BRIEFING MY KITCHEN Víctor Camargo Te executive chef of the bars Salmon Guru, Viva Madrid and
Guru Lab in the Spanish capital tells Tina Nielsen about working with the guests up close in a singular venue
W
e have three bars in the group and Guru Lab is a really unique venue. It was born as an R&D workshop
to feed creativity into our other places; over time it evolved and expanded into a restaurant/cocktail bar where we serve one- off dishes, paired with our cocktails, to a very limited gastronomic audience. Te space was developed by our group
founder [award-winning mixologist] Diego Cabrera and I work very closely with him on developing dishes. What we come up with in the kitchen often informs the cocktail bar and vice versa. In the kitchen I work with our head chef Jorge Sardiña and an assistant. Te kitchen is an integral part of the dining space; people walk through the
kitchen to get to the bathroom. At first it was a challenge; managing the dynamic was tricky, but then we realized that it created valuable conversations with guests. We welcome people from all over the world and having guests watch up close how we work in an open kitchen has become a fundamental part of our creative process. Guru Lab is like a kitchen-workshop, equipped with state-of-the-art equipment: from induction burners, rotary evaporators and ultrasonic machines to centrifuges, sous-vide, and Termomix. Te space feels more like a domestic or laboratory kitchen than a commercial one – we are free to experiment, make mistakes, try again and start over. Te food is born from our relationships
and collaborations with a huge range of people: farmers, botanists, scientists, beekeepers and others who inspire us. We try to be direct, like in a laboratory, and call everything by its name so the guest understands the dish. Te menu might include Galician scallop, fermented chili hollandaise and edamame; or Ribeye, black garlic chimichurri and roasted celeriac puree. What I enjoy the most about working at
Guru Lab is the creative freedom we have; we are not obliged to repeat dishes. We go to the market in the morning, we pick the best seasonal produce and come back to the table to develop it. Te kitchen and bar are in constant evolution; it is a real privilege to have this space, and the results have been very rewarding.
At Guru Lab the kitchen is an
integral part of the dining area
The changing menu features the best seasonal produce from the market
The chefs in the kitchen work with state-of-the-art equipment
Camargo works closely with the cocktail team
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