Cuisine: Fusion
Average price per person: 80€
Environment: 9/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Other: Pet-friendly, Solo dining
Website: www.kuoco.es
Kuoco 360 is rightly considered one of the best fusion restaurants in Madrid. I tried samples of its dishes when it collaborated with my favorite cocktail bar in Madrid, 1862 Dry Bar. Come to think of it, I came across some of the best restaurants in Madrid through their collaboration for cocktail pairings with 1862 Dry Bar.
Kuoco 360 is featured in the Michelin restaurant guide but doesn’t have a star (yet). It also has 1 Sol from the Repsol guide (an equivalent of Michelin stars for Spain and Portugal).
Location/Environment
Kuoco 360 is located at the vibrant Chueca neighborhood and as its name indicates, covers 360 degrees of the planet in terms of cuisine influence. The dishes you will taste here from the Venezuelan chef Rafa Bergamo, have primarily Spanish, Asian and Latin American influences.
The restaurant is quite cozy and it approximately sits around 30 diners, giving you a very comfortable vibe.
Service
The restaurant’ size also helped with service, as there was a great pace between dishes and changing plates and cutlery. Everyone was pleasant and able to explain all the complex dish elements.
I would expect a better oversight for the drinks from a service perspective, as there were no questions to replace water or a drink when those were finished. Nevertheless overall a very good service team.
Menu
There are 2 menu options, one tasting menu with 10 dishes with a wine pairing option or an à la carte menu. You can indicate your preference when you are making your reservation. I opted for the tasting menu, which I supplemented with a couple of appetizers from the à la carte menu.
Apart from the wine selection, there is also a cocktail menu, that has interesting options.
Kyoco 360 – Food
The tasting menu began with a crispy charcoal vegetable flower, two texture eel, and a chipotle emulsion. The flower was very crispy and in the hollow part underneath had an emulsion made from eel. The eel bite on top was nice and rich, with the chipotle sauce adding a nice spiciness to the dish. Very good combination.
Next came an oyster in an aguachile type of green liquid with green tomatillo and jalapeno. This dish was very fresh and the ingredients were well balanced without the acidity, spiciness or the taste of the oyster overpowering one another.
An oyster dish is also available in the a la carte menu in Kuoco 360.
The following appetizer was an interpretation of the classic Spanish dish, gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp). A homemade tartelette topped with a garlic and fermented chilli emulsion and red shrimp. It is garnished with finger lime and ito togarashi, a dried Japanese chili.
This one-bite dish had a very good crunch from the tartellette and a great spice level. The different textures worked well together and the flavors formed a delicious combination. My only observation to give top marks to this dish would be that the shrimp was missing acidity. The emulsion from the garlic and chili was rich and it would have been balanced it out.
The next dish was a combination of multiple elements. A mini toast from corn, topped with beet and shisho cured trout, horseradish emulsion and soy-marinated salmon roe. Once again a balanced combination of multiple flavors, from the fish and the saltiness of the salmon roe, slight heat from the horseradish and great texture from the corn toast.
The crispy wonton with al pastor pork, spicy pineapple gel, coriander, and lime is one of Kuco 360’ à la carte menu options. One of my favorite dishes, this wanton was a mix of Chinese and Mexican cuisine.
The crunchy wonton was filled with juicy al pastor pork, and the pineapple gel with Chinese spices was sweet and spicy. A perfect dish and highly recommended.
Next came an interpretation of Shumai (steamed dumpling) together with elements from Peruvian cuisine. Served on a spoon, a dumpling filled with chicken, Peruvian marinade and aji amarillo. At the bottom, a Thai coconut and chicken foam/broth, and on top a yuzu mix and roe.
Once again a burst of flavors in a small bite, with the sweetness of the coconut, saltiness from the roe, and spice from the filling. Another great dish.
In between the dishes, the menu includes a thick slice of warm sourdough bread and some smoky butter. This was the signal that we were moving towards the main dishes.
Moving on, a ravioli dish. The ravioli were filled with Iberian pork and the dish had 2 texture shitake mushrooms topped with onions. The broth was very rich, made with Iberian pork, sesame oil and rice vinegar.
Another dish from the à la carte menu, is a blue corn tortilla, with truffle emulsion, shitake and shimeji mushrooms cooked with soy and topped with Italian cacionerone cheese and enoki mushrooms. Great combination with the truffle and the cheese and good mushroom taste. Rightly served with a wet towel next to it, as the juices were flowing from this delicious taco.
The first main dish of the tasting menu includes a robata (grill used in Japanese cuisine) cooked sea bass with peas and broth. The broth was a combination of flavors between a French bouillabaisse fish soup and a Southeast Asian Laksa soup.
The seabass had crispy skin while remaining juicy, although it was slightly undercooked. The soup was very interesting and you could taste the spice and coconut as well as tomato flavors.
The final main was a venison loin – tonkatsu style, served with mole sauce made with Peruvian chilli peppers and topped with seasonal truffle. The venison was perfectly cooked and the mole added an interesting dimension to the dish. Not my favourite dish, but solid.
A hibiscus, oloroso and yuzu frozen pastille was served as a pre-desert. Refreshing and great to cleanse your palate.
Finally, the dessert was a mandarin sorbet with mandarin gel, a salted caramel crumble, creamy lemon and kafir lime served with cardamom sponge cake. Although all the elements were executed well, this dessert was a bit underwhelming compared to the rest of the meal.
Conclusion
Overall you are in for a great experience at Kuoco 360. The restaurant is fairly featured in the Michelin guide and I believe that in the upcoming years, it can easily become a Michelin star restaurant in Madrid. If you enjoy complex flavors and inspired dishes, this is definitely a restaurant you should visit.
Visit: March 2024
Address: Calle de San Bartolomé 14, Centro, 28004 Madrid