Located in the uber cool Unico Hotel, situated in the Salamanca district off a fashionable shopping area of Madrid, this elegant restaurant is headed by Two-Star Michelin Catalan chef from Barcelona, Ramon Frexia. He has set Madrid on fire with his stylish contemporary cuisine. A leader in Mediterranean food, he takes the cuisine to a new dimension.
When he opened this restaurant in 2009, he received his first Michelin Star within months and his second Star in 2010. They offered fifteen or twenty-course tasting meals but after they saw the look on our faces, were kind enough to customize a ten-course meal for us, plus some extra amuse bouche. The restaurant was not big, maybe six or seven tables plus a private room off the kitchen that could hold about eight patrons. In warm weather, you could be served in the beautiful garden or atrium. The staff anticipated our every need, and we began our unforgettable culinary and gastronomic experience. The food was creative and playful without being ridiculous. It’s sophisticated and daring, intricate, creative and cutting edge. Each course is a visual piece of art as well as an adventure. Some of the standouts were the pickled oyster pearl with seaweed and grape salad, the baby prawn cones served on a line with clothespins. Also, the Spanish churro with Iberico ham and caviar was memorable.
The selection and quality of the homemade bread is outstanding, made by the chef’s father and served with excellent olive oil that I would have loved to take home with me, as well as butter from Normandy. Each and every course served is a palette adventure, from the tomato theory, with tomatoes that were freeze-dried, in a broth, confit or sorbet, to the China homage of duck and Unami cannelloni, to the scorpion fish in puff pastry with eggplant, corn purée and watercress, as well as the baby goat with yuba milk. The menu is highly focused on cuisine from the chef’s Catalan roots.
You really have to open your mind and palate for each dish.
The desserts were a symphony from around the world – Canada, a maple leaf, USA, a lemon pie, Mexico, a spicy tequila chocolate, Brazil, a coconut, lime and rum jelly, and Argentina, a dulce and de leche pizza. There were other cakes and chocolates offered afterwards.
There was so many dishes throughout the evening I can’t recall all of them. Suffice to say it was an unforgettable evening taking service and culinary to another level and we left feeling pampered.
Highly Recommend.
Happy dining,
Shanea