The entrepreneur from Lanzarote, Dailos Perdomo, always liked cooking, and in Madrid he had the opportunity to train in that subject with the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu school, and then help chefs such as Diego Guerrero or Mario Sandoval, who have two Michelin stars in their respective restaurants.
After six years in the Spanish capital, he decided to return to Lanzarote and set up Liken, a seafood restaurant that takes great care of local produce and the quality of its dishes.
In an interview with the radio program Más de Uno Gourmet on Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero, Perdomo reveals the current menu of Liken and announces the opening of another restaurant on the island.
- How did you decide to dedicate yourself to cooking?
When I was young, I really liked cooking. My grandmother cooked very well, my mother too, although in the end it was by chance. My cousin called me to give him a hand in his restaurant Hespérides in La Villa, first washing dishes and then helping in the kitchen. I realized that I could have a future in this profession.
I decided to go to Madrid because my partner was studying there, and I started working at a breakfast and daily menu place, where I really learned to cook and become a cook.
* **What better way to learn than through battle, with the menu of the day…**Yes, total battle. I would come in at 8:00 and by 9:00 in the morning I already had 10 omelets made with eight eggs, eight with onions and two without onions. At 9:00, serving breakfasts and preparing the menu for 1:00 PM.
- And you also took a cooking course there, didn't you?
I took a Spanish cuisine course at Le Cordon Bleu, and afterwards I interned with Diego Guerrero, who has two Michelin stars. At another time, I was with Mario Sandoval, who also has two Michelin stars.
- How was the return to Lanzarote?
After six years in Madrid, I decided to return to Lanzarote to create my own project in 2019, the Liken restaurant in Marina Rubicón.
- How were the beginnings of Liken?
I never imagined what all this would be like. It's not the same thing to have a ten-table restaurant as it is to have a forty-table restaurant, like the one we have. You make mistakes and you learn. It's all trial and error.
After giving it a lot of thought, I wondered: "What would I like to do and what can I do?" because you can't just do whatever you feel like. Obviously, I've always been clear that I wanted a simple cuisine with good product and quality.
* **And nowadays?**
Right now we are at a very good, very stable point. We have learned a lot, we have been adapting to what needs to be done: in addition to cooking, you become a bartender, you become a maître d', a waiter, an administrator, a receptionist…
- What dishes will visitors find at Liken?
We have a starter menu, some more classic, others a little more daring, like the goat meat taco, some very tasty fish croquettes with seaweed aioli, the usual grilled smoked cheese, but cut into ingots, we call it the conejero ingot.
Then we have bluefin tuna all year round, rice dishes, the fish of the day, whatever there is. Obviously, we have some meat, and some desserts very close to our land, because we have a sweet tooth. For example, the 'Memory of my grandmother', as I call it, is a banana mush with Maria cookies. We've had it for three years and the truth is that it has been a success. When they try it, many people remember when they were little.
- Future plans?
We're working on another project, similar to Liken, although smaller, with seafood cuisine and mainly rice dishes in another part of the island. We have to wait a little while.
- What are Liken's hours?
From Monday to Saturday. On Mondays we open at 18:30, night service only. From Tuesday to Saturday we are open from 13:00 to 22:00 hours and we are closed on Sundays.
- Is it worth booking?
It's always better to book at night. It depends on the time of year; we're packed right now. At midday, it's usually a little quieter, but it's always advisable to book to secure a table and avoid waiting.
