Fodor's Expert Review Sergi Arola

Celebrity chef Sergi Arola—Ferran Adrià's most popular disciple—vaulted to the top of the Madrid dining scene at La Broche, then left (in 2007) to go solo. The result is a smaller, less minimalist though equally modern bistro space crafted to enhance the dining experience, 30 customers at a time. At the height of his career and surrounded by an impeccable team—which now also includes a talented and talkative bartender in the lounge—Arola offers two sampler menus ranging from five courses (€105) to eight (€135) in the eponymous "Sergi Arola" menu, as well as some limited à la carte options. The choices include some of the chef's classic surf-and-turf dishes, such as rabbit filled with giant scarlet shrimp, and nods to his Catalonian roots, like sautéed broad beans and peas with morcilla (blood sausage). The wine list has more than 600 labels, mostly from small producers, all available by the glass. For a more affordable and informal experience, Arola's basement gastro bar, SOT, at the same address, also serves as a laboratory for his unusual concoctions.