Félix Jiménez

Chef at Kiro Sushi* (Logroño, Spain)

He went to Japan to perfect his technique, and came back to set up one of Spain’s best sushi bars. And he’s still working on that.

Kiro is Félix Jiménez’s restaurant dream come true. He is a La Rioja chef with over 15 years’ experience in Japanese gastronomy as head chef at Tahini (Majorca), and he completed his training in Tokyo with the grand master Yoshikawa Takamasa (Suzaku). At Kiro, which he opened in 2015, Jiménez went back to his roots to come up with a pioneer format in Spain: an eight-seater sushi bar where he works face-to-face with diners throughout the meal, making up each piece one by one. The décor, wood and natural colours, helps create the warm, peaceful atmosphere sought by the chef.

Kiro’s fare is based on two pillars: tradition and quality. For two decades Jiménez has been perfecting his technique in Edomae – ancient sushi – on the instructions of his Japanese maestro, with a major focus on grilling and smoking, mostly rice and fish. The chef has the utmost respect for the modus operandi he has learned, and also for the product, selecting each piece and making precise cuts, playing with textures, juiciness and technique. This is all structured in the sampling menu, a trip around the flavours of the Asian nation, with nigiris in the starring role.