* UPDATE *: this restaurant has closed.
The neighborhood of Salamanca is full of effervescence and the restaurant Rómola is one of the culprits. A spectacular space that has become the new destination of the jet set, but in which they also eat great. I’ve checked it out!
The place is very nice, and it shows that behind it is the hand of a very talented architect, like Andrés Jaque. I go to many bars and restaurants, and to me the design of Rómola is a breath of fresh air and originality with respect to the random decorations. For example, a detail that charms me is that it has taken a stately material like marble and arranged it in a totally unexpected way.
As you have already seen from the photos, the interior is beautiful, original and with great personality. That’s why there are usually beautiful people and influencers taking pictures, but I tell you one thing: the rest of the diners that I saw were experienced foodies from the Salamanca neighborhood. And your stomach is not deceived with spectacular decoration.
Because the decoration and the staff that works in the restaurant are a 10, if the food is not at a high level, the project doesn’t work. That’s why I decided to go to Rómola as soon as possible to get to know its famous menu designed by nutritionists. And the surprise I got was huge.
There are varied options, from “Rómola tripe” to “Bloody Mary oysters”, with the approximate calories shown for each dish. The menu is short and sufficient for all tastes to be represented: garden vegetables, legumes, seafood, fish and meat.
Willing to know if the food was up to the expectations, I went to eat on a day during the week. I accepted the recommendations at the time of asking, so each dish was a surprise. The first thing I tried were the “navajas glaseadas con kimchi” (“glazed razor-sharp clams with kimchi”), which keep its flavor with a touch of spice. The presentation is beautiful, and the meat of the clams is very soft.
After this dish of fusion cuisine, came the “jarrete de iberico glaseado” (“glazed Iberian hock). And with this dish it became clear to me that they also master traditional cuisine. The hock kept all the heat inside, and the glaze on the outside melted away. Here there’s no cheating or cardboard: premium products with almost no accompaniment, and Rómola ends up triumphant.
The photo is turrón (nougat) Rómola style, whose full name is “turrón adapted from almonds and orange”. It has a careful presentation as all the dishes of Rómola and the accompanying iced liquid /slush is a perfect pairing to refresh the nougat in the mouth.
Rómola is a good restaurant in the Salamanca neighborhood that lives up to expectations. Many shops open in the district and the neighbors are not deceived by cuteness. Either you eat well or the business closes, as I have already seen in several cases. And I assure you that Rómola is not going to be any bluff: it will triumph at all levels. Worst of all will be your queue waiting to get a table… The neighborhood of Salamanca is experiencing a foodie resurgence and I’ll tell you everything, everything, everything.
Translated by www.StoryOfMadrid.com, the podcast about Madrid in English.
Rómola
Phone: +34 911.34.49.43
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 13:30 to 17:30 h and 20:30 to 0:00 h, Sunday 13:00 to 17:30 h.
Address: Hermosilla, 4, Madrid.
Rómola on our map
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