Original, honest, different and risky.

Many adjectives fit in Chispa Bistró - we could say that they are all good - but perhaps what is most worthy of this place on Calle Barquillo is that sitting at its table plays with a surprise effect that not all the openings that take place in Madrid have.

Juan D'Onofrio (24) and Gabriel Sodré (34)

are the two young chefs behind a concept that is essentially "flexible", with a menu in which there are main dishes - not many, about ten - that will vary monthly depending on the seasonal product, cheeses, desserts and something off the menu that is always interesting.

From here, the diner decides

in what order he wants to eat the menu

.

Argentinian the first and Brazilian the second, they have tanned themselves in outstanding kitchens around the world.

They define their proposal as "

open, international and shared kitchen

".

That translates into a trip that starts from the Mediterranean, moves to Japan -that morsel of tuna with sunomono (Japanese cucumber salad)-, to Mexico, the Basque Country and even New Zealand.

When preparing the dishes

they work on the grill

, with the cured meats and pickles playing a leading role and special care when preparing the stocks.

Of course, without frills and with the product as the main protagonist.

Juan D'Onofrio (24) and Gabriel Sodré (34) at the door of their restaurant.

Among the main ones, the

pastrami with osobucco sauce stands out

, which is a delight;

the bonito already mentioned that they cure and without a doubt you have to try it on your first visit;

the

prawns cured in salt

with tiger milk and corn and the

sweet potato gnocchi with bourbon

and Idiazabal cheese, another essential.

The egg with mushrooms and courgette gazpacho remained pending for the next visit;

pork jowls and grilled heart with green curry and tomato.

The cheeses, the other mainstay of the menu,

are served by Poncelet

every week and that is always a guarantee.

On the menu the day we visited they had Olavidia and Fuero, both made of goat, and Munster, Comte St. Antoine, Taleggio, and Colston Basset Shropshire, made of cow.

The recommendation is to order six dishes from the menu for two people (average ticket: 60 and 70 euros).

It is worth leaving room for the desserts (there are only three) and the coffee, by the way, is a specialty.

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The kitchen view of the space, one of the attractions of the place, allows you to see the team in action.

"We wanted to do something welcoming in every way," says Sodré.

There are nine tables -some 32 diners-, all round

by decision of them and contrary to what the architects said (to make the most of the space), and it has a reserved area.

The decoration, coquettish and current, conveys an industrial air where exposed brick is mixed with Nordic-style chairs.

The design is signed by the D12 studio.

Pastrami with osobucco sauce.

This tandem met at the Bellart Cooking and Pastry School in Barcelona.

D'Onofrio's career, after finishing his studies in cooking, went through Mina (One Michelin star. Bilbao) and also Santceloni (Two Michelin stars. Madrid), before working together with chef Dante Liporace (ex ElBulli) in the Liniers Market restaurant (Buenos Aires).

Sodré was self-taught for a while before training professionally;

He has cut his teeth in the kitchens of Enigma (one Michelin star), the three-starred Celler de Can Roca and Glouton (Belo Horizonte), run by chef Leonardo Paixão.

From all this professional experience and from everything they have tried touring the world, they have drawn the basis to start his adventure in the capital.

"At first we thought of opening in Barcelona, ​​but finally we decided to make the leap to Madrid," says Sodré.

It has been a year and a half of meetings by Teams to define the idea, which always included a high-level wine list in the script.

They have more than 140 references and now the sommelier Ismael Álvarez joins the team, who moves from Bilbao to Madrid to participate in this project, without a doubt one of the most interesting of the season.

The space has a certain industrial air.

Conforms to The Trust Project criteria

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