“There’s been radical change, and we’ve evolved more in the last eight years, food-wise, than in the previous 100.”

I’m sitting on the terrace of Óscar’s restaurant Mar Gastrotasca which overlooks the La Cícer part of Las Canteras beach and the rolling Atlantic Ocean in Gran Canaria’s capital, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Like the vibe of the island, the restaurant is unassuming and casual but packs a punch in terms of culinary innovation.

The regularly updated menu blends Canarian produce and traditional plates with concepts taken from around the world, which is evident when I feast on octopus tacos with avocado mojo, piquillo pepper mojo, kimchi mayonnaise and mojo ‘snow’.

There are two versions, a red one made using peppers, and a green one using coriander.

Both are accompaniments to the distinctive papas arrugadas (wrinkled potatoes), which are themselves small Canarian potatoes of either the papas bonitas, papas negras or papas coloradas varieties, that are boiled in salty water to form a crystalline salt crust on the skin.

“There has been a desire and passion from young Canarian chefs [who left the island to train] to come back,” continues chef Dayas. “They’ve turned their backs on old-fashioned cuisine and instead have decided to take advantage of the jewels of the sea and the Canarian orchards and land. They are giving value to locally sourced products and our gastronomy in a really creative way.”

Due to the island’s microclimate, farmers are able to grow a huge range of fruit and vegetables, as I see when visiting the tiny family-run vineyard of Bodega Señorio de Cabrera. Husband-and-wife team Agustín and Felisa show me around their vines on the steep barranco (ravine) sides.

Alongside the re-invention of Canarian food, there has been a steady increase in winemaking on the island using and reestablishing native varieties.

Vines have flourished in this part of the island since the Spanish colonisers first brought grape vines here in the 15^th century, and the archipelago is home to at least 18 unique grape varieties. Agustín decants a glass of bright-looking white made from the historic malvasía – of which Shakespeare was a fan when wines were exported from here to the UK in Elizabethan times – and moscatel.

The aromas are tropical – the scent of sunny holidays – and there is a wonderful taste of orange blossom and peach. It’s followed by a red wine made from the two most widely grown grapes on the island: listán negro and tintilla. The high proportion of listán comes through with sour cherries, raspberries and black pepper, while the touch of tintilla adds black fruits, chocolate and liquorice, as well as a hint of vanilla from oak-barrel aging.

These fresh fruit flavours and complex volcanic minerality are common characteristics of wine from the island and most wines are drunk young – although some wineries are experimenting with longer maturation. Gran Canaria wines naturally pair well with dishes made from the island’s bountiful larder, and one such place doing just that is restaurant Muxgo helmed by chef Borja Marrero.

The Michelin-starred restaurant, now housed inside the iconic and historic Santa Catalina, a Royal Hideaway Hotel by Barceló in the heart of the capital, was the first restaurant in the Canaries to receive a much-coveted green Michelin star. These are awarded to restaurants championing sustainable gastronomy,  such as by working directly with local producers and minimising waste.

In Muxgo’s case, the majority of produce used to create the tasting menus comes from Borja’s own finca, or estate, in the mountains of the island. It makes for dishes such as crunchy corn and braised goat, sea bass with Canarian pine caviar, and prickly pear meringue.

As I wander the buzzy streets of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in the sultry evening sun, I pass by several new Canarian restaurants and remember some words from Óscar: “There are always corners to explore on the island, from restaurants that have been creating great food for years, to new restaurants from those brave young chefs that I’ve still to discover.”