Trying ajoblanco, the Spanish cold soup of raw almonds, in the Madrid restaurant of Agustín Lardy, named after a Spanish painter of the nineteenth century

Almond soup is, in essence, the same thing as satsivi. At the bottom of the plate sit a little fish and a little salad, and on top goes the almond purée with a faint floral aftertaste. Traditionally, though, this soup is made from almonds, stale bread, garlic, oil, vinegar and water.

Naturally, in this case, since the restaurant has pretensions, the dish has undergone some authorial innovations. Lhardy is something in the spirit of our Café Pushkin, naturally much weaker and plainer. Prices are on the screen. The cuisine, I would say, on the evidence of six dishes, rates 5 out of 10, and the menu is modest. And the conclusion? Quite right: we eat at home.