be shared, are simple and tasty – “like the cuisine I grew up with, which is much more than sushi, ramen and fried rice,” says the cook – and they change them according to the temporality. They propose accompanying them with wines from small, low-intervention producers, which they carefully choose. At lunch, they also offer an affordable menu presented as a bento, with a main dish and several side dishes.
And what does Mikan mean? It is 'tangerine' in Japanese, Tan's favorite fruit and the name of her cat, an image of this place where there is also live music on some weekends. “Another of my great passions,” she concludes.
