Al Trapo

AL TRAPO es un restaurante de alta cocina instalado en la planta baja del Hotel de las Letras, en plena Gran Vía. Sala diáfana, decorada en tonos blancos con grandes cristaleras. Demasiado funcional, muy de hotel, resulta poco acogedora. Platos de porcelana de la abuela y copas de nivel. No hay manteles, se come directamente sobre la mesa de madera decapada, las servilletas son de celulosa aunque de buena calidad.
Carta breve, preparaciones sorprendentes y actuales con materia prima modesta. Como aperitivo de la casa, una tacita de una rica crema de puerro caliente. Todo a compartir, pedimos:
Aireados de tortilla, una especie de buñuelos rellenos de tortilla de patata licuada, coronadas con un trocito de pimiento y anchoa, que se comen de un bocado. Correctos.
Unos preñados. Bollito tipo bao, recién horneado, relleno de chorizo, coronado por un huevo de codorniz y huevas de trucha. Muy sabroso, bastante bueno.
Boquerones rebozados, con sus espinas también fritas, servidos sobre una salsa de estilo tailandés, ligeramente picante. Sorprendente forma de tratar este humilde pescado. Muy logrados.
Presa ibérica con cus-​cus de guisantes. Carne de calidad, tostada por el exterior y roja por el centro. Bastante buena, aunque falló la guarnición pues el cus-​cus, un poco duro, no pegaba nada con la presa.
Carta de vinos con varias referencias interesantes, aunque un poco subida de precio. Elegimos un vino de Toro: Prima, que nos pareció la mejor opción, servido a temperatura correcta.
Servicio diligente, amabilidad y poca espera entre platos. Tamaño de las raciones escaso, que lo hacen más recomendable para cenas.
Gracias al Kviar, el marcador se quedó en algo menos de 50 euros. Buen precio, aunque sin descuento hubiera resultado caro. Repetible con promoción.

The chef here loves anchovies, mushrooms, morels and they show up in many dishes. The difference between a good anchovy and a poor/​mediocre anchovy is massive, same for morels, and they only use the best here. Morels in bechamel were luxurious and free of any sand or grit you encounter at many restaurants. Vietnamese spring roll was refreshing and the razor clam tartar on top was a fun surprise. The clams were chopped, mixed in a light dressing, and topped the spring roll. Cooked perfectly they were tender and toothsome like they should be. The restaurant is casual so if you’re looking for a fine dining experience you won’t necessarily get it here but the plates are about as elaborated and unique as you’ll find and the service is friendly.

Awesome food! We were staying at de las letras and decided to go here on our first jet lagged night.
We also happen to be vegetarians and they were able to accomodate us and not skimp on the variety or creativity of their food.

Me sorprenden los comentarios tan buenos. No tengo que decir nada de la comida pero ademas de ser un sitio ruidoso el servicio es pésimo y está mal organizado. Creo que un restaurante es mucho mas que un lugar bonito (que lo es).

We had dinner at Al Trapo last night (the Saturday before Easter), and to say that we had a stunning meal would be – honestly — a slight understatement. The evening was truly one of those memorable meals that will stay with us for years to come…
Al Trapo is located within the Hotel de las Letras, albeit with a separate entrance and street address. As visiting Americans, we had reservations early by Madrileño standards: 8:30 (20:30), but in retrospect that proved to be a very good thing. The staff was very attentive, and most spoke English — that and a menu printed in English made for an easy meal, but what helped to make it truly special was the assistance we received from the hotel’s Food and Beverage Director, Joao Guimarães. He explained the menu’s concept, and when we told him there were so many dishes we wanted to try, he offered to make those dishes in a smaller size as a Tasting Menu, and discuss with the chef the order of service, to make it a perfect meal for us. .. and perfect it was, too.
The only «misstep,» if one could call it that — and to do so would honestly be unfair — was the amuse bouche, a tomato salad with chorizo and more, in which the tomatoes could have been perhaps a bit riper but was bright, flavorful and delightful nonetheless. If that is the only «stumble,» you can probably guess how great the rest of the meal was…
We began with Sautéed Artichokes — a generous portion of baby artichokes, shaved down and served with slices of Iberian salt pork, chive mayonnaise, and tiny crusty breadcrumbs. The dish was delicious and tasty, and proved the perfect starter for what was to follow.
From there, we moved onto the deceptively titled Cockles in Green Sauce — a sauté pan filled with fresh, plumb cockles in their scallop-​like shells with a green sauce that combined (I think) mint and fava and who knows what else. Deceptively simple, this was a mind-​blowing (palate-​blowing?) dish that my wife and I were still raving about long into the night.
Next came Slices of Raw Sea Scallop — the thinnest slices of raw scallops with green olive, pieces of orange sections, and fried garlic. Tender, flavorful, creamy and rich, yet the citrus brought it into balance by keeping it clean and fresh. Indeed, this point/​counterpoint type of balance and harmony was the key to many of these dishes, with one component counter-​balancing another to the increased complexity yet purity of the dish.
The Steak Tartare was different than any tartare I’ve ever had. Served with three quail eggs (nothing new there), mustard ice cream and a black-​pepper sauce, this dish perfectly demonstrated the type of balance I referred to in the previous paragraph: the sharpness of the mustard was off-​set by the bite of the black pepper, but the coolness of the ice cream and the fat of the quail egg, together with the exquisite richness of the quality beef — every single component was evident, discernible, and flavorful; nothing overwhelmed or dominated the other components. It was like some giant sculpture balanced on a single, tiny, delicate point…
From there, we moved on to Pork Tenderloin — served on a bed of chilled Iberian ham purée and tiny bok choy (individual stems, and tiny leaves folded into packets containing the purée). The slices of tenderloin (about the size of sliced shiitake mushrooms) were tender and oh-​so-​flavorful, while the bok choy was perfectly cooked yet still firm. .. again, rich in flavor, yet delicate and clean in the finish.
We concluded our meal with a cheese course consisting of Bodega from the Canary Islands, Mahón Curado from Menorca, and Picón Bejés-​Tresvis from Cantabria, served with small quenelles of tomato jam, nut purée, and two more which escape me at the moment.
A perfect end to what was truly a perfect meal. We finished — content, yet not stuffed or feeling «overly full.» Our only problem was we were left with a near-​overwhelming desire to return and order all of the dishes we didn’t get to try on this visit!

El restaurante del Hotel de las Letras. En plena Gran Vía es todo un alarde de originalidad. Lo que más me impactó es que se curran muchísimo la presentación y cada plato mezcla mil sabores pero luego en boca notas todos los sabores y las piezas no se rompen o devoronan al cogerlas. Excelente.