Restaurant openings

[vserna]

Madrid seems to take its role as the new mecca of exotic cuisine in southern Europe (Ken Hom dixit) very seriously: if you compare the number of openings of traditional Spanish places with those of sushi bars, the rate may be three-to-one in favor of sushi right now. Add other Asian openings (from Vietnamese to Indian), and it's four-to-one... There's obviously a public, here as elsewhere in the Western world, for Asian cuisine, and younger people have taken to Japanese food with great enthusiasm.

Yet in contrast with this general trend, the greatest success story of the past few months in Madrid is certainly that of Las Tortillas de Gabino, a thoroughly Spanish and traditional restaurant where bookings must be made long in advance. The trick has ben to update, in a very modern décor, the cuisine that the Redruello family has been offering for 70 years in its two La Ancha 'tascas'.

The two youngest siblings, Nino and Santi Redruello, have launched this new branch which recalls the great Gabino, who created the house style for 'tortillas' (the Spanish version of omelets or frittatas, not of Mexican tortillas) back in the 1960s: they are cooked, only on one side, in round earthenware dishes, which hold the quasi-liquid omelet together. The classic 'de patatas' is one of them, but there are many others: 'guisada con callos' (on top of Madrid-style tripe), 'negra' (with squid), 'lascas de bacalao con crema de porrusalda' (with codfish slices and a leek-and-potato cream)... Terrific stuff.

They don't restrict themselves to tortillas and have other simple, tasty dishes ('croquetas de jamón ibérico' (Ibérico ham croquettes), 'carrillera de ternera glaseada' (glazed veal cheek), a simple salad of Kumato tomato and spring onion with extra virgin olive oil, some sautéed sirloin chunks... But the tortillas are the stars, no doubt. There seems to be still a market for traditional fare here - if cleverly updated.

Other openings of distinction in recent months in the Spanish capital:

-Real Café Bernabeu, a striking minimalist space inside the Real Madrid stadium, right above the playing field, with clever, modern, moderately priced fare designed by a talented but fickle Franco-Spanish chef, Ange García, who's back in town after 15 years. His deconstructed 'cocido madrileño' is brilliant, and his 'timbal de huevos rotos con tartare de bacalao ahumado' (a scramble of eggs-and-potatoes with a smoked codfish tartare) has become a quick star.

-Adoc, the ultra-sophisticated restaurant run by Etienne Bastaits, a fine, devoted Belgian chef previously at La Broche. Nice tongue-in-cheek deconstructed dish: 'tortilla española interpretada por un belga' ('Spanish omelet as interpreted by a Belgian'). Interesting trivia fact: the first written mention of a potato omelet anywhere in the then-Spanish empire is to be found in a 16th century Belgian text, back when Belgium was part of that empire.

-The wonderful library at the Santo Mauro Hotel, with an entirely new menu since the recent appointment of Carlos Posadas (ex-El Amparo) as chef. Luxurious but good cuisine: stewed partridge ravioli in a black truffle broth, hare 'civet' with a smoked eel stuffing.

-The entirely revamped and redecorated Boccondivino, Ignazio Deias' Sardinian restaurant that's one of the best outside Italy for the island's hearty cuisine. including the stupendous pasta, 'malloreddus', and such dishes as a mille-feuilles of Sardinian bread with pecorino sardo cheese, black truffles and a quail egg...

-A discreet, almost non-descript Mexican restaurant, El Chile Verde, with a young cook, Amalia Arévalo, who shows a light touch with classic fish ceviche or with 'cochinita pibil' tacos.

-And, of course, some other places we've already mentioned here such as Sudestada or Dominus.

I hear you asking: well, what about all those sushi bars? Well, the best one among the new ones I've been to is 19 Sushi Bar (Alex Moranda is an alum of Kabuki). But Kabuki and Miyama remain 'the' places in Madrid.

[anyavon]

Real Café Bernabeu...is that instead of or in addition to Puerta 57?

[pedro]

In addition to, Anya. Café Real is on Concha Espina street while Puerta is on Padre Damián. I don't know if they share anything else than --relatively-- the location.

[pedro]

Madrid seems to take its role as the new mecca of exotic cuisine in southern Europe (Ken Hom dixit) very seriously: if you compare the number of openings of traditional Spanish places with those of sushi bars, the rate may be three-to-one in favor of sushi right now. Add other Asian openings (from Vietnamese to Indian), and it's four-to-one... There's obviously a public, here as elsewhere in the Western world, for Asian cuisine, and younger people have taken to Japanese food with great enthusiasm.

. . . . .

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An interesting topic regarding the wave of Asian restaurant which is taking Madrid by storm is whether this is happening at all price points or rather is well contained in the mid segment, let's say well below the 55-60€ per person. I wonder how the most ambitious places, like Yuan or Asia Gallery are doing.

[butterfly]

> Real Café Bernabeu

I walked by the stadium the other day and saw this place. It was the first time in my life that I have felt drawn to enter a sports venue voluntarily.

Thanks for the update.

[vserna]

Following on the subject of tortilla a la española - quick aperitivo today at Sylkar, the small nondescript coffee shop at the corner of Espronceda and Alonso Cano streets in Madrid: their 'pincho de tortilla', both with and without onion, is mindbogglingly good. I mean, if some visitor wants to settle any doubts on how a Spanish potato omelet should taste and what its texture should be, this is a cheap, quick, tasty way of finding out. Just take a cab directly to Sylkar when arriving in Madrid airport! (They have pestiños and other home-made things that modern-day coffee shops don't carry, too. A very good address for snacks, 'tapas' and meals.)

[pedro]

In Sylkar's small dining room upstairs, you may sample a few nice dishes besides the excellent tortilla. I remind some quite good callos (tripe) among them and a wine list which wasn't bad at all.