Where Calle Ponzano is flooded with almadraba nets
Summary:
A logbook by Sensei Hiroshi Umi.
Ponzaning: in the dictionary of true Spanish nightlife, this means hanging out on Calle Ponzano, the thoroughfare of the Chamberí neighbourhood, skipping from bar to wine bar, inn to restaurant, pub to dive bar, sampling, savouring and socialising with other gourmet libertines eager for the succulent experiences which on occasion can be found almost out on the pavement itself, to be enjoyed in the open air.
For more than a decade, then, Madrid has added to its culinary geography this new tribe of Ponzano devotees, who know where to go. And where to eat. Many are fully familiar with the artistry of the restaurant Ponzano, where for two months in the spring they hold outstanding culinary days dedicated to almadraba-caught bluefin tuna. “It started out as a delicatessen and dairy shop by the name of Jesús Martín, run by my grandfather. Then my father turned it into a bar, a bar serving cured meats. The bar that predated the restaurant opened in the late 1980s, and the restaurant itself will mark its 25th anniversary in 2026. I’m from Chamberí, born on Calle Cardenal Cisneros. And I can tell you that before we had Ponzaning there was Cardenaling, because it had its own amazing bar and restaurant boom. It’s a really lively neighbourhood, with a strong culture of going out. There have always been what you would call nightlife venues,” explains Paco García, who captains the Ponzano together with his wife Melania.
Paco, an auditor with his Business Studies diploma hanging on the wall, decided a couple of decades ago to give up accounting and strap on a professional apron. As his mother had told him when he was just a boy, he was quite a handy cook, and should maybe choose a culinary career. “And no, I didn’t make a mistake. I was quite certain. You really have to like this business, because any business ties you down, you know? There are times when the hospitality trade is booming, as in the last few years. Almost the whole leisure sector now focuses on dining. And then Madrid is a really popular city for visitors from all round the world, with great tourism that shows an interest in cuisine. And so Ponzano is an area with a real leisure sector, and we are in a privileged position. It’s like an island here, where what really matters is the product and good ingredients. So the philosophy of our restaurant is seasonal cuisine with the best we can bring in from the market and our suppliers, small farmers, Mercamadrid…”, continues Paco García. And bluefin tuna is now a watchword, a beacon, a sacred beast.
Bluefin tuna butchery in the heart of Madrid
The Bluefin Tuna Days have now clocked up 12 editions, demonstrating how much of a name they have made for themselves among the public, who share the same devotion for this product as the patron of the establishment. “I have always spent my summers around Conil and Zahara de los Atunes. We were really familiar with the culture of the almadraba nets, the restaurants… I was amazed at all those inns serving up different cuts of almadraba-caught tuna, without making a big song and dance of it. And so back in 2008 we started staging these days at Ponzano 12 I brought in a tuna butcher, Jesús, who was one of the few who could do the traditional ronqueo, and was working at the wholesale market, Mercamadrid. We put a huge fish, 350 kilos, down on the bar, a real show, pure craft and pure fun, I think we were the first restaurant to do it. That event proved a huge success,” Paco recalls.
Paco and Melania treat our eyes – and our tastebuds – to chargrilled bluefin tuna loin with home-made tomato sauce, potatoes and free range eggs. “It is our tribute to the restaurant Antonio,” the couple mention. The dish encapsulates all the depth of sincerity, an unadorned product, the light, knowledgeable touch of home cooking. The red carousel is fabulous, succulent, authentic. The tuna crumbs with picual olive oil make for a first-class cold starter (the nakaochi scooped from the bones that used to be overlooked), as does the marinated salmorejo. They are followed by the tuna tartar with guacamole, the escabeche, the iconic tuna with onion, which could easily have been cooked up at a bar in Conil or Zahara; the bluefin tuna curry, delicate and not at all intrusive…
Bluefin tuna, the king of the menu
“The escabeche is served with spring onion and Palermo peppers as a garnish. We sear the fish briefly, like a tataki,” explains the chef, who met his wife in the same neighbourhood, almost at school. They make a jovial couple, sparkling with the potential offered by our lord of the oceans. The range of tuna options on the menu perfectly exemplifies different cuts and nuances: a grilled selection of loin, sirloin and belly, back-cheek and noten in the Jasper charcoal oven, flame-grilled belly, stewed cheeks (memorably silky), bluefin tuna meatballs, and even char-grilled steak, priced by weight. “We do the cheeks with the jus released when we make our meat casseroles here, a great little stock. And we stew them in that. It’s a really popular dish,” states Paco.
Bluefin tuna is not the only standard-bearer of this affable couple with an admirable sense of hospitality. Other stars of the menu include their tripe, artichokes and heritage tomatoes, their (perfectly) aged meat, the lentils and broad beans, and a traditional Madrid stew, that with the onset of the cold weather makes a hearty and warming dish for a get together with the family or friends. Ponzano is a real haven, where every spring a labyrinth of nets is woven and cast to catch the finest Fuentes bluefin tuna.