Dassa Bassa

Owned by former TV chef Darío Barrio, this trendy Salamanca restaurant is set in a 19th-century coalbunker renovated by Barrio’s architect brothers. Inside the unmarked building, a staircase leads down to a cellar of whitewashed brick walls, tall archways, and cool-tone lighting. The two daily menus—named Dassa and Bassa—present a series of inventive tasting dishes. The progression might begin with yucca chips and a gelatin bubble floating in a gin cocktail, followed by lobster pasta or oxtail in a chocolate wine sauce. Barrio’s Spanish nouvelle cuisine draws on that of his former mentor, superstar Catalan chef Ferran Adrià.