Mandarosso Madrid It arrives looking at the future, but paying homage to the recent and sad past. On December 30, 2022, the world of hospitality received the fatal news that adriana restano , the one that she was cook of the Italian Nina Pasta Bar, died from a ictus with only 44 years . An event that forced the restaurant to close and be transferred after almost five years, delighting the palates of many people from Madrid.
A proposal that reached the ears of Peter Leonetti . He already had an Italian restaurant in Barcelona, also reputed Le Cucine Mandarosso , and he was encouraged to see what the place was like without, at first, much conviction. But when they told him what was behind the Nina Pasta Bar just in love with the project, the history and the restaurant.
Mandarosso, Madrid.
So he had no choice but to ride the mythical place of Santa Ana 21 another restaurant: Mandarosso . A space that aims to maintain the essence of the legacy of Nina Pasta Bar , but opening its own path. Because, as his own account Peter Leonetti To Condé Nast Traveler, "it can never be the same, since the dishes and the style are different".
A FAMILY LINKED TO CLASSIC ITALIAN GASTRONOMY
Peter Leonetti comes from a small town called Avelino , south of Naples. A location with a lot gastronomic culture (Is there anywhere in Italy that doesn't have it?) to which is added an extensive family experience. A grandfather who was a pastry chef, an uncle who made delicious desserts, a grandmother and a mother who taught him how to make fresh pasta, his father... many relatives They were linked to the traditional italian cuisine.
Mandarosso Italian Cuisine.
So when he founded in 2008 Le Cucine Mandarosso in Barcelona, the proposal was very clear. Simple dishes and traditions , but with an innovative touch. Y desserts, lots of desserts . A hallmark of the premises of him. When he opened the menu he had seven dishes and fourteen desserts. The confectioners they are here to celebrate.
A philosophy that he has now moved to the new Mandarosso Madrid. A kitchen which fits perfectly with the spirit of the Nina Pasta Bar , although his aim is to convince diners through his own dishes. It is because of that Peter Leonetti clarifies: “We know what was before, but we are others. Still, in the letter and in the local we have left certain Tributes to Adriana and her kitchen”.
A LETTER-TRIBUTE
A spirit that keeps beating thanks to small details that they have kept in the letter. As the incoming crocchette di “Adriana” , a delicious croquette based on the recipe of the cook that she has Parmesan of twenty-four months and the shell thereof, in order to create different textures. A antipasti to which is added a long list of options. As the stracciatella with sardine affumicate , in which a smoked sardine is the protagonist over the heart of a burrata and citrus touches.
Stracciatella with sardine affumicate.
Or the one that for my taste is the best on the menu: the melanzane alla cilentana . Cooked under the instructions of a recipe that comes from cilento , a town in the region of salerno , this delicacy is made up of some eggplant stuffed with egg, pecorino Y Grana Padano , which are fried and seasoned with Cherry tomatoes.
They complete the first typical italian burrata , accompanied by arugula Y semi-dried tomatoes ; a scamorza affumicata al forno , that is, a smoked cheese melted in the oven with a pinch of truffled salt; the saint daniele with nodini di fiodilatte , a San Daniele ham with fiordilatte mozzarella knots ; and a trio of cheeses fresh : one natural, another smoked and another with truffle.
Melanzane Alla Cilentana.
HANDS TO PASTA
If the first ones are good, the pasta dishes They deserve an altar. On the menu they have a total of eight, plus two lasagna. the of Spaghetti alla Nerano It is spectacular. It is based on a traditional Nerano recipe , a town on the Sorrento coast. There they do this type of paste to which they add fried zucchini, basil and provolone Monaco , stronger than normal. A creamy formula that enhances all flavors.
And, for the more traditional who want to try something different, there is the plate of Fusillo avellinese alla Antonella. antonella she is the second wife of the father of the owner of Mandarosso, who created this prescription… Pietro thinks by mistake. The ingredients are basics , but the secret amounts : tomato, garlic, basil and parmesan. Simple, but with a very intense flavor.
Cacio e Cozze, Mandarosso, Madrid.
Apart from these main ones, there are the typical carbonara dishes and bolognese, others with fish, with pesto or with meat , in which there are wide variety of pasta types . The lasagna They are a restaurant classic , with meat ragout, ricotta and mozzarella; and another traditional of Sicily , with tomato, almond pesto, ricotta and mozzarella.
In the warehouse they have Italian and national wines . Although what stands out in the letter is the Spritz Select , a little more bitter than the Aperol we are used to. And, if you dare with something more sophisticated, the cocktail Andreini , named after one of the waitresses, is very refreshing Thanks to the fusion of the flavors of pineapple juice, of lime, of amaretto, egg white and the whiskey.
Moments in 'Mandarosso Cucina Italiana'.
Close the menu a great selection of desserts, everybody handcrafted , and that for the winter peter plans to expand. very rich the lemon pasticcioto , a cream of ricotta, lemon and orange zest, sugar and egg, which he invented his grandfather; and the sicilian cannoli , sweet ricotta, pistachio and candied orange.
those of us who were admirers of the Nina Pasta Bar we will miss him, but there is a great substitute instead. And what better way to pay homage.