Ponzano, one of Madrid’s most popular streets among food lovers, is home to the Lamonarracha Group’s most discordant establishment, opened in late 2023 by the young entrepreneurial couple Carlos Rojo and Alejandra Santos.
This space, designed as a casual dinning, offers a more informal experience, where you can enjoy the group’s distinctive Japanese fusion cuisine, accompanied by a very traditional beer or one of its sophisticated cocktails, all to the rhythm of the best 80s and 90s music.
This concept of Japanese cuisine, serious at heart but fun in form, was born in February 2020, just before the pandemic. The idea triumphed at that time thanks to its pampered delivery; and it already occupies a preferential place in the list of the liveliest and most sought-after restaurants in Madrid, as it also has two other restaurants in key points of the city: Alonso Cano and Príncipe de Vergara and one more in the municipality of Pozuelo de Alarcón.
An interior that knows no fashions
All Lamonarracha’s premises have an impeccable, elegant and elevated aesthetic, which does not understand fashions, but is faithful to its design, using materials such as Missoni wallpaper, wood, soft lighting and an iconic monkey present in different formats, as well as in its tableware. The restaurant of Ponzano, in keeping with its ‘casual dinning’ concept, has both high and low tables, mirrors in bright colours and shapes, and marble tables.
In addition to being a firm brimming with personality, each address is decorated with paintings or sculptures, exclusive pieces by different authors, which in addition to accompanying diners, are for sale under the name of Lamonarracha Art; and enlivened to the rhythm of the 80s and 90s, because music is another of the firm’s hallmarks. Fun playlists, with a nostalgic air that envelops the atmosphere in every service. and take diners on a trip down memory lane as their taste buds soar.
Alejandra Santos is in charge of the decorative side of the group. As an interior designer, she brings her vision and good taste to the aesthetics of the premises, designed by her studio Live Home Author. On the other hand, Carlos Rojo, a graduate in Business Administration and Management, manages the day-to-day running of the group.
Proposals with a japanese-fusion flavour and lots of sushi
Respecting the raw material here is not a cliché, it is a real commitment to quality in each ingredient, which they seek to be natural and as artisan as possible. The fresh fish, such as wild bluefin tuna, comes from sustainable fisheries and the salmon is from Atlantic waters, characterised by its intense colour and flavour; the vegetables come directly from small suppliers in the Navarrese market garden; and even the soy sauce is made daily in the kitchen! That’s why they define themselves as a ‘trustworthy Japanese’…
With all this, and with well-developed preparations by expert hands, Japanese recipes emerge with fusion touches that should not be missed, such as the handmade Bao of wild red tuna with quail egg, the tiger prawn tempura “Lamonarracha”, the original Carpaccio of sea bream at two temperatures, prawn roll crunch with spicy mayo sauce, tempura eel roll, or the so-called ‘Pink Panther’. If we jump to the next section, we find a sparkling crispy Niguiri with red tuna tartar and cecina de León, a mixture that makes the taste buds explode, or the eye-catching sea bream sushi with black olive pesto and peach jam.
The foie nigiri with raspberry also has a sweet touch, and there is, of course, a specific dessert section, with a creamy artisan cheesecake, a lemon Lotus tart designed for sharing, or their homemade torrija of brioche bread, rested for twenty-four hours in white chocolate. And to accompany them, soft drinks, national or Japanese beers; a short but well-chosen list of national wines; gin, rum, vermouth, sake… -many of them with the option of ‘half glasses’- and an interesting selection of classic cocktails with a Japanese touch, such as the Tinto de verano, which here has yuzu sorbet, the Japanese Spritz or their version of the Sex at Mona’s.
