This new restaurant, opened last summer, has been on my radar since then, and finally I was able to give it a first hand look. I had wondered what, if anything, at Calle Zurbano 31 in Chamberí would take the place of the “late” Sergi Arola Gastro, which Sergi abandoned due to his tax debts. Lo and behold, Gurisa has now taken over the space and has given it a complete overhaul with a very stylish look.
I went to Gurisa recently with a friend for a Saturday for lunch, arriving early, as it had just opened at 1:30 (thus the photos show it empty).
I call it an Argentinian-Uruguayan-Spanish hybrid. The owners, Lucas Bustos and Agustina Vela are Argentinian and have a sister restaurant in José Ignacio, Uruguay, but it doesn’t feel at all like a typical Argentina or Uruguay steakhouse/grill.
(“Gurisa” is a term for “girl” in Argentina.)
It is a small restaurant composed of two floors, the main dining room at the top and in what was the former Sergi Arola cocktail lounge, another intimate dining spot with a bar & piano (and I read that the barman makes exceptional cocktails, which I didn’t try).
All together the interior space exudes warmth, plushness and coziness with well spaced tables, comfortable chairs, candles, music, lovely décor, framed photos of the Argentinian Pampa, great attention to detail. And the service really shines. The wait staff is fluent in English and our server quite charming.
I was greeted warmly by the hostess, Silvia, and escorted to our table with a large window looking directly into the kitchen so as to watch the chefs cooking only with fire.
Our lunch began with a series of aperitivos or snacks: 3 separate dishes, plus house made bread with both homemade butter and olive oil, the highlight for me being the delicious Mendoza style veal empanada.
The sommelier, Brandon Jordan (ex Mugaritz & Cenador de Amós) chose for us glasses of UBE Miraflores 2023, a vino de pasto (unfortified sherry) from Bodegas Cota 45 in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, 100% palomino. If diners opt for a beef centered menu, he can offer his expertise on Jumilla reds.
Everything on the menu looked enticing, some dishes touched directly by the fire (fuego directo), some indirectly (fuego contenido) and some crudos.
A tasting menu is offered, priced at 120, that can be personalized, but we decided to choose a la carte.
We settled on 4 dishes to share: the grilled artichokes and beef marrow, Wagyu meatballs with heavenly puréed potatoes, Robuchon style, the blue fin tuna morrillo with stewed shallots and the creamy rice with octupus and lágrimas ibéricas. For me, way to much, but I was impress with every dish although I wasn’t able to finish them all.
Our server explained that lágrimas are strips of very tender, juicy meat found beneath the ribs of the pig. It´s a narrow, tear shaped cut prized for its marbling and intense flavor.
Although we had no room for dessert and just ordered coffee, our waiter brought to our table an antique wooden sewing box that when opened, expanded into five smaller boxes filled with all types of petits fours, including alfajores, from which we could choose as many as we liked. A lovely way to end this terrific meal.
Before leaving Silvia gave us a full tour of the restaurant: the kitchen with its open grills, the adjacent private dining area or “chef’s table” for 12, the international wine cellar and what was the former Arola “speakeasy”, a separate dining venue, “The Club” for 24 diners (I didn’t have my camera with me for the tour).
I’ll happily return for other dishes, as the menu will change seasonally.
Closed Sundays/Mondays.
The dining space
The view of the kitchen from our table, cooking with fire
Snacks
Main dishes
The surprise petits fours box
The photo gallery from the Macarfi dining guide here.
