I’m always on the lookout for great wine and tapas places in Madrid.  Unfortunately they are few and far between, though the situation is slowly improving.  One impressive new place is called Kulto al Plato, located near the Argüelles metro in Moncloa.  It’s a great combination of a cool modern décor, delicious modern Basque pintxos and an interesting wine list.  The food is really unique, really showing casing the modern techniques that are coming out of Basque Country and the wine list is short but really diverse and original….a real change from the boring wine lists that are typical here in Madrid.  The prices are good…about 3.50€ for most tapas…modern interpretations in miniature of Spain’s most famous dishes.  Despite the modern feel, I love that the back wall is huge chalk board with the menu and wine list written on it…it gives the place a really warm feel.  The service is very good, very quick and friendly…the food arrives very quickly as well.  This wine bar has a really different vibe than most…it really draws its style from the streets of old town San Sebastian, where its sister establishment, A Fuego Negro, is located.  It’s definitely high on my list for a return visit…there is lot more to try on their creative tapas menu!

David, one of the owners, was there and we had a long chat….he’s an interesting Basque guy who loves living in Madrid and he has a real passion for his food.  At first when I told him I was going to write about him on my blog, he was a bit negative, saying he got frustrated with short blog entries that can’t possibly convey all the passion and hard work that goes on behind the scenes.  He also feels that many bloggers are just out to ambush places, taking an unforgiving attitude and looking to criticize every last detail.  I can see his perspective, though I tried to reassure him that most of us try to be even-handed!

Now some food and wine in detail.  For the free tapa they served us some wonderful olives that came with a dropper filled with vermouth…you baste the olives in the vermouth before eating them…a really unique and delicious combination…loved it!

Our first glasses of wine were a Pago del Vicario 50-50 2005, a nice La Mancha blend of Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon with 12 months in oak…big, plush fruit, toasty oak.  Then we had a Tagonius Roble 2006, a Tempranillo blend from Madrid with about 7 months in oak.  The fruit was a little vegetal with olive notes…just ok.  The most food friendly wine of the night was the Melquior Crianza 2004 from Rioja.  A lean, elegant Rioja with fresh red fruit, just enough oak and great acidity….really easy to drink!

Back to the food….our first tapa was a cool modern arrangement of crab, avocado mousse and licorice ice cream…you take a bit of each in the spoonful…the licorice ice cream goes surprisingly well with the avocado and crab…contrasting yet complimentary textures, flavors and temperatures! 

Next up a crunchy risotto with idiazabal cheese and thinly sliced squid.  Delicious concept though I found the rice a touch salty…I will try it again next time. 

My favorite dish of the night was a vaso de Tigreton de Mejillon, a spectacular combination of mussels, tomato sauce, red and green peppers topped  with a delicious béchamel foam and crunchy crumbs of pork rinds (yes pork rinds!)  It is served in a glass and with your spoon you try and get a bit of each element…a really amazing combination of flavors! 

Also delicious was the modern take on a Spanish classic…patatas al ajillo….freshly cooked potatoes drizzles with garlic olive oil and served with sea lettuce and tempura seaweed.  The sea lettuce is soft in texture and adds some salinity and the tempura seaweed is crunchy with just of hint of the ocean at the end…loved the combination with warm potatoes…really didn’t expect to.

Really unique adventurous cuisine matched with exciting wines from all over Spain…there are bound to be small faults, like the salty rice, but it definitely left me wanting more!

The only other weak spot is the number of wines by the glass, high quality, but only a few.  It’s a reality we endure here …unfortunately wine is only secondary to food for most customers, and it is still hard to have an extensive by-the-glass program here in Madrid.  The wine preservation/dispenser concept is just starting to take hold here…most wine bars would never consider investing in one.  

The website doesn’t have much but it does have a good access map and a nice video from Spanish showing some of the pintxos:  http://www.kultoalplato.com/index.html