The restaurant of the chef with the most Michelin stars lands in Madrid: this is what you can eat there
It had to be after his death -in 2018-, but Joël Robuchon, the chef with the most Michelin stars in history, has arrived in Spain. It is surprising that until now there was no restaurant of the French chef in Spain, considering that he spent long periods in Calpe (Alicante). Precisely in Alicante he met one of the restaurants that changed his way of understanding gastronomy. He fell in love with the Nou Manolín bar, revered by other great chefs such as Ferran Adrià, and was inspired by it to create L’Atelier, his line of haute cuisine spaces.
Robuchon disembarks in Madrid (Paseo de la Castellana, 12), in a iconic venue of the capital that hosted Embassy for decades, one of those places impossible to describe to half way between tea room, classic restaurant or sandwich shop to carry out. A classic of the illustrated snacks of the capital that closed its doors in 2017. In that corner of Castellana is Robuchon Madrid, divided into three spaces: L’Atelier, L’Ambassade and Le Speakeasy. The first is the haute cuisine space; the second, the restaurant that brings together the most accessible experience for all audiences and Le Speakeasy, the basement of the building will function as a cocktail bar.
This visit has focused on L’Ambassade -a good name, by the way, taking into account the history of the building- and which includes four of the six spaces of the premises. In the room that is accessed by the stairs and that is located on the right, an open kitchen has been set up from which the dishes come out. The decoration, the work of the interior designer Lázaro Rosa-Violán, is simple but chic: the french bistro feel it’s achieved. It should be noted that this is a concept designed exclusively for Spain.
It should be noted that the salty offer on the menu reserves a space for tapas understood in the Robuchon way, something that makes perfect sense, taking into account his love for bars in the Spanish way. From the Russian salad to the truffled potato omelette, passing through some duck confit croquettes. The croquettes, by the way, are very creamy, fatty, with impeccable frying. They are, in their own right, among the best that can be tasted in Madrid.
Beyond tapas, Robuchon’s specialty menu is a fast-track introduction to the heart of that French cuisine that can please everyone. A kind of kids menu for those big kids who are moved by gastronomy and its icons. The ‘quiche Lorraine‘, with formulations that change every day, is that salty cake that we all have in our heads, in which milk and egg are combined in a perfect texture. The one served at L’ Ambassade has, yes, a significant height, making it look more like a cheesecake at first glance. Notice to boaters: the portions are awesome and make sharing mandatory. At least the side is a sprout salad.
After the ‘quiche lorraine’, another classic, although this one comes with a twist. The ‘croque’ changes its surname: it is not ‘monsieur’ but ‘millefeuilles’ (mihojas). That is to say, we find the ‘croque monsieur’ of all life but replacing the sliced bread with puff pastry. The filling does not abuse the combination between bechamel and cheese, making it less heavy than its canonical version. The important thing here is that it turns out a tasty, golden and crispy sandwich. It is appreciated that the garnish is a braised bud, which provides a fresh touch. Whoever falls short of the sandwich menu of, let’s say, a VIPS, here you have more options (although there is also a club sandwich, beware).
In the main ones, we find ‘steak tartare’ accompanied by grilled potatoes (we would prefer the ‘soufflé’, but…) or ‘entrecôte’, but there is also room for surprise: a Milanese chicken escalope that is difficult to find in restaurants of this ambition. Very fine, with an impeccable batter, and very well fried. It arrives at the table topped with Parmesan cheese flakes, cherry tomatoes and arugula. Guilty pleasure? Definitely. Zero sophistication but pure joy.
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Good Cheeseboard: they mix an excellent truffled ‘brie’ or a matured comté with Spanish references that raise the level such as Olavidia from Jaén, a goat cheese that was chosen as the best in the world at the 2021 World Cheese Awards. fulfill the cakesPairing: Lemon or pear flavors with a good sablé base are satisfactory. It seems clear that the same parish in Castellana that had a snack at the Embassy can continue to do so here with all the guarantees. In addition, there is an extensive tea menu. The average price, by the way, is around 40 euros per diner: nothing unreasonable considering how they spend them in Madrid today.
Robuchon may have arrived late in Spain but the path is correct. At a time when classic French cuisine is being looked at again, L’ Ambassade cannot go any further along that line. In addition, L’Atelier will surely satisfy those who are looking for that plus of haute cuisine from the man who has achieved the most Michelin stars. But that’s another story, perhaps with less bread, butter and cheese. And we’ll see if it’s tastier or not.