Hotel Urso

Trips often mark significant moments in life. When I was was finishing my three-year tenure as executive chef at Belgraves Hotel, I was in desperate need of a weekend away – one far enough away to feel like a holiday, but not so far that the journey would be wearying. I plumped for Madrid, one of those cities that’s always been there in the background without exciting me very much. Boy, was I wrong. Madrid, I discovered, is warm, cultured and very sexy.
                        
I always think you can tell a good hotel in the first five minutes. Hotel Urso didn’t disappoint. The doormen were stylish and charming, check-in was smooth and instantly our shoulders dropped a few inches. The lobby was an interesting mix of modern design and classic European elegance: old-school wrought iron, plush muted colours and a living wall of greenery.
                        
Once up in our room, we found it spacious and well stocked (traditional delights like violet pastilles, Marcona almonds and Ruinart Champagne are always a plus for me). The pale greys and yellows proved immediately soothing, tempting Mr Smith and me to try the bed for a quick post-flight nap (unsurprisingly, it proved very comfortable indeed). 
                        
We pottered around the neighbourhood for lunch, starting in one bar for jamón iberico, then moving on to sea urchin croquettes in another; favourite finds included El Paraguas for good service, interesting menus and a crowd of monied locals, or Ultramarinos Quintin for modern pintxos and tapas, and a great gin selection. (We missed Sala de Despiece, which is supposed to be brilliant, but it’s on our list for next time). After that, the hotel spa and hydrotherapy pool was the perfect place to steam away the excesses of lunch.
                        
After an afternoon of eating and drinking, we opted to continue in the evening – despite being a tourist destination, the gorgeous Mercado de San Miguel served up an overwhelmingly mouthwatering selection of tapas, wine and cocktails. From the classic grilled Padron peppers to tiny baby eels cooked in garlic, there was something for everyone. The foodie in me loved it. The next day, we started with more food, of course: Urso’s breakfast proved fantastic. The Continental array was varied and interesting, and the à la carte menu delightfully non-standard, with gluten-free options and a lovely dish of poached eggs with truffles.
                        
You won’t be surprised to learn, given our appetites, that my main reason for choosing Hotel Urso was its foodie credentials. For the past few months, the hotel restaurant has been a revolving pop up with various renowned chefs from all over Spain taking the reins for a month at a time. Our stay coincided with that of Hisop from Barcelona, with head chef Oriol Ivern at the helm. We plumped for the eight-course set menu, which was an interesting selection of dishes, some very good indeed (and one or two, I thought, slightly less so). The stand-out stars were the creamy rice with clams, fennel and bergamot, and the strawberries with black olives and pepper. The staff were excellent, too, and it was a great modern Michelin experience. Personally, after years of working and eating in fine dining restaurants, I sometimes crave more down-to-earth, simple cooking, which I found at our seafood lunch earlier in the day: simple boiled spider crab, percebes, king prawns and aioli, all washed down with a strong white wine and some slightly churlish service. The two meals were poles apart, but I loved both meals.
                        
Post dinner, I got the sense that we could have easily partied into the early hours. Instead, we saved our energy for one last meal – Sunday lunch at Botin, the world's oldest restaurant. You will be there with a room full of tourists, but it’s worth it for the suckling pig, baby lamb and old-school menu perfectly executed. We rolled out of there just in time for our late flight home. 

On the plane, I reflected on Madrid. It’s the perfect destination for a weekend away: its warm energy and good food make it a great antidote to London life, and Hotel Urso itself was a calming haven of good taste nestled right in the middle