La Retirada, tradition and modernity in the same menu

Flip

The time of the appetizer and good food have Hong since moved to the neighbourhood of Retiro, but doesn’t move to other neighbourhoods, but it does join forces with the gastronomic circuit. La Retirada, one of the last opening on Doctor Castelo street, opens its doors to fulfill the precept of this street to the menu. It’s what has opened on a street rooted in tradition; you have to be a diner willing to be seduced by the products. It’s better if it’s with tradition, and tradition is not lacking here. It’s located at what was previously House Portal, an Asturias restaurant where people always left satisfied. They’ve wanted to pay homage to them in the menu with some winks such as the cabrales and the carhop. After Asturias, the menu makes nods to other provinces such as Madrid, León, Bilbao, stopping with the Mediterranean, choosing some traditional dishes that the chef Ruben Ortiz respects and reinvents with the subtlety that’s required, alternating with others, that bring novelty to the menu.

The letter invites you to share, so the starters are very extensive. WE strongly recommend the marinated herring with avocado and arbequina olive oil, a fresh and appetizing dish. Watch out for the outside menu, because there hides the secret to the retreat: their devotion to the products. During artichoke season, they make some marked on the plate so that the leaves are crunchy and the interior is creamy, and just above the heart they put a piece of foie, dressed with salt and drops of truffle oil. Flavours that respect the main product. Another off the menu, which in this case depends on the market, are the cockle with Boletus sauce, a sea and mountain in every rule that well deserves a try, especially since the cockles they have are very fleshy.

The second part of the menu pays homage to the Mediterranean rice in four recipes that are classic, like the honeyed rice of octopus and a truffle, served in the same clay pot to keep it warm. Then there is a selection of fish made with traditional recipes (Bilbao, cider, charcoal…) and meat in stew or charcoal in different cuts.

For dessert, the puff pastry with mascarpone cream and coffee ice cream is one of the best options. The puff pastry is made daily and artisanally, and is accompanied by two ingredients reminiscent of a tiramisu in the form of mille-feuille. Strawberry soup with vanilla ice cream is another hit. And for those who continue to eat, the national Cheese board.

All these dishes are part of the menu at the restaurant, located on a first floor, tastefully decorated with warm colours, woods and natural plants in the main part and maritime motifs in the reserved area, with a capacity for 14 people. The floor below has the more informal bar, with its own tasting menu, and a meeting area for cocktails after dinner.