The role he once played as a supporting character is a thing of the past; vegetables in Madrid now take center stage, not only in the starters on menus but also as the main courses. Regarded as mere garnishes on the day menus and later as standalone dishes, today the offering is varied and, above all, creative. As for the prices… they vary from place to place. Different restaurants transform them with their preparations into colorful recipes far from being dull. This is an ode to broccoli, to eggplants, to cauliflower, to artichokes, to peas, to carrots. And these are some of the spots where you can see it for yourself.
Uskar
They’re marketed as the neighborhood’s great secret in Embajadores, and for once the slogan isn’t overly grand: you walk away feeling as though you’ve uncovered something that isn’t widely spoken about yet. Jose Miguel and Rita lead this restaurant, which, at first glance, seems to be a humble neighborhood spot with no pretensions.
You can sample their dishes at the bar or move into the dining room, where the entire experience of their menu is accompanied by the recommendations of Raúl García, the sommelier who boasts more than 200 grape varieties available on the premises. But back to the topic at hand, what about the vegetables? All of them come from the Madrid orchard, because yes, in Madrid beyond the mountains there is an orchard, namely Sapiens, which has its own land in the agroecological park Soto del Grillo in Rivas-Vaciamadrid. From there they bring to Uskar their eggplants, which Jose pairs with Cordoban salmorejo, grated goat cheese, Shanghai sauce and togarashi. Off-menu, they typically feature seasonal produce, such as their Tudela artichokes with green pepper sauce and cecina de Burgos, or calçots sautéed in a wok with black garlic.
They also have fans inside and outside the neighborhood for their wild red tuna from Tarifa, a must-try dish, along with their Segureño lamb with Granada IGP that isn’t usually seen in Madrid, but is common in the city where Jose Miguel grew up, who greets you with a broad smile as he explains how they have earned recognitions like entry into the Repsol guide over ten years. “We started by serving daily menus and now, look at us, we’re still growing and picking up little achievements.” Their terrace is another must this spring-summer.
