If walking from Prado towards Retiro you meet a gray-haired dark-browed mister in a hat and leather pants, be sure, this is Abraham Garcia.

Abraham’s a legend of the Madrid gastronomy and he’s been the permanent owner, the managing director and the chef of Viridiana restaurant for more than 40 years already. He’s a connoisseur of expensive wine and magnificent women and an expert on literature and cinema.

A gastronomy rebel could do no other thing than choose the name “Viridiana” as a cover for his restaurant: the name comes from a drama by Luís Buñuel released in 1961, which was way ahead of its time. It talks about dreams, delusions of youth, hypocrisy and the feeling of changes that were still to be awaited and awaited, but were definitely coming. The movie caused anger in Vatican (this is quite explainable) and was forbidden in the Catholic Spain up to the middle of the 70s.

The design of the establishment is conservative in Spanish style: tables with white cloths, wooden trim, some tableware and black-and-white posters of stills from the just mentioned film. They smoothly distract you from people devouring their children in Goya’s canvases and the psychedelic triptychs of Bosch in Prado.

The cuisine can be described as central Spanish with some interweaved Mexican motives and elements of Nikkei. There aren’t any contemporary tricks with nitrogen and sous-vide but it’s authentic and fresh, breathtakingly plated (there’s a fusion of local seasonal products, the menu changes three times a month). Abraham Garcia treats the modern chefs’ technical delicacy with slight irony. He takes it for a fleeting hobby, it’s just some temporary fashion for him.

He isn’t a friend of Michelin ideology. Some time ago he expelled the Michelin guys from his restaurant and it cost him a star but allowed no to lose the unique style. In the mid-eighties Herald Tribune included his place into the top five in Europe. At the same time, his disciple David Muñoz is the youngest three-star chief in the world (Diver X.O.).

One of the most expensive and diverse wine lists of Madrid is here.

In short, while you’re reading all these, Abraham is serving the Parker’s 100-point Pedro Jiménez to some beauties. A powerful old man and an iconic personality. A visit to his restaurant is a total must!