As is the tradition each year in the Bailliage, Bailli Elena Escribano organized a dinner to celebrate the Festive Season. This year it was held at the Restaurante Retro of our dear friend and confrère Gerardo Oter, Chargé de Missions.

The Oter Group was formed in 1972, with its two basic pillars being the quality of its raw ingredients and its service. The Group has 25 restaurants, all located in Madrid, the common denominator being seasonal cuisine from the Asturias, Andalusia, even Italy and the Mediterranean in general with a speciality being traditional and modern seafood dishes.

As always, Gerardo delighted us with some splendid appetisers on arrival, and served a dinner where we tasted exquisite dishes.

To start was velvet crab bisque garnished with baby Dublin Bay prawns. Continuing to delight the fish lovers, the second course was baked turbot with a light salsa bilbaína and al dente vegetables. The carnivores were not forgotten however. They could enjoy a deliciously tender sirloin served in its juices with boletus mushrooms.

Concluding the courses we relished a dulce of panna cotta with orange. All had been partnered with excellent wines, for example, an Albariño Martín Codax and a Rioja Marqués de Murrieta Reserva. To close the dinner, Champagne Mumm ‘Cordon Rouge’ was served ready for a toast to the forthcoming Festive Season.

Personally I have to highlight the turbot, which I found to be outstanding. Frankly it was extraordinarily good! We thanked Gerardo very much for all his good work and in doing so asked him to transmit our warm appreciation to his entire team.

The evening continued in good harmony. Speeches reminded us of the splendid work of Amable Prieto, our late Bailli Délégué, and expressed best wishes for his successor, Rosa Román Fernández, to continue the task of developing the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs in Spain.

Vive la Chaîne!

Remedios Seijo
Chargée de Missions