For those who thought that at this time of the year all the fish were sold, here is a new batch of gastro openings that are well worth one -or several- visits this Christmas. From a grill that comes from Galicia to a temple of vegetables, without forgetting burgers that go straight up to the Olympus of the genre and a new dining room to enjoy traditional bites with a modern touch. Because enjoying yourself at the table is always a great pleasure...
Floren Domezain's orchard
Floren Domezain's good work with the vegetables she grows in her garden in Tudela is well known in the capital. The news is that the Navarrese chef returns to Madrid with the help of Grupo La Fábrica. The new dining room has been installed on Calle Génova with a clear and resounding commitment to the product, a hallmark of this chef who was instilled in his body by his mother. The menu includes some of his most acclaimed dishes, such as Floren's antique tomato or what he calls the sirloin steak from the garden, served with oil and salt allowing the flavour of the product to stand out. Borage, often reviled at the table, also shines in the hands of this Navarrese, who prepares a sliced pil pil cod with finger-licking homemade piperrada. Other essentials on the menu are their grilled rice dishes, such as vegetable or oxtail. The gastronomic proposal is wrapped in a warm interior design signed by Pablo Baruc, with many earth and stone tones, a predominance of ceramic pieces and a wonderful cabinet full of seasonal vegetables to welcome diners. The best of Navarrese gastronomy returns in a big way to Madrid with traditional recipes to which Floren Domezain always knows how to give her personal touch. Address: Genoa, 21. Average price: €70.
The T-bone steak is king at Asador Gonzaba.
Gonzaba Steakhouse
A little piece of Galicia in the heart of the Salamanca neighbourhood with first-class meat, fish and seafood and grills as accomplices of the experience. If there is a star dish in this house, it is, without a doubt, the T-bone steak, which they cover with different pieces: Galician beef, supreme blonde, black angus, wagyu, or beef. They have their own oxen farm in Lugo, and as suppliers they have Discarlux and Bandeira. The offer of fish and seafood maintains the excellence of this grill, which has three establishments in Galicia: delicious turbot and sea bass. On the day of the visit, they offer a spectacular spider crab off the menu and no one can leave without trying their lobster salad for the first time. Many of the dishes can be enjoyed in half portions, which always allows you to try more. The caramelized French toast and cheesecake are the finishing touch. Address: Hermosilla, 103. Average price: from €70.
The room of the new Kabuki.
Kabuki Madrid
After the notorious divorce between the partners of the original Kabuki, each part of the story has gone its own way. While sushiman Ricardo Sanz continues to run his restaurants (at the Michelin-starred Wellington and Kyoshi, both in Madrid), Mexican chef Alejandro Durán has taken the reins of the kitchen at the group's new space, which has kept the name. Respect for the raw material and the authenticity of the fish, whose cuts are worked with delicacy, are the main lines of this new Japanese dining room. Among its essential dishes, its sea bass tataki with Japanese mustard, spring onion, wakame and pine nuts; the langoustine nigiri with Joselito ham fat and nikiri sauce and the tuna tasting, with its different cuts. The chef's Mexican influence can be seen in dishes such as aguachile de cenizas and octopus with sunomono avocado. There is no lack of the robata in the place; their sakana kume niniku – white fish with citrus sauce – and Japanese wagyu from the Miyazaki region (grade A6) are two excellent choices. The yakitoris of wagyu tripe, pig's ear and lamb sweetbreads and the squid sandwich star in the traditional touch of the place. Of the new space, the Kikubari stands out, a charming cocktail bar where you can snack on some classic nigiris and makis. Address: Lagasca, 38. Average price: €115.
The chard of Varra.
Varra
From the creators of MamaQuilla now comes this modern and current space with a proposal of traditional cuisine signed by the chefs Jorge Velasco and Joaquín Serrano in what is the first solo project of this tandem. Playing with seasonality and first-class raw materials, diners find recognizable bites with a markedly classic character. On the menu, where half portions abound, there are cockles and sea urchins, but also grilled vegetables -leeks, artichokes and thistle-, stews (such as beans with pheasant and trumpets), appetizing fish from the fish markets of Galicia, Levante and Huelva and meats with the Joselito seal. Three brushstrokes for a first visit of dishes that should be kept on your radar: ripe-aged picanha brioche, 70% cocoa emulsion and cured farmhouse yolk; Pil pil pil skewer hake and crystal pepper stew with chardonnay vinegar and grilled fallow deer, foyot sauce and glazed turnips. Don't resist flan. The liquid part of the space is varied and wide, with 140 national and international references, with many options by the glass. Address: Hermosilla, 7. Average price: 50€.
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Profile.
Begoña Rodrigo (La Salita): "To go to gastronomic congresses I have paid for everything, something that my male colleagues have not done"
- Written by: AMAYA GARCÍA Valencia
Begoña Rodrigo (La Salita): "To go to gastronomic congresses I have paid for everything, something that my male colleagues have not done"
Shoal.
A temple of grilled fish hidden in a car dealership in Vallecas
- Written by: AMAYA GARCÍA
A temple of grilled fish hidden in a car dealership in Vallecas
A 'smash burger' from Mono.
Monkey
The American classic is always a safe bet. There is a lot on offer in the capital, but all that glitters in hamburgers is not gold. This brand with a New York air, recently landed from Bilbao in delivery format, is committed to simple smashes, without much adornment, and very tasty. Few ingredients but well chosen to create an incredible bite, which tastes like glory from the moment it is tasted. Part of the secret lies in the ingredients that are used from km 0, fresh and not frozen. They offer seven burgers in total, with a common base in all of them: brioche bun, two 180-gram patties of old beef and cheddar cheese. The queen, so far, is the Oklahoma, a burger created in the 50s in this American city, made only with smashed onions on the meat, without sauces, which allows you to savor the old beef to the fullest with toasted touches. Delivery via Glovo. Average price: from €12
Anchovies from Santoña with red peppers from Zacarias.
Zacarias by Arantza
Another historic one from the north that stops in the capital. On this occasion, from Cantabria. The famous dining room opened in 1988 by Zacarías Puente and Inés Villanueva, winner of the National Gastronomy Award in 2007, inaugurates its headquarters with their daughter Arantza Puente at the helm. Here the proposal is an updated traditional cuisine, with traditional flavors that have been able to update wonderfully. Special mention should be made of the rice dishes, with the Cantabrian with maganos as a reference on the subject. There is no shortage of salted rabas and anchovies (tambourine) with red peppers. In the spoon dishes there are also many good ones to choose from, such as those potatoes with hake and clams or their mountain stew. As for fish, it is worth trying their hake on loins; In meats, the boneless and filleted Tudanca beef steak (piece) is king. The décor provides a warm and welcoming atmosphere. For those who want to extend the party, there is also a drinking area. Address: Serrano, 85. Average price: 40-50 €
Synesthesia offers a multi-sensory experience.
Synaesthesia
A table, 16 diners and a journey in which there is room for surprise, fun and provocation. This space located in the Caleido Shopping Centre and led by Kiko Moya, winner of two Michelin stars and three Repsol suns with L'Escaleta, has designed an immersive gastronomic experience, where the menu will translate into gastronomic language the sensations that each colour is capable of provoking in us. Diners enjoy a tour divided into seven stages, each of which is presented as an excuse to play with stimuli and emotions. The collaboration of different chefs is planned in the project, in which audiovisual stimuli, synchronized with textures and flavors, will take the diner to another dimension. Technology is also installed on the table... Address: P.º de la Castellana, 259, E. Menu price: 250 €.
Beata Pasta Pizzeta.
Beata Pasta
This pasta bar is the second restaurant of Ciro Cristiano, who leads Baldoria, an Italian who already has a legion of fans in the city. The new space aims to revolutionise the world of fresh pasta, with homemade, fresh dishes with a clear traditional base. Divided into four spaces – a bakery, an Italian bistro area, a pantry and a kitchen – the menu is tempting to the utmost: from its love pistachio – an ode to this nut – and the ravioli alla Sorrentina, stuffed with ricotta cheese with Sorrento lemon, tomato sauce, scamorza and basil oil to its call me mamma -papardella XXL, traditional Neapolitan ragù of beef and onion confit for eight hours-. On the sweet side, hesitation arises when it comes to choosing between tiramisu, cheesecake (with gianduja cream and caramelized hazelnuts) and Sicilian cannoli (with sheep's ricotta and Bronte pistachio). In the glass, one of their seven Italian wines, to make the experience complete. Address: Glorieta de Bilbao nº4. Average price: 15-20€.