In what was the lower part of the Central Hotel, and in the space that until recently was occupied by Altrapo and Vocablo, has emerged Gran Clavel, a new proposal designed to be a great ode to Madrid. Now, this space arrives to conquer la Gran Vía with a great slip that will catch the attention of locals, tourists and pedestrians.
The hotel began as a part of the Iberostar chain 3 years ago and decided to get into the gastronomic field. After the passing of Paco Morales along with the restaurant Altrapo, the time came to pull a 180 degree turn and reconvert all the culinary options into a hotel. The project has been carried out by Alejandra Ansón and Miguel Bonet, who dedicate themselves to the gastronomic advice mainly in hotels (his was also the creation of The Table By and now Media Ración in the Hotel Urso) and have counted on a great team and the chef Rafa Cordón from Madrid at the head of the kitchen.
The space needed an absolute redecoration and now it is completely transformed. If you remember, before it was a very white, minimalistic space. Now, they want to put in the value of Madrid and give something back to la Gran Vía, in a space where tradition and modernity go hand-in-hand. But, in such a large space, it wasn’t feasible to make a single concept. So they decided to divide it into three different spaces, each one with its own personality.
The Vermuteria. Is there anything more Madrid than a bar to drink Vermouth? The big change has been carried out in this space that previously had no activity license. It has been conceived as a super-informal and accessible area for all, thanks to its more than democratic prices. They serve Madrid’s tap vermouth and also have a menu of vermouth that rotates every month, created for the occasion by the Pop-up Vermuteria. The plan here is to take a cane accompanied by ultramarines and cheeses brought from the stall Octavio from the market of San Antón, pickled bombs, rockets and lagartos in Vallecas, etc. In addition, they have created a very basic menu of tapas” potatoes bravas, croquettes, Russian salad, aioli potatoes, anchovies in vinegar, cans and two hot dishes, meatballs and tripe. This space opens from 8 in the morning with the hopes that the breakfast will also acquire its protagonism. Churros with chocolate, toast, tortilla skewer, mixed sandwich with bar and grill bread, ham sandwiches, pastries… a difficult decision.
Wine bar. It also functions as the hotel lobby. What better way to check in than while also enjoying a good glass of wine? The essential thing in this space is that it has a great wine reference list to drink from, and many of them are from Madrid. The distribution of the menu is chosen by ‘famously good’ wineries that are the most popular and ‘safe bets’, which are wines from smaller producers, but very well selected. With it, they have managed to include a little normal, and make an enjoyable menu where almost all the wines are 30 euros a bottle and drinks are between 3 and 4 euros. What about the menu? More entertaining tapas, keeping the essence of Madrid, but including a more modern and traveling inspiration, with dishes like the bravas with chipotle, the salad with smoked octopus, the tartar of croaker in Madrid with chopped peppers, the garlic mussels made like the French… and if you’re looking for a menu of the day, sign up.They call it ‘stew, cheese and wine’ and consists of a stew that changes every day (which you can repeat as many times as you want), accompanied by a glass of wine and a plate of cheese.
The Food House. This is the most formal area in the space, where there are still many references to Madrid, recovering classic recipes but also understanding the history of Madrid and the French bistro and food houses. Rafa Cordón worries about recovering the ‘lost cookbook’ that our grandmothers used and putting their sights again on the traditional thing. “There was a time when, with all the culinary emergence and with our position as the best cuisine in the world thanks to Ferran Adrià, we all had a siphon in the kitchen, but we had forgotten what it was to cook for real, do things on a slow fire and work the funds of the dishes,” said the chef from Madrid. In the Food House, they have taken that recipe book from their entire lives, and have made it with the utmost care for the product and techniques learned. They triumph recipes like the prawn cocktail made with crab and pink sauce, lamb chops, the marinated rabbit, the sweetbreads, tripe with chickpeas, the tail of bull… and every Saturday, Madrid stew, skipping the Madrid tradition on Wednesdays, because who goes back to work after tasting a succulent stew?
Gran Clavel (Hotel de las Letras)
Phone: 91 524 23 05
Prices: Vermutería, 15 euros / Wine Bar 25 euros, Menu of the day 14 euros / The Food House 45 euros.
Hours: Vermutería Monday to Sunday from 8:00am to midnight | Wine Bar Monday to Sunday from 11:30am to midnight | The Food House Wednesday to Saturday from 1:00pm to 4:00pm and 8:00pm to 11:30pm.
Text and Photos: Macarena Escrivá
