Yesterday I went to the movies and watched "The Artist", directed by Michel Hazanavicius, and it gave me a lot to think about. We could spend hours arguing about the correct definition of the concept "art" and about the necessary characteristics for a person to be considered an artist.
By the same token, we could start arguing about the features that make up the goodness of a restaurant. Well, it is definitely possible to catalogue restaurants into "good restaurants" and "bad restaurants", but I think there are a huge amount of elements involved in the evaluation of a good restaurant that it is hard to specify. Good quality food and a friendly service are a must; there is no doubt about that! But on top of the basics, do we consider a proper location to be essential for a good restaurant? What about the interior design including the furniture, cutlery, glassware, crockery? Does the visit have to differ from others in such a way to even be considered as a whole new experience? When does the restaurant experience start and when does it end? Heston Blumenthal sends a package to your own house with sweets and candies, which are supposed to remind you of your childhood, starting at that precise moment the tasting menu that will end after the 4 hour feast at his restaurant Fat Duck.
I had my thoughts about this and other stuff analyzing my recent experience at the restaurant "La Gabinoteca".
The restaurant is located in a side road off Calle de José Abascal, that is a very busy road in a posh area of Madrid.
In my opinion the best part of this place is the facade. They got rid of the thick walls and enormous glasses were placed instead, which give everyone the chance to see from outside what is happening inside and the other way round. There must have been 3 floors before, but they have achieved to combine them into a unique space of different levels. This design transmits you the feeling of not being discriminated against sitting at the bar or at the entrance instead of sitting at the table, because the costumes sitting at the table might feel they would prefer to sit at the bar or at the entrance. The designers have taken advantage of all available spaces, bestowing each of them with a privilege.
It was a Wednesday and the place was packed. On top of that, their reservation policy is "no reservations", that I always consider to be a signal that business works.
Lara and me sat at the bar located in the lower level, enjoyed firstly a pretty good Mahou "caña", and we ordered 7 different dishes. The prices per dish are very reasonable so that you can make a proper selection of what you fancy that day. The main idea of their food, in my view, is to offer good quality products, that only need a quick preparation, presented in very eloquent packaging. One of the dishes is a hen's egg with soft poached potato and truffle oil, which is served in a glass with a lit, like the containers used in Spain to sell a type of yogurt called "cuajada". The monkfish burger and the pedigree hot dog are presented in their original plastic brown-grey coloured packaging.
The lady at the reception desk was welcoming and the service at the bar was professionally kind.
Our experience was great and full of surprises! Even if the food was not the Best, because it lacked some punchy elements like contrasts and stronger flavors, I can review it as a good restaurant.
Name of the restaurant : La Gabinoteca
Web page: http://lagabinoteca.es/1200.html
Head Chef: Nino Reduello
Address: Calle Fernández de la Hoz 53
Tlf : +34 399 15 00
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