A restaurant where the Josper does not stop grilling
How wonderful, Caceres. What light, what streets, what art, what meadows and what gastronomy. The city World Heritage welcomes everyone who arrives on these dates with heat, yes, of course; but also with a different relaxation, the calm of the sun... and a kitchen to enjoy, enjoy and repeat.
Torre de Sande opens its doors with the best possible letter of introduction: Toño Pérez's team (of the two-star restaurant Atrio) works tirelessly in its new kitchens, a restaurant founded in the flames of that Josper oven that gives the final touch to all your dishes. That is: good work awarded by the Michelin Guide I bet you a grill lifelong.
What peace, what harmony, what balance
First of all, the place. What place. What peace, what harmony, what balance. A large room with a central table where pit managers and waiters work their magic and organize the banquet. And a wall that disappears to become a window behind which is the wonderful courtyard , one surrounded by ivy and nests of swifts, swallows and nightingales.
The breadth of the round tables and the arrangement of the room remember Atrio, but here light and color rule. The solemn ritual of the Atrium is transformed into meeting place for friends and families to celebrate the art of good eating.
Toño Pérez has seen it clearly , inaugurating in Cáceres the restaurant for all Cáceres: “It's not 'Atrio's little brother', no. Torre de Sande has another vocation, it is a more casual place, a less complex kitchen and a very direct treatment. We wanted to recover the old recipe book from Extremadura and have **a Josper** to put on the plate a less manipulated product".
"The idea is to offer a place where you can contain prices very well , a nearby space that rescues lifelong recipes, return to the 'stew' with an excellent raw material” , Toño tells us over the phone while having a coffee on the Atrio terrace.
You will find Extremaduran classics such as the pluma or the Iberian secret
The menu exudes tradition but there are also “tweezers”: there is elaboration, care, pampering and thought in each proposal. We will find ingredients from the land and with that Josper grilled flavor Which brings us to the Extremadura roasts. resonate classics of Extremadura as the zorongollo , tomato soup, sausage and cuts of meat such as the Iberian pen or secret.
But let's get down to business, let's describe the ultimate feast. To whet your appetite, we let ourselves be advised by those off the menu that adapt to the market and the season, so we opted for the white asparagus to the touch Josper and we continue with brioches stuffed with beef or chicken to continue with creamy aubergines with miso and puffed rice (so delicate and so powerful at the same time, with an Asian acidity without losing the neutrality of the vegetable flavor).
We continue with the main ones and bet on the rice with squid, lean meat and artichokes , a round dish, with the strength provided by the lean stew and the delicate balance of the vegetables (Alberto Montes, R&D chef Atrio Chef and Torre de Sande , he would tell us later that this rice is one of the star dishes... we are not surprised at all) and, of course, an Iberian secret to finish with one of the essential Extremadurans. The dessert, one enjoyment after another, which reaches its ecstasy in the chocolate cake and in the 3 cheese cream...
And what about the pleasure of drinking? "To design the wine list helped us Paco Berciano, from Alma Unique Wines , who also advises us for the Atrium.
The sea also has its presence
The maxim for the selection was that there would be no bottles that would increase the price but that each and every one of the wines had an identity and came from careful producers: we bet on terroir wines from here, from Spain , but we also have international classics that cannot be missing”, says Toño.
Thus we meet Eidos Ermos, a delicate Ribeiro; or the essential Speak (del Mar, for white lovers; Nº22, for red lovers) in these lands; as well Gazur, a Tempranillo from Ribera de Duero. A concise and very suitable menu to accompany the delights of Torre de Sande. This is what we call happiness.
Torre de Sande is that place where Bavarian crockery remains. Where excellence is not lost in intricacies of invoices and suppliers, but where the price is contained with Michelin seal . A space that swings between a roasted cauliflower with spiced sauce or a fried broccoli with kimchi and cinnamon sauce , next to a Russian salad, some fried anchovies or some calluses
“We take seriously the silver cutlery: in Atrio, schedule your visit; in Torre de Sande, you arrive whenever you want , it allows you that free will... it is our way of complementing the offer and closing the circle”, comments Toño.
The chocolate cake? pure addiction
And beware, because the circle has not yet closed: it will with the future opening of Casa Paredes, 11 luxury suites (Carrara marble bathtubs, suites of at least 60 square meters...) with garden, spa and pool (not a pool) that will add to the universe of Cáceres another essential stop.
Address: Calle Condes, 3, 10003 Cáceres See map
Telephone: 927 16 49 94
Schedule: from Monday to Saturday, from 13:30-15:30 to 20:30-23:00; Sunday, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Half price: 40-60 euros / person