Diego Cabrera opens Guru Lab, his third location –and laboratory– in Madrid
Madrid has a lot to celebrate. 2020 could not be the year of the Olympics, but it is going to be a great year, because the city will celebrate the Ibero-American Capital of Gastronomic Culture. In 2019 it was Miami and just a few days ago, within the framework of FITUR, the transfer of the capital was made, in an act in which Rafael Ansón recalled that “few cities like Madrid are, at the same time, as Ibero-American as they are European”.
What does this mean? That throughout the year, the city will host numerous events that will attract the best of the Ibero-American gastronomic scene and that we will celebrate, even more so, the fantastic examples that we have in Madrid, whether from restaurants, their chefs or from all those who are committed to bringing everything closer to us the richest, most versatile and multicultural from the other side of the pond.
But let's go further back. Why are we telling you this? On January 11, magic happened, precisely because, within the framework of Madrid Fusión 2020, we attended the opening of what is possibly going to become one of the places of the year.
The invitation just said "we invite you to participate in a unique experience: Miscegenation by Guilhotina . The direction? Echegaray. The number, you have to find it. And you think, come on, if there they are Chuka Ramen Bar, Salmon Guru and other places. When you arrive, you look from one side to the other and you don't know very well what you have to find, will it be here? And it is that there, behind a wooden door you do not know what awaits you.
And... wow! A spot, with a huge shared central table, an open kitchen and the charismatic Diego Cabrera at the controls. But what was this? There, a few meters from its two spaces, Salmon Guru and Viva Madrid, it has opened the doors of his third project in the city, Guru Lab.
Diego Cabrera opens Guru Lab, his third location –and laboratory– in Madrid
That day we enjoyed a dinner with Ibero-American flavors and cocktails by Marcio Silva, bartender at Guilhotina , one of the best bars in the world located in Sao Paulo. And of course, we spoke at length with Diego, who told us exclusively what this new place is about, which is already, without a doubt, an object of desire.
Diego Cabrera's rising career has been unstoppable. This Argentine by birth and Madrid 'by decision', as he himself affirms, he learned the trade in bars and cocktail bars in Buenos Aires. All those faithful to his know-how, so different from any other, we follow him wherever he goes since he conquered us behind the bar of the Sergi Arola Gastro bar and, later, with his own project, Le Cabrera.
The end of 2019 was especially moved. Yes in 2018 Salmon Guru became the first cocktail bar in Spain to enter The World's 50 Best Bars list , in 2019 it climbed from position 47 to 19, positioning itself as the best in Spain. The year progressed, and in November, the Argentine saw his work recognized by him in the National Gastronomy Awards as Best Cocktail Professional. Get bored or get stuck? Impossible.
And we know that his mind does not stop. A third location? Yes and great, very thoughtful and meditated. So once again, this Argentinian who drives us crazy has stepped out of his comfort zone to keep growing. “Guru Lab was born as a solution to a problem”, he tells Traveler.es.
“We lacked space to develop. Knock on wood, because Salmon Guru and Viva Madrid are going forward, but what we needed was a space to create. We value several options, from renting a flat and allocating the rooms to spaces where to create new cocktails and flavors, to doing it in the lower part of Salmon Guru. ”, He comments. The ideal thing for them was to find a place at street level, “A bright, beautiful place, one of those in which the hours fly by.”, He affirms.
The Madrid drinking route begins and ends in Echegaray and Caballero
This led them to the next question, what do we want? “A space to create. But we also have to use it for production, from syrup to juice, for our other spaces.” Now, the demand for workshops, tastings or dinners is only growing. Everyone wants to have a bit of Cabrera's wisdom, but his other locations never close for events. Another question is that with the growth of its Twist de Naranja, what has also increased is the influx of public to Salmon Guru and Viva Madrid.
Lots of people like queues and many customers have to wait so they don't run out of their desired drink and a great moment of fun. And here in this amalgamation of plans, is where Guru Lab was born, as a space that complements the other two and that comes to strengthen Echegaray street and its surroundings, in a 'bebercio' route.
What is Guru Lab like then? To begin with, you will find a wooden door, without a sign, or anything that announces what you are going to find. The door will open with a code –which changes every day– that the smartest can get at Salmon Guru or Viva Madrid. But it is not a speakeasy. This simply responds to the need to control the capacity and not have to have a goalkeeper.
“It is not a typical place, it is practically a house. think about it, when you have a party at home, the best thing happens in the kitchen” he tells us. But wait, a kitchen? The space presides a table, with comfortable stools and space in the center to place drinks, ice, etc. All this thought for about 20 clients. In the background, a kitchen of those with which we would all dream, with great detail, appliances and kitchen utensils, like a Japanese kamado.
There is no differentiation between living room and kitchen, Guru Lab is all in one. And that's exactly where the magic happens. With a gastronomic proposal by its executive chef, Víctor Camargo, Ibero-American and fun flavors will shine.
Guru Lab will have their own cocktails, created ex professo for the space. "There will be a revolution in cocktails, but also in food," says Cabrera. “The idea is to have a menu divided into three parts, starters, mains and desserts. We want it to be a complete experience here. The only premise? May he be rich "Precisely for that and to make things fun, we have bought machinery, installed a vertical and hydroponic garden...", he concludes.
There are still things to do and some details to polish, but for a couple of weeks, Guru Lab is already a bit of Madrid.
Address: Calle Echegaray, number...? It will be up to you to find it See map
Schedule: Friday and Saturday nights