Since the beginning of 2024, the chef from La Rioja, Lucía Grávalos, has presented traditional cuisine of the past, in which technique and produce are the main features at her new restaurant in Madrid, located very close to the Palacio Real. After winning a Sol Repsol and winning the Metrópoli Award for Best New Chef for her previous restaurant in Madrid, Mentica, she is now seeking to offer a place where diners can eat well and sustainably.
Desborre is located in a small establishment in Habsburg Madrid, where the Algarabía restaurant, also from La Rioja, once stood, located in an old building dating back to 1900. The space has been completely refurbished, recovering bricks, beams, wooden doors, mirrors and even its cutlery has been acquired from antique dealers. Modernity is driven by the design of its tables made of recycled stone, or the work of craftsmen in wood, iron and upholstery. Contemporary art is present in the works by artists, such as Luis Feito or Juan Barjola. The room can seat 28 diners.
Desborre's gastronomic proposal is imaginative and respects the product. Traditional cooking techniques, such as preserves, home-made cold meats, macerations, salt-curing, drying, maturing, etc. are used and are complemented by a small but unusual wine cellar, created by Alberto Zahonero, from Vinaris, with references from small Spanish and French producers.
As well as dining à la carte, there are two tasting menus: the Petit menu, which includes five courses, and the Desborre menu, which is made up of eight courses.