The outstanding OSA experience

A few weeks ago we had an outstanding experience dining at Restaurante OSA in Madrid.

Five hours of enjoyment, discovery, and experience, where all five senses were involved, adding to them the sense of humour and the power to recall memories through what you are eating and drinking. Think of many ‘La madeleine de Proust’ moments throughout the dinner.

Nordic, Spanish, Japanese. Atmosphere, ingredients, technique. Pair these words in any order you wish and you will just begin to understand the cuisine of Sara Peral and Jorge Muñoz, whom I wouldn’t be surprised to hear they’re getting a second Michelin star soon.

The long menu we had is, yes, too long to comment in detail. So, just a few impressions:

The homemade charcuterie is not for the faint of heart. The animal’s organs it is made from are presented whole at the table.

You will find the most refined and minimalist Japanese-like cooking technique in the salmonete (red mullet) amaze, the chicharro shine saba, the blue crab with soba noodles and wasabi, and the anguila (eel) anago tsume.

The simplest vegetables become luxury food: penca (Swiss chard) escabeche.

Minimalism again in their version of the Italian anolini, with butifarra (white sausage) catalana here.

Conversely, a very complex dish with sweet Palermo peppers and Faroese cod. I loved the flavour but was not convinced by the texture.

The deer and deer consommé with armagnac is pure magic.

Lácteo Sake Kasu is neither yogurt, nor cheese, nor cream, nor labneh, but everything at the same time. The Andalusian extra virgin olive oil on top makes it a heavenly dish.

Jerte Umeboshi is a reinterpretation of a classical Japanese dish, exchanging the original salty plum for the best cherries in the world.

Last, wine. We agreed that the wine pairing was, easily, the best we all had ever had. It deserves its own separate post. Stay tuned.