Varra, a great 21st-century eatery
When we talk about a traditional eatery, the image that immediately comes to mind is that of a restaurant steeped in history, serving a traditional menu untouched by trends and the passage of time.
Because Varra is a top-notch restaurant, adapted to the 21st century, with its own personality and one of the best things to happen to Madrid's hospitality industry in recent times.
This is a project launched by two chefs as young as they are experienced, Jorge Velasco and Joaquín Serrano, who have been joined by Gonzalo Menéndez as head chef. Velasco spent a decade with Ramón Freixa (Madrid) as head of gastronomy, while Serrano worked at El Celler de Can Roca (Girona) and was responsible for a project as interesting as it was short-lived, prophetically named (coincidentally) Ephemeral.
This trio of partners has just become a quartet with the very recent addition of head waiter and sommelier Juanma Galán, from Estimar and backed by a long and brilliant career (Ramón Freixa, El Portal de Alicante, Numa Pompilio, La Terraza del Casino…), so that the kitchen is joined by a firm commitment to a high-quality wine cellar.
But Varra is not only a magnificent 21st-century eatery, it is also a 21st-century bar because, in addition to the dining room located on the first floor, on the ground floor it offers an informal menu of tapas that is a hit with regulars who keep coming back, seduced by the ham croquettes, the tortilla pincho, the patatas bravas, the Palamós prawn toast, the steak tartare of aged picaña or a now legendary crispy pig's ear.
Such has been the success of these three latest dishes that they've had no choice but to add them to the restaurant's menu, albeit with some tweaks to differentiate themselves. The prawn has been infused with lemongrass and ginger (the most exotic thing they do, they jokingly point out), giving it a fresh and casual touch. The steak tartare is served with a pigeon pâté and truffle emulsion. And the pig's ear is served with caviar instead of brava sauce—a rather controversial decision.
These bite-sized morsels serve as a link between Varra's two worlds and allow us to delve into the restaurant's menu. A menu where seasonal vegetables, robust, flavorful, and expertly prepared stocks, and classic sauces (Béarnaise, Hollandaise, etc.) take center stage in dishes that never include more than three or four ingredients. Here, there is real cooking, a lot of cooking.
For any restaurant, having a signature dish is quite an achievement. Well, after having tried practically the entire menu, we concluded that there are no fewer than five dishes here that could be described as such.
In order of disappearance (our dear Abraham, always in our memory), they are: Maresme peas sautéed over embers with escudella broth; baby broad beans with snow pea cream, cabbage jus, and bacon; leek cooked in duck court stock and capon carcass with truffle; confit artichoke with foie gras soup with Pedro Ximénez sherry and smoked eel; and onion soup with Iberian ham and poultry broth, Idiazabal cheese, and truffle. Exceptional and comforting dishes, bursting with flavor, each ingredient perfectly identifiable.
One step below, but still at a remarkable level, are the surf and turf dishes, such as chard with carbonara and kokotxas or red mullet with cod tripe and Perol sausage.
Of course, we mustn't forget the more traditional diners (we're in the Salamanca district, after all) who feel they haven't eaten if they don't finish the savory course with animal protein. There are meat dishes too: the Bresse pigeon with cauliflower cream and pickled kale, and the grilled venison loin with tarragon béarnaise, are both impeccable. But, given the choice, one would prefer to finish with the Asturian bean stew with pheasant and black trumpet mushrooms (frozen at this time of year), which would bring a dead person back to life.
For dessert, there were three options: semi-candied apples with sherry and dairy, creamy flan with 70% cocoa, and pears poached in wine with celeriac. Those with a sweet tooth overwhelmingly chose the flan.
As we mentioned before, since Galán's arrival, the wine selection has become a significant part of Varra's offerings. Our advice is to put yourself in his hands without hesitation because, far from encyclopedic or brand-centric approaches, his first question to each diner is, "What kind of wine do you like?" and from there, he suggests, not imposes.
One last point, which has nothing to do with gastronomy but rather with what surrounds it, such as that good conversation without which not everything tastes so good: the acoustics of the dining room need a check-up.
