Grilled beach squid
“I have orchestrated a letter thinking about what I would like to find myself in a restaurant” , says chef Daniel Roca.
No, we are not in Barcelona but in Lagasca 19, the new space that has just opened in Madrid, and whose main objective, with all that it entails, is "make us feel at home".
The restaurant, located in the heart of the Salamanca district, offers a very varied menu, where Respect for the product becomes the main basis of a concept that promises to retain everyone who tries it. Why? Very simply, we haven't walked out the door yet and We are already thinking about trying the rest of the proposals again.
Lagasca 19: the new Barra Alta proposal in Madrid
After the success of Barra Alta and Masala 73 in Barcelona, César Guillen and Daniel Roca disembark in the capital with Lagasca 19.
A quiet but safe landing –Who needs hype when you have such dishes up your sleeve?–, in which know-how and timeless classics coexist with creative and international touches and materialize in** tapas and portions that grow according to the number of diners.* *
But let's not stay at the door, as Dani says, “you are at home”.
Daniel Roca and Cesar Guillen
TO GET STARTED
The Lagasca 19 menu starts with a delicious section, that of its oyster-bar , where they propose natural oyster Utah nº3, warm oyster and oyster with sauce.
We continue with the dishes "to start", with essentials such as the scallop and lobster tartar on a crunchy corn pancake and guacamole.
Also not to be missed are starters like the two fresh salads, one with cubes of Carpier salmon and the other with blue lobster tail, that do nothing more than ratify the quality of the raw material used in cooking.
Other very good options that we are left wanting to try – you are beginning to understand what we mean by “we are already thinking of coming back” are the cuttlefish ceviche, a dish inspired by cold cooking and traditional seawater from Puglia (Italy) and the lukewarm Carpier salmon belly with guacamole.
Scallop and lobster tartare
ODE TO CROQUETTE (WELL DONE)
And what can not be missing in a tapas feast? Exactly: the croquettes. In Lagasca 19 they propose two (and we strongly recommend that you try both): the honeyed croquette of roast beef and foie rougié and the boletus croquette with a thin slice of cured bacon.
Do you want more? You can repeat croquettes or cheer yourself up with the cod fritters with black garlic and honey mayonnaise (careful, they can cause addiction).
The fried foods section also includes Roman-style beach squid with tartar mayonnaise, Thai-style fried rooster from the coast and an appetizing brioche of fried lobster legs with acorn-fed roast pork.
Croquettes of roasted meat and foie rougié and boletus with veil of bacon
LASGASCA STOVE 19
In the kitchens of Lagasca 19, which we can see thanks to the open kitchen, it is absolutely necessary to stop, because delicacies such as the Joselito acorn-fed Iberian pork feather, the low-temperature white veal shank and the blue lobster tail in death trumpet stew.
Are you hungry? How about a good stew like the one from Boneless pig's trotter and ear with cod ? You will also be sure to hit the beef tripe with senderuelas or the Joselito acorn-fed Iberian pork meatballs with cuttlefish.
And we couldn't stop naming nem, a popular dish in vietnamese cuisine that serve here: good with crispy jowls cooked at low temperature and later roasted on fresh heart leaves, caramelized onions with modena, peanuts and coriander; good in its vegetarian version with sam yang. Two bites that are pure flavor.
Crispy jowl nem at low temperature
A VERY SWEET GOODBYE (OR RATHER THAN LATER)
We admit it: we would have ordered the whole menu (twice, or maybe three) but we have left a small gap for the dessert, which we leave to Dani Roca's choice, because at this point we already know that he is a first class host.
And it does not disappoint: we finished the experience at Lagasca 19 with its chocolate with oil and salt, one of Barra Alta's star desserts: a flourless chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, chocolate sauce and grated chocolate on top, all washed down with Arbequina EVOO and salt flakes. Irresistible.
Chocolate with oil and salt
REINTERPRETED TAPAS AND FLEXIBLE RATIONS
“Classic tapas restaurant reinterpreted, where the portions grow according to the diners”. This is how Lagasca 19 presents itself.
And it is that here, in addition to the excellent gastronomic proposal, everything is designed so that the experience of the diner is round, because the portions grow to adapt to hunger or the number of diners.
How does it work? By scanning the QR code on the menu you can add the dishes you want and in the quantity you want: a salad for four or for five, the number of croquettes you want, etc.
“We present dishes that adapt to the number of diners so that you can try, share and enjoy each one of them”, says Dani.
In addition, there are three options as a tasting menu with which it is also easy to enjoy and get to know the proposal in a very complete way.
Oyster Bar: Natural oyster Utah nº3, lukewarm or with sauce
THE RAW MATERIAL
“To prepare the menu we think of everything that as a client we would like to find. A little from here and a little from there with the premise always of respect for the product”, says Daniel Rock.
Therefore, starting from a good raw material is essential and they achieve this by creating relationships of trust with their suppliers, among which are names like Joselito, Carpier or Ostras Thierry.
The Lagasca 19 team has a track record worth mentioning, as its members have passed through the kitchens of Dos Cielos, Tickets, Saüc, Celler de Can Roca or Hermanos Torres.
A team that awaits us with open arms (and kitchen) to make us enjoy the best product, with portions, personality and an unbeatable value for money.
See you in the Salamanca district, in Daniel Roca's new house, and from now on, ours too.
Warm carpier salmon belly with guacamole