This is a special piece to mark a truly memorable meal. Gourmand Gunno normally restricts himself only to reviewing restaurants on his home UK turf. Top dining experiences for elsewhere can generally be found in the global section of his website.
Offal lovers eat your heart out. Chef-patron Javi Estévez has been on a mission since 2015 to educate the world about the merits of animal innards. His motto is #SomosCasqueros. In English, #WeAreOffalLovers. For his commitment to the cause, he has been awarded a Michelin star. While not necessarily for the squeamish, to enjoy one of Estévez’s tasting menus is an experience to behold.
Nose-to-tail eating was a concept pioneered in the UK by Fergus Henderson at St. John. The principle is a laudable and logical one: if an animal is being slaughtered, why not make the most of every part of it? Estévez could be seen as his Spanish counterpart, but whereas St John has become slightly more mainstream over the years (it has been a London stalwart for almost twenty), the passion of Estévez is undiminished.
Diners are encouraged to select one of his three tasting menus, although a few a la carte options can be had too. The former are described as M, L or XL, comprising five, six or nine courses. Priced at €55, €65 and €95 respectively, they have to be among the best-value fine dining options anywhere in Europe, especially once appetisers and petits-fours courtesy of the chef are included too. Your reviewer selected the former but was allowed to swap some dishes from the L option into his M, a touch that was appreciated.
To get an impression of the journey diners might go on, consider what was on offer during your reviewer’s visit: a terrine of pork jowl and veal sweetbread (i.e. pancreas), a fried suckling pig ear, pork tail with smoked eel, duck hearts and a stew of veal tripe, feet and snout – to give just a few examples. Each dish was an artful masterpiece, presented and narrated with passion by the server. The pig’s ear is served with a traditional northern Spanish potato and red pepper mash, the tripe is cooked for over five days, and more. The delicacy combined with depth of texture was close to perfection. At La Tasqueria, every morsel should be rightly treasured and savoured. This is unique cooking, hard to find in many other places.
The setting works too. Located just northwest of the Retiro Park, the vibe is local and unpretentious, but still classy. The décor is post-industrial, with an open kitchen, although your reviewer enjoyed the people watching (and view into the restaurant) from the outside terrace. As he savoured a gratis chocolate-coated pigs’ ear, his concluding thought was that this a restaurant definitely to return to.