Candela Restaurante, which opened its doors a year ago in the Hispanoamérica area of the Chamartín district, is a restaurant made for the people of Madrid, where traditional flavors, recipes and customs are brought back to life.
Its culinary proposal breathes the essence of the authentic eating houses, those in which the best food of the market was put on the plate treated with artisan care and without frills, while its different spaces -bar, dining room and private rooms- allow from enjoying the informality of tapas and the lively atmosphere of the bar, to hosting more relaxed meetings, social gatherings and after dinner, with the privacy of the great tables of power.
At the head of the kitchen is the Galician Pedro González Rial, former head chef of some of the restaurants of the Oter Group, while his second in command, Jorge Pérez-Juste, trained at El Celler de Can Roca, is in charge of the sweets and giving the most contemporary touch to the proposal.
This great team endorses an honest and seasonal cuisine, which puts in front an exceptional product -there are anchovies from Santoña, white prawns from Huelva, artichokes from Tudela, Asturian beef, old Galician cow…- and where everything is prepared in the restaurant itself.
Inspired in Madrid
In addition to the aforementioned meatballs, the Russian salad with prawns, ham croquettes or the marriage of anchovies, a trio that attests to the culinary level of the restaurant, cannot be overlooked at Candela Restaurant.
Nor the crispy artichokes, the squid with lime mayonnaise made with three flours that result in a very special breading, the eggs with truffle or the Betanzos style omelette with legs.
And much less should you miss the oxtail -Cordovan style and without flour-, its impeccable tripe a la madrileña -with leg, a lot of snout and just the right amount of spice-, the homemade foie micuit or an academic steak tartar prepared at the sight of the customer and accompanied by soufflé potatoes.
All these dishes refer to the culinary memory of the capital, to its great bourgeois dining rooms, to home cooking and to the most traditional tapas. Also outstanding are the rice dishes –a banda, lobster, oxtail and boletus and black fideuá with baby squid and prawns-, the meats –entrecote of old matured cow, Tomahawk Steak, veal milanesa, sirloin steak with foie … –
Desserts, all homemade, including cheesecake, chocolate coulant, fine apple tart and tiramisu.
The wine list is made up of a careful selection of 25 references in which, with the exception of some high-end classics, it opts for signature labels, less common denominations of origin -Toro, Bierzo, Ribeiro, Ribera Sacra…- and, in general, wines with a good quality-price ratio that do not add to the final bill. It is also worth mentioning a motivated and experienced dining room team that contributes to rounding off the experience.
Different environments
Candela Restaurant has two distinct environments. On the upper floor or street level is the bar area, with high tables and screens to watch soccer. Here, during uninterrupted hours, a more informal menu is served, complemented by an extensive list of classic and contemporary cocktails and performances to liven up the evening. The lower floor, on the other hand, houses a more formal room, with restaurant hours and menu, with capacity for 20 diners and 6 more at a separate table overlooking the kitchen. It also has two reserved areas for 10 and 6 people respectively and a delivery service.
