Sergi Arola Gastro @ Madrid

In 2005, just by a chance in I had chance to sample Sergi Arola cooking in La Broche, Madrid which since Sergi's departure in 2008, has lost its two Michelin stars...

Since then Sergi Arola Gastro is the restaurant where he has given all his passion, expression, knowledge and I guess his professional ambitions as he gains two Michelin stars in just less than 3 years.

Unfortunately I don’t have all the pictures; and one that I have are low quality... this means it is time to change my mobile phone :-)

In any case I have very strong impression, so I've remembered almost every detail.

We had an aesthetic "Gastro" menu of: three tapas, four starters, a fish dish, a meat dish, three desserts, all this combined with snacks and petit-fours.. and of course, a wine menu.

Tapas:
Starting with shrimp in a crispy cornet with seasonal mushrooms in a sphere form, tender garlic with foam with cherries caviar, and sandwich with fried baby squids and mayonnaise and lemon jam...

Starters:

Sardines stuffed with smoked herring roe, bread and tomato...


"Coll Vert" duck prepared al a tartar with garnish and mustard leaf...


langoustine in ravioli with Foie Gras and Parmentier...


sea cucumber with a stew of Tagliollinis and morels...

Fish dish(s):

red mullet cooked on a low heat, cucumber, slices of mushrooms, seaweed coulisse and cream of Jerusalem artichoke...


turbot, again slow cooked, with Perrechicos (mushrooms) and Thai onion gratin...

Meat dish(s):

(eaten) Lidia's cow roasted in its juice, brandy and Xexuan pepper with stew vegetables...


pigeon from Navarra, basmati rice stewed with candied fruits and truffle emulsion...

Desserts:
Wild berries with Brillat Savarin cheese soup and flowers...


apple served in a Kadaif cake with soup of green tea...

Everything that has a beginning has an end... all finished with a chocolate in a truffle with crispy rice and vanilla soup.

A briliant expresion, an eye opener to the possibilities of the ingredients, a chef who use his "Gastro" tasting menu as a vehicle to explain and express his complex believes about food and sensory world; and yes, I do feel enlighten.

What’s is the best possible way to end this post... if not with a minor trivia. Sergi drop by to our table to ask how the things are going. In the middle of all superlatives used by me and my friends to describe our experience, my friend Emil mentioned that the other day he had a dinner at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, London and believes that Sergi Arola Gastro gives better experience. Sergi immediately begun to excuse and state this is not possible because Alain is a god in the kitchen. For the record, in my opinion Emil is right :-)

Highly Recommended.

Rating: 9.4 (out of 10.0)

Sergi Arola Gastro
Calle Zurbano 31
Madrid 28010

Kabuki Wellington @ Madrid

Kabuki Wellington; one Michelin star restaurant, the space of Ricardo Sanz and probably one of the best place in Spain when it comes to Japanese food.


Behind the enormous bar, Ricardo Sanz...


and his team...


let's start...

This are unmistakable THE signature dishes:


the butterfish with white truffle cream...


otoro served a-la Jamón ibérico and literally melt...


langostino, scallops and the Kobe mini-burger...

Everything was simply exquisite and ideal twist between Mediterranean and Japanese kitchen. The butterfish with white truffle was perfect, the fish fresh, the Kobe mini-burger so tasteful and fun… but otoro was pure joy and in my opinion, as close as possible to gastronomic perfection.

Aright, I admit I've become a sushi snob long before I’ve eat in Kabuki, but Ricardo Sanz definitely served for me a sushi and sashimi that has changed my conception on how sushi can taste; a master of sushi and in combination of the spacious and yet minimalist restaurant... well, it is a kind of magic.

If you up to for a desert, just go for Yofu dessert.

Highly Recommended.

Rating: 9.0 (out of 10.0)

Kabuki Wellington
Calle Velázquez 6
Madrid 28001

Vanilla symphonie, a guest blog post

This is a contribution from Christina.

Vanilla symphonie

Berlioz and Tjajkovskij in one evening seems almost too overwhelming. And just as I had expected (and feared), the performance in DR Koncerthuset took me in completely. I didn't know Alice Sara Ott, and it turned out that I wasn't too keen on her, but thankfully, the music itself took over - and went straight in.



To have music played directly on your own heart strings is pretty painful, so I was glad that I could look foward to getting my strength back at M-bar, enjoying an excellent meal by 'Le chef' himself: Paul.


Paul's thing at the moment is vanilla. He opened the scene with a bold move, a juxtaposition of vanilla sauce and bitter orange 'marmelade' on a backdrop of white and green asparagus. Never tried that one before, and, just for the record, it was delicious.


Next dish was just as good, perhaps even slightly better: fresh and fiesty tatar married with crispy parmesan. I could have had 10 servings of that one without any hesitation.


Then came salmon. I got a bit confused here (a lot happening on the plate), although it was still totally scrumptious, and I tried to hide the fact that I finished it off first! mmm.


Ahhh, and then the comfort dish of beef with baby carrots and a sauce that was heavenly. The meat was soooo incredibly tender, and the sauce was rich and peppery and exactly right. Again, I couldn't help myself, and polished the whole lot off within a couple of minutes. If I had been at home, I would have cut some bread to scoop up every single last drop of the sauce.


Finally the dessert. Simple but exactly right.

In short, a meal and an evening that was absolutely 'fantastique'.