Coffee has become a cult subject for many people. Its origin, the type of roast, its colour, its starting and finishing notes are all closely scrutinised. The experience of drinking coffee has been elevated and, for some years now, has gone a step further than just a cup and its contents.
Five openings to get through the rentrée
September is a month of returns. Back after days and weeks of disconnection, away from the stressful noise and frenetic movement of the city. After a relaxing summer, we return loaded with new resolutions and, of course, a long list of (newly opened) restaurants that we can't wait to try.
Restaurante La casa de comidas de Rafa Zafra
Back to booking, after lunches and dinners in beach bars that do not allow reservations. Back to looking for space in the agenda, after days with it absolutely clear. Have you heard of TONTON? It is one of the most talked-about openings of the season, a bistro with a French flair in the Chamberí neighborhood. Craving a good sandwich? You’ll have to stop by PISTOLA, an ode to one of the most emblematic snacks of Spanish gastronomy. The acclaimed Sevillian chef Rafa Zafra opens his CASA DE COMIDAS, inside the emblematic NH Collection Madrid Eurobilding hotel, where you can enjoy the most traditional and classic recipes of our homeland gastronomy. Craving for Canarian cuisine? You will have to visit the new GOFIO, a tribute to the Canary Islands from the center of Madrid. Are you one of those who enjoys the traditional bar bars? You will have to make a reservation at EL BUEN, a bar where you will find high tables, dishes without frills and the best atmosphere to start with an aperitif and move on to a long meal. What are you waiting for, take to the streets, this new season there are many things to try.
TONTON, BETWEEN FRANCE AND SPAIN
Restaurante Tonton
Located in Madrid’s increasingly lively Chamberí neighborhood (Calle Jordán, 7), TONTON has become one of the most talked-about openings of the season. It is the project of three young entrepreneurs, Bosco Suárez de Puga, Arnaud Bernard and chef Alice Reydet, who after traveling the world thanks to their passion for gastronomy, wanted to bring to the city of Madrid all their learning and their most contemporary vision. They have managed to revolutionize the culinary scene of the capital with their innovative approach, absolute respect for seasonal ingredients and a place that lacks no detail. Its gastronomic proposal, of clear Nordic inspiration and influenced by the French and Spanish origins of its founders, is composed of dishes designed for sharing, such as its potato salad, Boursin and pickled red onion, its grilled sweetbread skewer with bell pepper and herbs, its clams with toasted butter and solicornia, its grilled corn cream with garlic mussels and coriander oil or its French oyster with kombu mignonette. A truly original menu that will evolve and change with the passing of the seasons, always pursuing the use of seasonal products.
PISTOLA, AN ODE TO THE SANDWICH
Restaurante Pistola
As an (affectionate, careful, almost nostalgic) ode to the sandwich, this is how we could define PISTOLA. This place, located in the emblematic corner of Dos de Mayo and San Vicente Ferrer streets, in the busy neighborhood of Malasaña, was born to vindicate the sandwich as a snack, never better said, that is part of the Madrid culture (also Spanish) and that, also, can be synonymous of quality and culinary creativity: the sandwich does not have to be boring. A balance between the traditional and the modern, with a menu signed by chef José Fuentes, owner of the successful restaurant Kulto. Eight recipes that use traditional products, flavors that are recognizable to everyone but that are combined in suggestive and crunchy pistols. The bread, which gives meaning to each of the proposals, comes from the prestigious bakery El Horno de Babette, bringing its combination of tradition and creativity to each of them. You will find delicious options such as the classic veal pepito, the fried baby squid sandwich with squid with onions, Almadraba tuna with vegetable escalibada, Russian steak with padrón peppers, pickled vinaigrette and a mixture of Idiazabal and La Peral P.D.O. cheeses or free-range chicken with grilled peppers, wild arugula, green apple slices and sesame and orange dressing. Difficult, very difficult, choice.
LA CASA DE COMIDAS RAFA ZAFRA
Restaurante La casa de comidas
The renowned chef Rafa Zafra, architect of successful gastronomic projects such as Estimar or Casa Jondal, once again displays his interest in the product in a classic and warm CASA DE COMIDAS. The Sevillian chef presents in the first floor of the NH Collection Madrid Eurobuilding hotel (Calle Padre Damián, 23) an authentic, comforting proposal through the flavors and recipes that have marked his memory over the years, always with an avant-garde and contemporary twist. The proposal of Casa de Comidas, with a short but strong menu, is elaborated with the best seasonal product and offers various options for sharing, in it you will find starters such as Cantabrian coastal anchovies with bread and tomato, Russian salad with tuna belly and pickled piparra or roasted leek with hazelnut praline and black olive vinaigrette, one of its star dishes. Fish, where Zafra’s talent shines in all its splendor, could not be missing in dishes such as the skewered hake tacos a la romana with tartar sauce, the ray confit and Mediterranean pickled vinaigrette or the cod fillets confit with scattered spinach and pine nuts. For the more carnivorous, the meat and poultry section offers options such as veal and pork meatballs with trumpets of death, the Iberian cheeks with red wine and mashed potatoes or the shoulder of kid with caramelized shallots. Make room for dessert and let yourself be surprised by its delicious dessert cart, full of cakes and sweets of the most varied.
THE NEW GOFIO, CANARY ISLANDS IN MADRID
Restaurante Gofio
It is not an opening, but it has just inaugurated its new space at number 20 Caballero de Gracia street. After several months of works, GOFIO returns with a premises of more than three hundred square meters, divided into two floors, which retains the charm of its first (and emblematic) premises in Lope de Vega street. A contemporary design, signed by the Plantea studio, inspired by the architecture and colors of the Canarian landscape, with the work of the architect César Manrique as a reference. Its gastronomic proposal, with three menu options, incorporates new dishes as in each new season of the restaurant, but maintains the classics that have defined the last nine years, such as the rabbit trout with injected salmorejo and herbs, the boiled shrimp mojo with cardamom mojo or its creamy millet broth. It is the very personal reinterpretation of Canarian cuisine, impregnated with the chef’s personal memories and his particular culinary vision, developed with a refined technique over the years. The wine cellar of this renovated restaurant is also one of its strong points and signs of identity, with a selection of over 3,700 bottles.
EL BUEN, THE BAR OF A LIFETIME
Restaurante El Buen
Back to the bar counter, to the bar counter of all life. The proposal of EL BUEN, located at number 5 of the emblematic Hermanos Bécquer street, starts with an appetizer, classic and traditional, to finish a meal and, of course, a long after-dinner conversation. Its high tables and no-frills dishes could classify El Buen as a simple bar, but it is much more than that. Its gastronomic proposal is based on a simple cuisine with strong Basque roots. A menu with very recognizable dishes, which will vary with its interesting off-menu dishes (don’t forget to ask for them) depending on the market and the season. There is no lack of pintxos, arranged on the classic refrigerated bar, which are replenished throughout the day; nor a good mixto, in this case made with Iberian ham, tetilla cheese and cured yolk. On the menu you will find croquettes, eggs “El Desgraciaciao” and hake in tempura, but also grilled sea bass with ratatouille and grilled matured meat. Leave room for dessert and enjoy the classic Basque cake with butter ice cream, El Buen chocolate or their particular version of cheesecake. Ask for their cocktails and their interesting wine list, with more than 80 references, where the figure of txakoli becomes the protagonist.
Editor: Álex de la Rosa
Álex is a journalist and a reference in the world of gastronomy, creator of the successful blog “Que no me la den con queso”.