{"id":2634,"date":"2021-07-05T17:06:39","date_gmt":"2021-07-05T17:06:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theyummybull.com\/?p=1157"},"modified":"2021-12-15T00:40:08","modified_gmt":"2021-12-15T00:40:08","slug":"friendly-fire-in-lena-dani-garcias-new-restaurant-in-madrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theyummybull.com\/en\/2021\/07\/05\/friendly-fire-in-lena-dani-garcias-new-restaurant-in-madrid\/","title":{"rendered":"Friendly fire in Le\u00f1a, Dani Garc\u00eda’s new restaurant in Madrid"},"content":{"rendered":"
The steep stairs that lead to Le\u00f1a, the new restaurant of the Dani Garc\u00eda group, could well resemble Dante’s descent into hell. Basically, because what you do not expect is a dark place dedicated to the cult of the grill and the smoke. However, this story ends well, because the experience of enjoying this innovative concept is closer to paradise than eternal punishment.<\/p>\n
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I wanted to know this daring concept of steakhouse, whose mother house is in Marbella, Garc\u00eda’s hometown, even though it is not what you could most want on a summer day. Even opening around this time has been a brave and unexpected move. And the truth is that I must admit that any time of the year is good for grilled food.<\/p>\n
The fusion concept of Le\u00f1a is to show and share the mark that international travels have left on the Marbella chef, especially the US and Japan. Garcia add to the mix his Andalusian essence and his total respect for the integrity of the product. And this is something that is sensed from the first moment. From luxurious American d\u00e9cor to Japanese-style tableware. Curiously, I immediately found myself at home, because the experience of the years I lived in Seattle recognized this combination as very familiar.<\/p>\n
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His effort to \u201cdemocratize\u201d haute cuisine is well shown here. Garcia abandoned the trap of a 3 Michelin star restaurant a few years ago to feel yourself freer and enjoy family and work balance. This is how he describes Le\u00f1a concept: “a more informal and affordable restaurant where, however, you have an experience close to haute cuisine for the dishes, the cellar, the attention in the room and special details paying 60 euros” if you are careful with the wine you choose, of course.<\/p>\n
If you’re Spanish, you come to a restaurant like Le\u00f1a for meat. And if it’s red, the better. But I also came for the vegetables. Because if you can make a humble eggplant unforgettable, baba ghanoush is the best I’ve ever eaten, you can get it all. Also, the bimi with romesco was very tasty, al dente as I like it. I decided to save the grilled Malaga avocado and the smoked burrata caprese for the next time.<\/p>\n
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“Le\u00f1a is a more informal and affordable restaurant where, however, you have an experience close to haute cuisine for the dishes, the cellar, the attention in the room and special details paying 60 euros”<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The ribeye does not disappoint, but I fell in love with the pluma iberica<\/em>, a piece less cooked than usual for me, but exquisite. The portions are more generous than I expected, and the restaurant gives you bread and butter that are delicious, so in the end we had no room for dessert. We will need to return to enjoy it, as well as the grilled fish like that you can find on the menu if your table companions took you to Le\u00f1a a bit tricked and you are more \u201cpescatarian\u201d than carnivore.<\/p>\n
Laura Machado, Guest Experience manager<\/strong><\/p>\n
On the day of my lunch, I had the opportunity to meet Laura Machado, Guest Experience manager of the restaurant, who was kind enough to spend a few minutes when the restaurant has their doors closes to the public to show me the backstage of it.<\/p>\n
I had the chance to visit Smoked room, a very special place that arose unexpectedly when Dani Garc\u00eda found the perfect space to prepare a tasting menu at a fixed price of 135 euros called Fire Omakase and whose dishes are chosen by the chefs with seasonal products. The food is prepared in front of the customers, who are sat at a “fake” bar. And I say fake because instead on high stools you will enjoy the meal in several comfortable armchairs raised at a decent height, so you won\u00b4t miss a movement of the chefs. In an attached room there are two other small tables.<\/p>\n
Laura’s job is to make clients feel at home and at the same time to make them enjoy an unforgettable experience. “They take the effort to reserve and get groomed and, on many occasions, they come to celebrate special moments. It\u00b4s my job to make everything perfect,” she explains to me. In fact, many of her customers have become friends over time. They are regulars at all the group’s restaurants in Madrid: Bibo, Lobito de Mar and Dani Brasserie and they come to one or the other practically every week.<\/p>\n
She tries to be more a clairvoyant than a psychologist. “The funniest thing about this job that I love, is learning to know what people want without knowing them.” To do this, she tries to be coordinated as much as possible with the rest of the team, especially on an always sensitive issue such as allergies and intolerances.<\/p>\n
Laura has job experience in other restaurants in the group. In fact, she trained several months at Le\u00f1a Marbella before she opened Le\u00f1a Madrid. Comparing the clients of the two cities, she qualifies the Madrilenian as “demanding, but very faithful if you earn their trust” and considers that another of the elements that make Le\u00f1a special is that it is a place where everyone feels welcome, and no special dress code is necessary. \u201cThere may be a table with a final bill of 70 euros and another with a bill that is close to 1,000. We treat both types of clients with the same love\u201d, he concludes.<\/p>\n
In short, Le\u00f1a is a very special place in Madrid, a buzzling city now, as chef Quique Dacosta commented a few weeks ago, following the recent and upcoming opening of several luxury hotels. Le\u00f1a restaurant itself is on fire, but it is worth being patient and insisting to get a reservation to enjoy this unique experience.<\/p>\n
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