THE FACTS ABOUT LA TERRAZA DEL CASINO

Spain Madrid

From the distant fortress of his three-star-Michelin restaurant on the Costa Brava, Ferran Adriŕ is leading a carefully planned assault on the rest of Spain. Looking for a foothold in Madrid, he alighted on the Casino in the Calle de Alcalá, one of Madrid's grandest pieces of 19th-century architecture. Needing a chef who shared his avant-garde vision of food and eating, he found Paco Roncero. The results are there for all to see - or all who have €300 to spend on a meal for two. Given the OTT splendour of the rest of the Casino, the décor of the dining room comes as a mild disappointment. (On a summer night, the outside terrace would clearly be the place to be, with its brilliant views over the heart of Madrid.) In a gastro-temple such as this, however, one is prepared to overlook a little scuffed stucco and a swirly carpet. The food is exquisite and occasionally mind-boggling. Roncero's paella of Kellogg's cornflakes is notorious; the barnacles in aspic with tea only slightly less so. The turrón soup with almond oil, scallops and mushrooms, halfway between a dessert and a first course, is a little too nutty in more than one sense. But then comes a dish like the menestra de verduras, a combination of seasonal vegetables cooked to perfection - so simple as almost to seem disingenuous - to remind you that even the alchemist-chefs of the 21st century have their roots in old-fashioned Spanish home cooking. The menu divides into five sections, from which any combination can be chosen. Sharing is very much part of the point. Para Picar ('to pick at') and Tapas are starter-sized snacks, then come Sugerencias (suggestions), Entradas (first courses) and Pescados y Carnes (fish and meat). 'In order to enjoy this cooking fully it is necessary to try the menu degustación,' admonishes the menu. This may be true. To try it, though, it is necessary to fork out €87 per person (not including drinks). CONTACT La Terraza del Casino, Casino de Madrid, Calle de Alcalá 15 (00 34 91 521 8700). Open 1.30pm-4pm, 9pm-midnight. Closed Sat lunch, Sun, and August