Playing Solo

The 24 Best Restaurants In Madrid - Madrid - The Infatuation

"If hanging out in a space that feels like someone’s kitchen/living room—with just seven other guests—and watching the host create an elaborate tasting menu sounds like fun, head to Playing Solo. This tiny, eight-seater restaurant in Malasaña is changing up the fine dining playbook with its unpretentious yet impeccably curated seasonal 10-course tasting menu (or vegetarian tasting menu), best accompanied by the wine pairing, or a glass off the 22-page wine list. Every seat looks toward the kitchen, so you can watch the chef slice, whisk, and tweezify each pass. He’ll explain each dish, all nods to using locally sourced Spanish ingredients, Japanese fermentation, or French techniques, to each group of diners. On one visit, you might find an entire menu dedicated to tomato-based creations, and on another, tender octopus only found in Galician estuaries a few weeks out of the year, or foie with challots and cognac. The one constant is the butter-soft wagyu, an add-on available year-round." - lori zaino

Playing Solo - Review - Malasaña - Madrid - The Infatuation

"If hanging out in a space that feels like someone’s kitchen/living room—with just seven other guests—and watching the host create an elaborate tasting menu sounds like fun, head to Playing Solo. This tiny, eight-seater restaurant in Malasaña is changing up the fine dining playbook with its unpretentious yet impeccably curated seasonal 10-course tasting menu (or vegetarian tasting menu), best accompanied by the wine pairing, or a glass off the 22-page wine list. Every seat looks toward the kitchen, so you can watch the chef slice, whisk, and tweezify each pass. He’ll explain each dish, all nods to using locally sourced Spanish ingredients, Japanese fermentation, or French techniques, to each group of diners. On one visit, you might find an entire menu dedicated to tomato-based creations, and on another, tender octopus only found in Galician estuaries a few weeks out of the year, or foie with challots and cognac. The one constant is the butter-soft wagyu, an add-on available year-round." - Lori Zaino

"A unique restaurant run in a highly personalised manner, to the extent that you practically eat in the kitchen – the idea being to enjoy the experience as a true spectacle in the art of cooking. In this small eatery inspired by traditional Japanese izakayas, where you’ll find a counter with space for just eight diners (all of whom start their meal at the same time), chef Luis Caballero creates cuisine with a true Japanese soul albeit with influences from France and Scandinavia and always based around the best locally sourced ingredients. You’ll find a single seasonal menu here (a shorter midweek lunch option is also available) and in winter we can highly recommend the superb signature Shiizakana dish featuring foie gras and shallots. Luis is always extremely keen to explain each dish with great enthusiasm to his guests." - Michelin Inspector