Although the term “fusion cuisine“It became fashionable in the last decade, the truth is that already in the 70s some American chefs called dishes that included” exotic “ingredients, enriched by the variety of cultures and traditions from other countries. Today we find fajitas, burritos and tacos even in supermarkets, but the first “tex mex”Were born in the state of Texas which, due to its proximity, wanted to mix Mexican flavors with the American concept of fast food. If we go even further back in time we would find the first Franco-Italian Creoles who arrived in New Orleans and kept Mediterranean recipes and condiments adapted to local ingredients to give rise to the “cajun kitchen”. And there is still more: what should we call the dishes made by the early Romans and Greeks, who asked the merchants of the Silk Road for spices from the Middle East and India, or the first Mozarabic pots? It could be said that the fusion cuisine it is as old as the art of cooking and being influenced by other cultures. If you want to travel through the senses, these are some recommendations that you cannot miss.
Benarés (C / Zurbano, 5, Madrid), Indo-Spanish cuisine
Can you imagine a reinterpretation of the typical tapas with Indian airs? On Benares Madrid We find everything from suckling lamb meatballs with vegetables and cardamom to exquisite squid sandwiches based on naan bread, garlic and lemongrass emulsion. Would you dare with a lamb sausage marinated in masalas and graten with Manchego cheese or an exotic octopus “a feira”, now prepared in tandoor? The foodies Those looking for exotic delicacies have an indisputable appointment with the Michelin Star Atul Kochhar, a chef who proposes haute cuisine fusion between his Indian roots and the international ingredients with which he experiments. This season you are exploring Madrid tapas, but you are also investigating other flavors such as quinoa and passion fruit salad or scallops with confit garlic land and broccoli couscous.
Kena (C / Diego de León, 11, Madrid), Nikkei cuisine
Halfway between Peru and Japan, this restaurant by the acclaimed chef Luis Arévalo is a tribute to the Japanese immigration that arrived in Peru in the XNUMXth century to create a delicious fusion. The sensory journey presents gunkan of scallops with yellow chili, sea bass with pig’s trotters and mushrooms, lamb anticucho in sisho leaves or Galician oysters with ponzu sauce of rocoto chili pepper. Food critics place Kena such as best nikkei in Madrid, and its “Omakase Menu” is a different experience every day because it leaves a margin of live improvisation in the hands of the chef. Sushis, niguiris and tiraditos alternate with delicatessens such as the wagyu pachamanca, without forgetting its careful wine cellar and its cocktail menu, with the pisco sour as the protagonist, classic or passion fruit to accompany the menu.
Latasia (P. de la Castellana, 115, Madrid), Hispanic-Asian cuisine
The brothers Roberto and Sergio Hernández have crossed half the world to store recipes from every corner in their backpacks, brought to excellence after passing through the kitchens of Urkiola Mendi or Paco Roncero. They are defined as “Meal House”In order not to detract from the avant-garde familiarity that their dishes give off, reminiscent of Latin America and Southeast Asia, from Azerbaijan to Singapore via Malaysia, Indonesia, Peru or the Philippines. To share in Latasia We find such exotic proposals as Madrid stew ramen or Galician mussels with curry and coconut milk. Carnivores will delight in the Iberian longdock, glazed Iberian pork strip roll or the rendang of cow cheek that melts in your mouth. And those with a sweet tooth should leave room to try the dessert menu, with cheescake mochi and strawberries to consider and a Filipino-influenced “taho taho” with soy milk and tapioca pearls.
La Candela Restò (C / Amnistía, 10, Madrid), wild cuisine
“Wild, without tame, without corset, without rules.” With this presentation, chef Samy Ali revolutionizes the Ópera neighborhood from his most imaginative and rogue cuisine, which stands out for its “no-carte” and the promise of a Hispanic-Asian-African trip on the palate. No one knows what you are going to taste when you walk through the door of the restaurant The Candle remained. The three tasting menus (Short, Medium or Long, with several dishes) explore flavors based on time, pocket and curiosity available, with a presentation that will drive Instagrammers crazy. The intention is to surprise each week with renovations from the chef: when he says that a dish is called “Sublimate a pigeon” it is because he does it, and the smoking glass urn where it appears simply leaves the diner speechless. It is not known what he will propose for the spring season, but regulars are already reserving a table for the next occasion.
Chifa and Sudestada (C / Modesto Lafuente, 64 and Ponzano, 85. Madrid), Chinese-Latin cuisine
This 2 × 1 by chef Estanis Carenzo allows us to choose between informal or special occasions to visit the South Asian haute cuisine that has become fashionable in recent years and brings together experienced foodies and gourmets and chefs from other restaurants in its tables. day off. On Chifa The flavors of Peru and China are originally combined, but without borders: there are Argentine noodles, Filipino escabeche or arroz chaufa. On the other hand, his older brother, Sudestada, has been consolidated with dishes such as the strong cheek curry or the delicious grilled picanha, and a brilliant cocktail menu in the hands of Pablo Giudice, with margaritas, caipiroskas, caipirinhas, reinvented tequilas and the own version of the spritz, the “ Aperol Champenoise ”, perfect to close the menu.