La Fonda la Confianza, el proyecto personal de Paco Patón 7 caníbales

After many years as Director of Gastronomy at the Hotel Urban, part of the Derby Group, where he was in charge of the Europa Decó restaurant, and later Cebo, becoming one of the most respected, admired, and awarded head waiters not only in Madrid but in Spain, Paco Patón launched his personal project, La Fonda de la Confianza, in the spring of 2021. He had the support of chef José Luis Estevan (formerly of El Cenador de Salvador and Lágrimas Negras) for the project, whom he had met at the Millesimé restaurants in Mexico and Spain.

A year and a half later, La Fonda de la Confianza is firmly established as one of the leading restaurants in the capital's financial district, where Patón enjoys "making customers happy." Some of them demonstrate unwavering loyalty ("we have diners who have returned more than 20 times," Patón remarks). The concept and philosophy of a traditional bourgeois inn, based on "good seasonal produce, well-prepared, and with good service," remain unchanged. Estevan is no longer at the helm in the kitchen, having decided to take a period of reflection at the end of summer, although his legacy can be seen in many of the dishes on the menu and in the well-oiled kitchen team he cultivated.

Before delving into the culinary aspects, it's worth dedicating a few lines to the history of the restaurant, as its location deserves it. It occupies the corner where, between the 1990s and the first five years of the 21st century, the legendary El Olivo was located. Owned by Jean-Pierre Vandelle, a Frenchman by birth and a resident of Cádiz by choice, it was a pioneer in popularizing Jerez wines and olive oils among the Madrid public, displayed on a cart that caused both surprise and admiration. As an indelible testament to that era, a wild olive tree remains planted at the entrance, next to one of the two urban terraces, one covered and one open, that are open year-round and, together with the interior dining room, form the restaurant's landscape.

Among the starters (excuse the repetition), the star is the guacamole with pork belly, a fusion dish that's part of Estevan's legacy. The pork belly is impeccably fried, with plenty of meat, and the avocado paste is bursting with acidity, resulting in an exciting interplay of contrasts. The ham and hard-boiled egg croquettes are equally impressive, creamy but not runny, and slightly smaller than we're used to.

Pickled dishes are one of the house specialties. There are more traditional ones, like bonito or partridge, but we opted for the skate with orange, where the fish's unique texture is once again enhanced by the interplay of flavors thanks to the citrus. It's quite enlightening to move from the pickled fish to a Peruvian-style sea bass ceviche because, ultimately, they are simply two different but very similar ways of preserving fish. It's a very accessible ceviche, with the acidity, spiciness, and even the cilantro carefully balanced, designed to be universally appealing.

Rice dishes, with half a dozen options, are especially popular on weekends, when weekday business lunches give way to family gatherings. The paella with rabbit and snails, so hard to find in Madrid, seems like the best choice. Prepared using a diffuser with Dinamita, a variety of bomba rice, its secret lies in using lightly smoked rice with a rosemary aroma, which imparts those earthy, smoky notes that the diffuser simply can't achieve. Accompanied by a delicate aioli, it's not exactly the same as those you might find in the Sierra del Carche mountains, but it comes pretty close.

To top it all off, a tribute to El Olivo: a thin apple tart with olive oil and orange ice cream, finished with a drizzle of Picual olive oil. A dessert that takes some of us back to other times and places (that Chapon Fin in Bordeaux where this dessert originated) but that continues to inspire passion, for the simple reason that it's delicious. The menu also includes tributes to two chefs who are no longer with us: Darío Barrio, with his eggs with braised mushrooms and potato foam, and Juan Pablo Felipe, with his confit and glazed BBQ beef rib.

The service is top-notch, as you'd expect from a restaurant run by Patón, with a touch of high-class classicism that's nonetheless friendly and unpretentious. The wine list combines classic labels with bolder, more unusual choices. You can also ask Paco to unleash his mixologist side and create a surprising cocktail.

Looking ahead, Patón anticipates adding a number of stews to the menu, such as patatas a la importancia (potatoes in a rich sauce) and pochas (white beans), and creating a "treats" section featuring luxury items like caviar and white truffles for those who wish to indulge. These luxury products will be served on tablecloths made from recycled ocean plastic because, true to the times (he has long been a supporter of the Amás Foundation), Patón is firmly committed to sustainability and solidarity, pillars upon which trust is further built.