They still don't believe it. The Tofé brothers, Sergio (1991) and Mario (1997), both from Madrid, have seen how Èter -the charming and unique restaurant they have in Legazpi- has become in a few months an
object of desire
, so much so that they have hung up a poster of " Full until July. "There are people who want to book for October! For the moment, we have
stopped requests
because they will be managed from our website and reservations
will
be
opened quarterly
", explains Mario, the little Tofé and our guide in the present and the past of Èter. So, pay attention to the
first week of June
, which is when the website and reservations for July, September and October will start.
They started alone,
Sergio in the stove and Mario in the living room
and cellar. Now they have had to reinforce the kitchen and are looking for another person to accompany them in the services. What is Èter? A dining room with five tables and capacity for 18 people: "But at most
we serve 16.
There are people who ask us if we are going to increase the capacity when the restrictions are lifted and we say no, because the
five tables were thought before the Covid
. If we put more in, we couldn't do what we're doing. "
What are they doing and what has made them 'fashionable'?
Well, among other things, handling
contrasts
with
grace and harmony
, "although we do not seek to break the flavors,
or make an impact
like other cooks. We are not a restaurant with white gloves, but I think we bring elegance,
subtlety
, to the dishes; in addition to
respecting the product
and the customer's palate so that they can find all those flavors that I tell them, "says Mario.
Sergio (left) and Mario, owners of Èter.
The offer is divided into
two menus
: one with seven steps and the other with 12, with recipes that vary according to the market. For example, the
cod brandade tart
, tarragon earth, Korean chili powder and red miso; asparagus from Navarra and asparagus, idiazábal cheese foam and macadamia nut earth; marinated sturgeon with romesco sauce, trout roe and piparras; the
marinated herring
mustard ice cream, ricotta, roasted apple aioli and sour apple udon false; the
gizzard in three
cooking
times
(at low temperature, risolada and baked), veal juice and satay sauce ...
Or the
cauliflower in tempura
with sweet potato cream, mole poblano (with 25 ingredients) and Japanese pea ground with wasabi.
"This dish defines
our cuisine a
lot
. A humble product like cauliflower has become one of the proposals that convinces us the most and that people like the most, because the most
humble
foods
can also shine
."
-To shine now you, who, in addition, are candidates for Revelation Chef in Madrid Fusion 2021. How are you living it?
-In the beginning we did not give credit, we did not believe it,
even today it costs us
.
It is amazing, especially because it is happening to both of us at the same time, we are sharing it as partners, as friends and as brothers, which is the best and a gift.
Navarra asparagus, wild wheat and idiazábal foam.
A "gift" that they have earned because, although it seems that they have sprouted from nowhere, it is not like that.
"There is a lot of work and struggle behind; a
lot of polishing the detail and not relaxing
. When this recognition arrives, in the end, it is like when you are about to cry and someone gives you a hug,
it comforts you
", Mario points out.
The speech of the Tofé and Èter - among other definitions, that apparent sphere that surrounds the Earth - is not the usual one. First, the restaurant is not exactly in
the gastronomic heart
(let's say, Earth), but in the Metals neighborhood (continuing with the metaphor, the sphere that surrounds it). Second, they have not been trained with renowned chefs: Sergio studied at
the Casa de Campo
Hospitality School
- and has followed his apprenticeship in a self-taught way, taking courses and
polishing his style himself
- and Mario at the
Madrid Chamber of Commerce
. But they both have
instincts
for the kitchen (where spices and herbs reign) and for the living room where they flow like ether.
And third, his is not a typical dining room: "There is
nothing fixed or closed
. We let ourselves be carried away by the moment, by the product. If something does not convince us, we change it immediately. There is
dynamism
both in the gastronomic menu and in the one of wines ", adds.
Burrata foam, smoked eel, ground basil and chickweed.
-How is Èter's kitchen?
-It has no definition, but if you have to look for one, a
workshop restaurant
, because we are young and we do not stop studying, learning and practicing. Once we like something, we offer it to the public. With national raw materials we dare to make a traveling kitchen, but
without putting a label on it
, because we want to work with all foods.
Thus, they bet, for example, on a Mexican mole; a dahl (lentil and curry stew) ... If they don't master the product, they
soak up it and get advice
. "For example, Luis Alcázar, from Black Pepper & Co [a Madrid store that supplies some of the best chefs in our country], helps us a lot with spices. We insist on looking for curries, mole, chili peppers ... more authentic ". And the asparagus, and the cod, and the lamb, and the herring, and the pepper ...
Seasonal and fresh products
that come mostly - "90%" - from small producers.
A commitment to
sustainability
that also reaches the winery - hand in hand with biodynamic and natural references - and the room.
"Except for the tables, the decoration and the dishes are the work of local artisans. For example, the cutlery is the work of a Madrid cabinetmaker. In the end, I always
support the local,
" he details.
Rised horse mackerel, ponzu sauce from its bones and purple potato cream.
If something flows in Èter it is
empathy
. On it they have built this dining room, whose place previously had another existence as a French bistro (they opened it together with their parents in 2017 and closed it almost three years later). Putting oneself in the place of the other in the kitchen, in the service ... "The idea is to think of the diner, that they enjoy
something special
. And I think we achieve it. Many tell us that it is as if, instead of in a restaurant, they were in our house, that we are something of theirs, a friend, a relative. In some way we transmit shelter "... And rest and tranquility. For this reason, they only give
two services a day
, one at lunch and the other at dinner. "Perhaps at a business level it is not the best idea, but we want each diner to have the time they need."
They flee from the classic service, "perfect, robotized.
We let ourselves be carried away
, we try to empathize with each client, feel what they are like, understand what they want at that moment and give it to them. Flow." And that
flow
is based "on respecting the client, not on letting them x or y, but on having a different experience, not because we want to be better, but different".
They are, among other things because this young restaurant has already had several lives.
The first, when it opened,
in February 2020
.
It is not necessary to add much more: confinement and state of alarm due to the health crisis.
The second, in July when stores were allowed to
open indoors
.
Two weeks later, Mario suffered a motorcycle accident and they had to close down.
The third, the current one, which started
in October
.
Veal gizzard cooked in three stages.
"So we opted to make a
change of orientation
. When we opened the first time, in February, in some way we wanted recognition. After confinement and, especially my accident, we felt that we had to
take advantage of life
and that included stopping looking for that prestige to go on to enjoy each dish, each service, each customer, what we really liked
without pressure
. And we began to develop the
most philosophical
part
of Èter
, that going a little against the tide, of showing what we feel, to teach a bit of an alternative and holistic aspect, "he says.
With that more ethereal Èter
- "something that is intangible or poorly defined and at the same time, subtle or sublime", Mario describes - they have become the restaurant that everyone talks about.
A project that the Tofé brothers want to enjoy
over low heat
, because they feel that this has only just begun, to flow.
"Be Ether, My Friend"
, with permission from Bruce Lee and his "Be Water, My Friend".
Address:
Granito, 20. Telephone: 91 878 07 87. Price: 40 euros (seven-pass menu) and 70 euros (12-pass menu).
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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