Parade of flavors in Cathedral of Flamenco
EBRU ERKE
The cliché that ‘it feels like being with family,’ often used when describing a venue, truly applies Corral de la Morería, a long-standing family business in Madrid.
It is an unforgettable experience to watch the best flamenco performance in Spain while enjoying a delightful array of flavors. At Corral de la Morería, this experience is enhanced by a warm, family-like atmosphere.
Wherever you go in the world, you can hardly find a place where memorably ambitious and good food and an exceptional stage performance come together. Usually, one is great, and the other is just okay. Exceptions like Corral de la Morería are extremely rare. That’s why I wouldn’t be exaggerating when I say that this is one of the most unique and special places I’ve ever been.
The cliché that “it feels like being with family,” often used when describing a venue, truly applies here. The two brothers, Juan Manuel and Armando, along with their wonderful mother, Blanca, are still in charge of business. This long-standing family business was founded in 1956 by their father, Manuel del Rey. Manuel’s grandfather and parents were the founders of the renowned luxury restaurants Casa Camorra, which was popular with high society back then, and Riscal, known for its rice dishes. However, Manuel envisioned something different and assertive, even groundbreaking for Spain at the time, leading him to open Corral de la Morería in 1956.
His aim was to bring the best flamenco dancers to perform at his venue while offering top-quality cuisine. When it opened in 1956, the kitchen was focused on contemporary haute cuisine, featuring dishes like caviar, lobster thermidor and bouillabaisse. His culinary vision has continued through collaborations with renowned chefs like Jose Luis Estevan and Salvador Brugués, a world expert in sous-vide cooking. Currently, the talented chef David García oversees the kitchen at Corral de la Morería, which holds one Michelin star.
Manuel fell in love with a talented flamenco dancer named Blanca, who came to perform shortly after he opened the venue, and they eventually married. Blanca del Rey, who has been the artistic director of the venue for many years and occasionally performs, is regarded as one of the most influential dancers and choreographers in flamenco history. The performances at Corral de la Morería, widely considered the top flamenco venue, change weekly. Each show lasts about an hour and a half, during which the artists connect with the audience, pouring their emotions into every movement and expression, almost as if in a trance. Personally, I watched Eduardo Guerrero and Salome Ramirez perform, unable to take my eyes off them.
Corral de la Morería is globally recognized as the Cathedral of Flamenco due to its more than sixty years of hosting some of the most legendary flamenco dancers in history, including Antonio Gades, Maria Albaicin, La Paquera de Jerez, Lola Greco and Javier Baron. One reason for it becoming popular shortly after opening was the influx of Hollywood stars who came to Spain to film, as production costs were much lower at the time. The fiery fight between Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra is still talked about at the venue, where a different star performs almost every night. Raquel Welch, Jack Lemon, Federico Fellini, Lana Turner, Omar Shariff, Jude Law, Marlon Brando, Liza Minelli, Harrison Ford, Mariah Carey, Natalie Portman, Hugh Grant and Jennifer Aniston are just some of the celebrities whose photos I saw on the walls.
The cuisine at Corral de la Morería is too remarkable to be overshadowed by its art. David García, a chef from Bilbao with a deep passion for cooking rooted in his Basque heritage, began his culinary journey in his family’s restaurant, Tamenis, before turning 18. García studied at the EIDE hospitality and tourism school in Santurtzi, learning from renowned chefs like Martín Berasategui. He further refined his skills at El Bulli and Mugaritz. Before relocating to Madrid, he perfected his craft at Nerua, one of the region’s most prestigious restaurants located in the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. This expertise is reflected in the flawless stock technique that García employs, much like the chef at Nerua.
After travelling to Madrid for the opening of the Álbora restaurant, García took the next step and became head chef at Corral de la Morería. García’s aim is to transform cooking into a new experience that stimulates all the senses. As he explains, “Bringing the world’s best flamenco artists together with the world of haute cuisine is a great idea; it’s pure emotion in all senses of the word. Flamenco is universal and Corral de la Morería is a one-of-a-kind place in the world. Gastronomy, Culture and Art is our path. A unique experience. A special emotion.”
The tasting menu, which is primarily seafood-based, began with shrimps from Motril, a town on the Andalusian coast in Granada. These delicious shrimps, with their buttery texture, were paired with a broth that enhanced their delicate flavour. The squid noodles, crafted using a unique technique that involved thinly slicing the squid, were served in a rich cuttlefish broth with a hint of spicy heat.
Kokotxas is an ingredient we don’t typically use, but the Spaniards make great use of it. It’s a cut of meat taken from the dewlap of large fish. The chef prepared kokotxas from a hake fish, once again paired with a rich smoked consommé. I still remember the taste of a soft braised veal pie, grilled apple ice cream and intxaursalsa, a Basque walnut cream, which was served to us resembling a piece of sponge.
All of these dishes can be paired with wines from one of Spain’s largest wine cellars, with a particular emphasis on sherry. They boast the world’s most significant sherry collection, featuring over 1,000 different varieties. So, when the head sommelier, Santi Carrillo, asked me, “Would you like to join me on an Andalusian tour?” I eagerly said yes. Every sherry I tasted felt like part of a unique collection. Some dishes were paired with two glasses of sherry — one at the start and another at the end of the meal. Some of these sherries were over fifty years old. For instance, one was served in a tiny straw in my glass, and Santi told me it was a sherry more than a century old. To sum up, on my final night in Madrid, I experienced an unforgettable evening.
