At VelascoAbellà, they always keep in mind each customer’s preferences, their favourite table, what they usually order and what they have yet to discover. Here, those who walk through the door tend to come back.
Located at number twenty-five on Víctor Andrés Belaunde Street, in a residential neighbourhood of the Spanish capital, VelascoAbellà is a family-run restaurant that is welcoming and flexible. Flexibility that gives customers carte blanche when choosing how and in what way they want to enjoy their excellent cuisine. From enjoying a perfectly poured beer accompanied by a delicious half portion at the bar, to sitting down with the family to enjoy some delicious garlic prawns with eggs and potatoes, or opting for a more leisurely dining experience, without rushing, and with time for a chat after the meal.
The total absence of constraints when it comes to sampling their culinary offerings, the homely atmosphere of the dining room, and the friendly, familiar service provided by the entire team have meant that, since embarking on this adventure, VelascoAbellà has built up a loyal clientele who visit the restaurant practically every week.
One of the secrets hidden in VelascoAbellà can be found on the ground floor. The Apartment is a multipurpose space with a fully equipped kitchen and capacity for up to twenty people. This private room can be reserved for those who wish to enjoy Óscar Velasco’s cuisine in an intimate setting, as well as for events such as company presentations, book launches or courses, in addition to tastings, product sampling, etc.
Four hands at the helm
Gastronomic excellence has a name and surname: Óscar Velasco and Montse Abellà. This professional and romantic couple has a distinguished track record spanning more than three decades. His portfolio includes working in the best restaurants and with the most respected professionals in Spain and France. Since they decided to invest in VelascoAbellà, they have received various awards such as Michelin Stars and Repsol Suns, while individually they can boast the National Gastronomy Award for Best Head Chef of 2007, which Óscar received, and the Grand Prix au Chef Pâtissier of 2016, which Montse was recognised with.
But it is in their own restaurant, opened in 2016, where they can fully express their style of cooking: personal, creative and, above all, focused on the product.
A leading restaurant in Madrid, VeslacoAbellà has one Michelin Star and two Repsol Suns. Óscar Velasco, a chef from Segovia with over thirty years of experience, is at the height of his professional career. He understands cooking as a process in which it is essential to be involved in every step, from direct contact with suppliers to choose the best products to the composition of each dish. The use of seasonal ingredients and the immediacy of the market allows him to maintain a lively culinary offering and to personalise the dining experience for each table.
Among the chef’s suggestions, we find a total of fifteen dishes, including off-menu items and half portions which, as we mentioned at the beginning, give diners the freedom to decide how and what they want to eat. An excellent culinary offering that invites you to try dishes such as smoked cheese ravioli with fennel and oscietra caviar, boneless corn-fed quail with pickled carrots and mashed potatoes, Maresme peas, pickled onions, foie gras soup and black truffle, or sea and land tripe casserole with cod and beef. Not forgetting other dishes that change according to the seasonality of the ingredients.
When it comes to dessert, the decision becomes difficult given the tempting options such as a selection of artisan cheeses and their accompaniments, carrot granita, lime, dill, oats, and ginger; sautéed pineapple, almond biscuit, olives, and gingerbread ice cream; creamy white chocolate and light mango and passion fruit compote; or dark chocolate mousse with olive oil, hazelnut, honey jelly, and brandy.
The person responsible for VelascoAbellà’s friendly, welcoming and attentive service is none other than Montse, who, in addition to managing the dining room, is also the creator of the delicious dessert menu. Always attentive to every detail so that each diner feels part of this family, this sensitivity is another reason why the restaurant has had a loyal clientele since it opened.
To ensure that your visit to VelascoAbellà is a complete experience, the work of young sommelier Miguel Ángel Martiáñez is equally important. From the wine cellar, he offers a service that is as flexible as the cuisine. By adjusting the pairings to the tastes and choices of each table, the vast majority of wines can be enjoyed by the glass.
The literature of VelascoAbellà
The daily hustle and bustle of recent decades has not prevented Óscar and Montse from taking their first steps in literature.
Velasco’s “La evolución sencilla” showcases the culinary universe of this chef, one of the most renowned and influential in the country. Its pages contain the entire gastronomic philosophy and most representative recipes of Óscar, an eclectic, classicist and innovative chef whose creations are the result of his long experience and powerful personality, dishes full of simplicity but without neglecting the evolution of the times; without renouncing his identity and enjoying his work. A kitchen without rushing, creating without fanfare and seeking happiness—for himself and for his diners—through cooking.
On the other hand, Montse wrote alongside Raquel Sánchez Silva, a well-known television personality in Spain, ‘Emulsionar con cariño’, in which they show the steps to becoming authentic pastry chefs with minimal cooking knowledge. In this book, they teach us all the tricks for preparing authentic sweet treats without leaving our home kitchens. An original publication created by two authors, in which a master pastry chef and her gifted apprentice join forces to guide us, through dialogue, through thirty recipes that teach us, in an easy, fun and educational way, each and every step needed to prepare delicious desserts and surprise our family and friends.
