Kitchen with views.
Oscar Velasco He acknowledges that he does not go out to the room as much as he would like or as his guests would like because of his “stage fright”. "I didn't know when to approach a table," says the chef with such ease that he finds it hard to believe. But maybe it's because while he says it he is really comfortable. “This is my space”, he says standing in the new room that they have created in Santceloni behind the kitchen and which he has called The study.
The new warehouse.
After fulfilling the 16 years They wanted to incorporate some change in this already classic two-star hotel in Madrid, because they needed it and because more and more clients asked to come in to greet the chef in his work environment. After nine months of reform carried out by the StudioD12, the result is a completely open space in which “barriers are broken” between its three pillars the great room, great kitchen and great cellar.
“The Studio is a complement, a place that adds to the Santceloni experience, a didactic space”, explains Velasco. It is a place attached to the kitchen that can be sensed from the living room through the new window that separates the kitchen from the living room. The idea behind El Estudio is to “generate closeness, a discourse, a conversation”. "It's a kitchen area that we want to share with customers," he continues.
They have placed some tables and high chairs. Also showcases where they keep part of the cheeses, and their seasonal products, and one of the walls is covered by a vertical garden. "But it's not just a vertical garden, we use all these herbs," he tells us.
Premeal or desktop?
The new reform also includes a larger warehouse with which they separate the main room from the private room. And the whole set is intended to create an "unscripted experience." As if it were a "Create your own adventure" book, in this renewed Santceloni, each diner chooses his own experience. You can go to El Estudio to have an aperitif with Óscar Velasco, you can go halfway through his gastronomic menu or at the end. Right before the cheeses, after. You just have to tell Abel Velarde, his room manager, and ready.
Not just a vertical garden.
And to make the experience even richer, the sommelier of Santceloni, David Robledo has created the Travel Wine Experience, a journey around the world through the best wines that arrive at the table in a cart that recalls old trunks. And, when finished, he will give you a passport with the name of each wine and the seal of their countries. Another great detail that adds and adds to the Santceloni experience.
Wine trip.
WHY GO
Because it really adds up to an experience that you would expect and wish for in a two-star hotel. For that feeling of closeness. For spending lunch or dinner watching through the window how Velasco and his team move as in a choreography rehearsed a thousand times.
Choose your experience.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
The Santceloni cheese table, which never fails.
IN DATA
Address: Paseo de la Castellana, 57 (Hotel Hesperia)
Telephone: 912 10 88 40
Schedule: Monday to Thursday from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Saturdays from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Sundays closed.
Price: Great gastronomic menu €175, wine pairing €115, cheese board €41
Web: www.restaurantesantceloni.com