Ambassador of Canarian cuisine
Of all Spanish cuisines, Canarian cuisine has the least presence outside its own islands. Unlike other cuisines such as Basque or Asturian, which are ubiquitous, it's very difficult to find a Canarian restaurant outside the islands.
Among them stand out the Padrón brothers (El Rincón de Juan Carlos and Poemas), joined by Borja Marrero (Muxgo), Braulio Simancas (El Silbo Gomero), and Adrián Bosch (San Hô), heading a long list. The almost nonexistent presence of Canarian cuisine on the Spanish mainland is largely due to the difficulty of transporting products to the mainland. And probably also to a lack of initiative from the chefs themselves, who prefer to remain on the islands.
With one exception, and that exception is Safe Cruz. This native of Tenerife decided to bring the cuisine of his homeland to Madrid, opening his restaurant Gofio in 2015 to showcase Canarian recipes and the products that underpin them. He did so from a contemporary perspective, revising and modernizing tradition.
A cuisine with personality, sometimes daring, with intense flavors, fulfilling Cruz's objective of introducing Canarian cuisine to Madrid. He is always supported in the dining room by his partner, Aida González, and by sommelier Alberto Martín, with his impressive selection of Canarian wines.
All of this led to it receiving a star in 2019. A star that, due to those Michelin mysteries we'll never quite understand, has been revoked this year. I've eaten at Gofio these past few days and it's just as good as before. Perhaps it didn't deserve the star at the time, but if it was awarded, there's no understandable reason to take it away. Star or no star, the restaurant is doing very well, so much so that it will be moving to a better location this spring.
For now, they offer a menu featuring the most outstanding dishes from these eight years. Starting with the iconic rabbit trout with salmorejo and continuing with the rest of the dishes rooted in traditional Canarian cuisine: roasted pork leg sandwich, shredded beef arepa, black potato with salted fish cream, creamy corn soup, white shrimp with boiled mojo sauce, cod cheek stew…
A great time to visit Gofio and discover 21st-century Canarian cuisine.
