Nitro tomato and green gazpacho, Dani García's star dish, also in his new brasserie at the top of the Four Seasons Madrid
If there is any compelling reason to go to Madrid right now, that is sit at the table of the new restaurant of Dani García (Marbella, Malaga, December 30, 1975). First, because everything the chef from Malaga does deserves to lick his lips, that's how it is. Second, because is part of the hotel that everyone talks about . And, third, because it has “the” terrace –yes, it will also be open in winter–, a unique location, one in a million, at the top of the corner of the La Equitativa Palace, the former headquarters of the Banco Español de Crédito. Located on the seventh floor, the last, of the newly opened Four Seasons Madrid –we remind you that it opened its doors last Friday, September 25–, the view extends over the rooftops of the center of the capital to Plaza de Cibeles and beyond. Madrid may not be experiencing its best moment, but, what the hell, its skies are still unmatched.
Entrance to Dani Brasserie, decorated by the studio of Martin Brudnizki
As incomparable is the proposal of this elegant but informal brasserie, distinguished but affordable –estimate about 65 euros per cutlery–, with which the chef slightly distances himself from the classic formality to which he had accustomed us. “This is an elegant brasserie, that's why we carry the Four Seasons seal of luxury, but at the same time, it gives you the opportunity to enjoy haute cuisine without so many corsets”, explains Dani himself.
The terrace of chef Dani García's restaurant, on the heights of the new Four Seasons Madrid
No corset, no tie, no dress code and no tasting menu. “We want people to be able to choose what they want at any given time”, declares the chef bluntly. And it's not that Dani now renounces that aspect of cooking with which he has made his name one of the most recognized and appetizing in the world. It's not that at all. “I actually love it and sometimes I need it. But here we want to do something else.” And that other thing is **“a hybrid between haute cuisine and things that simply appeal”. **
A concept that gives Dani García and his team free rein to make certain unprecedented combinations in the world of gastronomy. “Here we do not intend more than that: that you can eat a chicken with a haute cuisine treatment as well as a hamburger or a portion of fried squid or an anchovy with truffle. It is a combination that fascinates me, not only as a cook but as a client. I think that, nowadays, these are the things that most appeal to the public”.
Anchovies with a touch of truffle, one of Dani García's new star dishes
It all started a couple of years ago when OHL, the company that owns the seven historic properties that form part of the Canalejas project where the hotel is located today, contacted the Dani García Group. It was not yet entirely clear which hotel would occupy the coveted site. “If we loved the project back then, when it became official that Four Seasons would be in charge of managing it, we liked it even more.** We like the project, we like the building, we like the location, we like the terrace and we love Four Seasons.** Imagine, we are delighted with life”, recalls Dani enthusiastically.
This was followed by different meetings in London, Madrid and Marbella in which the concept was shaped. “Something that had to do with the people of Madrid, that would attract the local public. Because the main idea is that this restaurant meets the demands of the Four Seasons client, but also makes people from Madrid enjoy themselves and attract them”, he explains.
Cadiz tuna fillet with onions, celeriac and red sorrel
For this, it counts as an ally with a cheerful, tropical, sexy, distinguished and carefree space designed to suit you by the Martin Brudnizki studio. "I am a big fan of Martin, I respect him a lot," confesses the chef, who could not have been more satisfied with the result. "I like it, i like it so much. What he has achieved is magical. It is a place that has strength, that makes you feel very comfortable within an environment of oranges, greens, bitters…”.
"Madrid is very cosmopolitan, it's not just cooked or tripe", continues the chef. Dishes that, by the way, will be present at their brunch, when the anti-covid restrictions allow them to clarify the schedules and get it going. “Here in Madrid there is a very cosmopolitan mix and this restaurant is a reflection of it. A pure and simple brasserie with connotations of haute cuisine, traditional cuisine, casual cuisine, fine dining, Andalusian because we are Andalusian... This is a compendium of many things. There is nothing that clearly defines our personality, rather it is the sum of all this”, he explains.
One of the corners of Dani Brasserie, decorated by Martin Brudnizki
Thus, we still find a nitro tomato with green gazpacho and shrimp tartare, the iconic dish of this three Michelin star chef, which is pasta with crab, Iberian pork (served with miso, red pesto and dried tomatoes), fried hake (cooked in fennel sauce), razor clam rice, poultry consommé, some white shrimp ravioli (with herring caviar and sweet pumpkin jam), some anchovies with truffle emulsion or different options of fish in raw preparations.
There will also be no corsets or limitations when it comes to changing the menu. It will change as they feel and perceive what they like the most, as they feel like it. “Now begins the best season for the kitchen, mushrooms, game, truffles, chestnuts... and, obviously, we will propose things in that direction”, he tells us.
The 'Dani's Burger Rossini', with old cow and Iberian secret with foie gras
Of all the dishes on the current menu, Dani highlights four: the already mentioned nitro tomato, the hamburger (of old cow and Iberian secret with foie gras),** the free-range spicy chicken (macerated for 72 hours) stuffed with foie gras and truffle** and the tortilla, “which is not potato but onion and buffalo blue cheese, very soft. It's my favorite tortilla."
Dani does not forget that we are in a hotel . What's more, he loves it. For this reason, the menu does not lack fundamental dishes from a room service –which, by the way, it also takes care of–, such as caesar salad –presented with a whole heart, to split at the table, with smoked sardines, generous and crispy chicken pieces, large flakes of Parmesan and almonds–, the hamburgers and the sandwiches.
Oh the sandwiches! Another of Dani's goals is to place the mixed sandwich on the pedestal it deserves , “with a ham and a cheese from the host, a bread toasted in butter and in the pan, that is ascending and greedy. It is one of the favorite things of many people and, at the same time, one of the most mistreated in the kitchen. And, deep down, it's not that difficult to make a mixed sandwich... although it's not that easy either." The plan is for there to be three varieties to choose from: the traditional one, another one for crab –“we still don't know if we'll put it on sliced bread or a croissant”– and the one his mother made for him, “with acorn loin and brie cheese”, she remembers licking her lips. Or are we the ones licking our lips?
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