“We know what we want to do, the formula works and people enjoy it: we reach people who may not be able to go to other places to eat.”
The restaurant
In the heart of Malaga's El Perchel neighborhood, a small corner of cuisine has made its way into the hearts of foodies. We are talking about Base9 Restaurant, the project that saw the light of day thanks to the encounter between two young Andalusian chefs, Pablo Zamudio and Cristian Fernández, who were able to create an unexpected and delicious culinary proposal. Almost two years after its opening, the restaurant continues to be noted for its cuisine that reinterprets traditional dishes with an all-contemporary freshness, all at an affordable, no-frills price.
At 33 and 28 years old, respectively, the two chefs have won over the Malaga audience thanks to their gastronomic vision that starts from simplicity but never loses sight of quality. Their philosophy is to offer cuisine rooted in tradition, but at the same time evolved, capable of surprising without straying too far from the flavors we all know and love. “We know what we want to do, the formula works and people enjoy it,” they explain to El Paìs with a smile, convinced of the path they have taken.
However, the story of Base9 began long before the official opening in 2018, when the two chefs met during a cooking class. However, it was not an instant love story: both had had an absent-minded student background, yet after a bit of professional wandering, they discovered the magic of cooking. After graduation, experiences in prestigious restaurants, including Ángel León's renowned Aponiente and Diego Gallegos's Sollo, prompted them to stake everything on that shared dream: to open a restaurant of their own, though with different premises.
In 2022, the dream has become a reality. Base9 opened its doors with a menu that changes seasonally yet maintains iconic dishes such as its famous potato omelet inspired by Japanese omurice, served with wasabi mayonnaise. There is no shortage of inspiration from Andalusian cuisine and regional traditions, such as the famous alboronía, a ratatouille rich with vegetables and pumpkin foam, or chicken cannelloni, a dish that requires hours of cooking to achieve a perfect texture, rich in flavor.
The philosophy that pervades Base9 is simple but effective: "You don't have to make life hard for yourself". Dishes aiming for the essential, made with carefully selected raw materials, and a continuous focus on tradition. “The essential is invisible to the eyes,” as the Little Prince used to say, a concept that Chef Fernández translates to the kitchen, where the bottoms and reductions are revealed in all their intensity after hours of slow cooking. The price, like the rest, is appropriate: “There is no need to go crazy or for an omelet to cost 18 euros. We reach people who may not be able to go to other places to eat,", says Zamudio, who is now in charge of the room.
As we approach its second anniversary, Base9 has not lost its freshness: the menu evolves with the seasons, and dishes such as tuna croquettes with tomato sauce or Pyrenean trout with Iberian carbonara not only carry on tradition but renew it in surprising ways. One cannot fail to mention the excellent wine list as well, with a selection that includes local gems such as the red Badman and the white Resilencia, as well as labels from New Zealand, France and South Africa, for a wine offering that has already won an international clientele.
At Base9, cooking is never about glitz, but about substance. The dining room, with a capacity of 42 seats, welcomes guests in an intimate atmosphere, while the kitchen, though small, is a real laboratory where tradition and innovation are mixed. And Base9's signature remains the same: food that has a story, dishes that tell their own story, and service that is not afraid to remain accessible to all. There is no need to overdo it, but just a small corner of passion and commitment is enough to make every dish special.
