The opening of a cafeteria dedicated to specialty coffee is already the daily bread in Madrid. Not surprising, no, but it does brighten the day. Before, you had to cross half the city to find the desired cup of coffee, while now (almost) every downtown neighborhood has a space –or more– dedicated to them. And if there is one positive thing that always goes hand in hand with this type of project, it is the ingenuity of entrepreneurship to stand out from the rest . That impetus to try to renew the environment and to bet everything on new projects that meet the demands of a public wanting to drink and eat well. Better. This is how Four Madrid was born in the Austrias neighborhood, from the germ of creativity and the hand of Daniel Valdemoro and Sophie Coyle.
Homemade ricotta toast with courgette and its flower in tempura.
"It was during lockdown when i started to look for commercial premises to do something. We really like the natural wine and specialty coffee and we wanted a place where we could focus both ways on crafts and suppliers”, explains Valdemoro in a local designed by Hzsv architects . "We did the work directly, we destroyed everything, we cut the walls, we painted the ceilings, we built the bar...".
Illustration of one of Four's pop-up events.
Their care for the product led them to delve into all the coffee processes, but also all the complements of a letter that helps to exalt it . "Producers of spring salt, of hand-kneaded anchovies," he continues. "Or some Cantabrian tomatoes –by Mahoño– that drive us crazy, even the beer , that we try to make it local and not of any commercial brand, that's why we bring it from Toledo". And so with everything, giving life to a concept called Four Madrid for being capable of giving light to four different slopes:
A Cafeteria in which to have a roasted coffee in Madrid, a store where to buy it, a workshop to taste it and a series of events pop up with dinners oriented to a specific product led by one of his collaborators or Coyle, chef of the house.
“People are focusing more on what they consume than on consuming” , adds the couple, who want their customers to be concerned about what surrounds them when they enter their cafeteria, refraining from their reality and entering a more didactic one in which the palate is educated while enjoying . "We want to support the artisans with this, there are many of them who go out of their way for their work and that must be recognized."
That is why all the pieces of their tableware are made by an Iraqi craftsman , with a workshop in Móstoles and who they met at a flea market. "We were waiting a whole month for him to do it because he had no production and we have already asked him for more," they add. His coffee comes straight from The Fix , in Ventura Rodríguez; as well as Hola Coffee, in the Lavapiés neighborhood. “The decaf is from Martin Toaster and the bread is from San Francisco Workshop , which is the closest to our premises”.
Daniel Valdemoro and Sophie Coyl.
In addition to these products, Sophie is the one who is in charge of accompanying them with an appetizing and healthy menu . “I am a geologist but I worked as an English teacher for a year and a half in South America. I learned Spanish and came to Spain. I have loved cooking since I was little and my mother has a sweets company in the north of England, so all my memories are based on food and my travels they always take me straight to the local kitchens,” she explains.
Her menu always includes seasonal ingredients in international recipes . “I have traveled a lot and every time I do it is to enjoy the food. I have taken many influences from those routes and that is why I incorporate them into my kitchen. Also, I think Madrid is ready to receive more exciting and international things”.
Right now they have proposals like a cashew cream toast with confit garlic , with a mushroom carpaccio and a miso and lime dressing; pistachios, arugula and dill. Or dishes like grilled octopus with sauce mango and cardamom; aioli and sweet paprika; and a blend of coriander, cumin, cardamom, hot lime and aubergine puree.
The croissants are from panadario , while the rest of the pastry is homemade, almost always vegan and gluten free. “We do things with seasonal fruits or with chocolate soup , which gives a lot of play in a vegan cake that we have with a base of coconut oil, almond flour, salt and coconut yogurt ganache with pistachio. A marvel".
The ephemeral dinners that they organize each month (the next one promises to be a Sicilian trip on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 October) always cling to a specific theme – they have already gone through Mexican, Lebanese and Thai cuisine – and, in fact, they already have a of seven steps planned with the guys from Batch, dedicated to ferments and a pairing with Cuvée 3000 wines.