Madrid Night 2: el club Allard (*Michelin*)

We are in such a state of food bliss, it's hard to even know where to begin! 

 

el club Allard has earned 2 Michelin stars and was the main destination for our stay in Madrid since we planned this trip. The chef, Diego Guerrero, is known to be a creative genius and we've heard him mentioned in our favorite food media. The restaurant is located in a beautiful building down the road from the Royal Palace. 

After buzzing their bell, we were greeted in the foyer and began one of our greatest food adventures!! We spotted place cards at each table that said: 

 Bienvenidos a la Revolucion Silencio

To our surprise, the chef himself came and greeted us at our table to explain the menu and take our order! Classy touch. 

After opting for the Classic Tasting Menu, we were given a bowl of peanut cream and told to dip our place cards in it and take a bite... Come again? We thought we lost something in Spanish translation, but then saw the people at the next table do it. And if you can believe it, those place cards tasted like Communion wafers. Amazing! 

We knew then that this chef's reputation for creativity is hard to do justice with words; 

it needs to be experienced. 

Upon seeing us trying to jot notes of what we were eating, one waiter kindly offered us this menu printed in English to take home. 

 

One might think that a chef of this caliber would not want his menu getting around.  But el club Allard is so dedicated to serving only the freshest foods of the moment, the menu literally changes daily! Where could this meal possibly go after eating a place card?  The pictures say it all. (zoom in on the photo of the menu for more detailed descriptions) 

game truffle with foie 

(Mel had to rethink her blanket dismissal of foie after this!  when you shake the bowl, a smoke infusion of thyme envelopes you) 

 

mini Babybell of Camembert 

(love the apple-like presentation of cheese!) 

 

butter fish "tapa" 

(the "pat of butter"fish was sitting on a bed of caramel algae that crumbled into a miso-esque broth below) 

 

mushroom "papillote" 

(arrived in a sealed plastic bag reminiscent of how one carries a goldfish home; the waiters then carefully cut the bag inside your bowl to reveal mushroom soup goodness) 

eggs with bread 

(words simply can't express how amazing; brings new meaning to the term "breakfast square" with its combination of bread, egg, and bacon) 

 

smoked barbel of salmon 

(we now understand what Zimmern and Bourdaine mean when they say you can tell the fish tastes so fresh you know it just came out of the ocean) 

 

halibut 

(could have eaten a whole plate of this) 

 

"taco" hare 

(this was our favorite dish of the night; presentation and flavor - absolute perfection; those little green dollops are guacomole with cilantro "flowers") 

 

rompope 

(vanilla ice cream in a shot glass made of frozen rum and Coke; need we say more?) 

 

"fish bowl" 

(quite possibly the coolest dessert we have ever seen! and such attention to detail, for at the start of the night the chef asked if we had any allergies. Mel mentioned raspberries, thinking it would be inconsequential. well, it turns out the "branch" of chocolate had raspberry in it, so they actually made Mel a special one with mango. wow.) 

 

poche egg 

(if the fish bowl was the coolest dessert ever seen, this egg was most creative. the waiters presented it and said, "you eat the shell. we say no more."  when cracked open, you discover that the shell is white chocolate and the egg is custard filled with mango sorbet. mind-blowing.) 

 

We passed on having a digestif of liquor, but since it was getting late we decided to try a soothing tea.  The blend of fruit and tea leaves created the most flavorful and aromatic tea we have ever had.

 

Once we had paid the bill, the chef came by to ask if we liked everything. Mel felt like a giddy teenager as we sang his praises and asked if we could take a picture. 

 

What a cool guy! The perfect end to an ultimate dining experience!