El Lince has only been open for three weeks, but outside It looks like a traditional restaurant. It is in part. There was already a restaurant of the same name there, operating between 1963 and 2003.
When Javi Estevez, chef at La Tasquería –the world’s first Michelin star specializing in offal– saw the place, he was clear: he was going to keep the name and everything that had been preserved from the old restaurant, such as the neon that in this new stage has gone from the façade (where lights can no longer be placed) to the room.
“After almost eight years at La Tasquería, I wanted to do a more accessible kitchen for more people,” Estevez explains to DAP. “Although it was present in my head, the opportunity had not arisen either. Some partners appeared who had rented this place for a while, I saw it, and I thought it could fit in well”.
In the letter, many dishes designed to share and what they want to eat. “We have tried to make a letter that does not fall too much into the most hackneyed things,” explains Estevez. It seems impossible to find menus that do not have salad, croquettes or gildas. There are also in the Lynx. And they are rich. The salad is served in the form of Pigeon, on a crust of wheat: a very popular tapa from Salamanca, but almost unknown in Madrid. The cecina croquette is remarkable. And the false gilda, with smoked sardine and dried tomato, is really good.
But the most interesting thing about Estevez’s new project is, precisely, a handful of dishes that are barely seen in the bars and tables of Madrid. I was worried that we would fall into hackneyed recipes”Estevez explains. The Russian steak has appeared; some whole trotters, almost boneless; battered brains, which are eaten in very few places; and a firm commitment to sausages and legumes that can work very well”.
Not just offal
Estevez is known for his good hand cooking offal, the product around which his entire career (and his success) has revolved. Of course, in El Lince there are gizzards, kidneys, brains, ears…. And the famous calluses of him. But this is the only dish that is served as it is found in La Tasquería, the rest are new, simpler, but super enjoyable dishes.
“We can rely on the same products, but we are not going to eat the same recipe”Estevez points out. “The suckling pig’s head is the icon of La Tasquería and it has to remain so. I hope it also happens with a dish from El Lince. You don’t have to mix concepts.
But, in addition to the offal, at El Lince there are many other dishes of meat and fish. “We were clear that we had to make a menu that everyone should like,” says the chef.
During our visit we tried some very rich Grilled squidwith ink sauce and fried wild rice and a roast pork knuckle, with mashed potatoes and salad, which was great. But looking at the menu we are left wanting to try many other dishes such as the Russian fillets in tomato sauce, battered cod tacos or stewed lentils with tongue.
An illustrated pub
El Lince has the spirit of a tavern: the beer –El Águila, unfiltered–, the wines and, shortly, the cocktails, are going to take center stage. The sommelier and director of the Nagore Arregui restaurant is in charge of this part, and together with the chef Adrian Collantes (who has been Javi’s second at La Tasquería for six years), form the tandem that will pilot the restaurant when Estevez lets it fly, who, for now, is there every day.
“I’m in the kitchen and in the living room, and well, the idea is in July to finish making a powerful team both in the kitchen and in the living room, without the need for me to be there,” explains Estevez, who, in any case, is very happy with how the project has started, with daily full.
There is no doubt that affordable restaurants run by Michelin-starred chefs are a way of rounding out the business, but in many cases, like El Lince, they are interesting projects regardless of the mother house. Everything we tried was delicious.
“Of course we want it to be a profitable business, but, let’s see, La Tasquería works well, and I really wondered why I needed to get into more trouble,” admits Estevez. “I did it because you try to have an extra and of course because I believe in the proposal and I think it has a place in Madrid. Profitability is super important, but there is a more important factor, which is doing something that I feel like doing. The project makes all the sense in the world and we are going to make it work”.
What to ask for: El Lince is a great place to eat offal, which is, after all, Estevez’s specialty, but everything we tried on the side was very good. From what I’ve seen, I would ask for the whole menu, so we’ll update this paragraph after future visits.
practical data
Where: C. of the Prince of Vergara, 289. Madrid
Half price: 40 euros.
Bookings: 911372658 and on their website.
Schedules: Open from Wednesday to Sunday (meals only).
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