A little piece of Navarra in Madrid
When the hotelier and businessman Rafael Lopez del Barrio decided to set up a new restaurant in Madrid, he made a definitive choice: the menu would be Navarre-inspired, a gastronomy somewhat abandoned in the capital. Advised by the Navarrese chef, Alvaro Ruiz de Alda , designed a menu in which what prevails is the product of the Ribera orchard. "We have opted for it because it seems to me that it is one of the healthiest, most natural and most product-based cuisines," he explains. “And gastronomy, I think, is precisely now going that way, for eat well and healthy ”.
Design, good taste and Navarran accent
Live lettuce salads, fried artichokes with lime zest, Estella pods with ham and foie... And, off the chart, vegetables in season . Like the fresh and fried piparras, of which you could eat hundreds, like the pipas. “ Everything comes from Navarra , because they are foods that I think we eat less in Madrid", continues Rafa López del Barrio, sitting in the cozy lounge of the restaurant designed by Álvaro Oliver Bultó, in which wood and warm colors prevail that have managed to completely transform this old pickle shop.
“The key to a restaurant –and there are thousands of examples in Madrid– is to make simple things extraordinary Rafa explains. “When you get that Is successful . Lucio has managed to make a star dish of something as basic as some eggs and charge 25 euros for it. There is nothing simpler than that. And why has he achieved such success? Because he does it well, because he was the first, because he knew how to sell it. No one is successful by chance, least of all in the hospitality industry”. Along the same lines, ** Casa de peliculas **, which takes its name from the old El Retiro zoo, bet “for simplicity”.
Never underestimate the power of a bar
“Our menu is a fairly traditional menu. The pods are fresh, julienned, cooked, lightly braised and with foie”, he continues. “We are trying to respect the product as much as possible and then give it a plating and aesthetic that is nice and pretty. No frills or special things Not because I don't like it, but because we don't know how to do it. I would like to destroy a tomato to build it again; there are magicians who do it, we are not: we know how to take a good tomato, roast it if we have to roast it or fry it ”.
Together with the stars of the orchard, more international and main bets of meat and fish such as salmon, ribeye, duck confit or stroganoff escalopes . In addition, in the bar area to become one more stop in this aperitif district and the Madrid tavern that is competing with Ponzano, they also have star tapas such as the “wild beast” Russian salad.
Ode to the Navarran pantry
WHY GO?
For the fried artichokes with lime zest ; for the piparras that are still in season; for those out of menu: for the reverence to the good product from the honesty. “What do we contribute? A good food? ”, asks López del Barrio. “Yes, but in Madrid you eat well in many places. A nice place? Also, but it is true that there are many nice places. A professional deal? There is too. What is really different? make them feel at home . You make them have everything they need, but without being overwhelmed, making them feel at home”.
Tudela artichokes fried with lime zest
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
A great idea: desserts in half portions , so that sweet tooth leaves satisfied, but not overwhelmed. Nice bar space, if you don't want to sit down to eat. The location in this reinvented area of Madrid in front of the park.
Waiting for you with open doors in Menéndez Pelayo
IN DATA
Address: Menendez Pelayo street, 15
Telephone: 91 826 72 73
Half price: €35-40
Schedule: from Tuesday to Thursday (12:30-00:00) ; from Friday to Saturday (12:30-1:00) ; Sunday (12:30-5:00 p.m.); closed Monday
Marinated salmon with fennel butter