Fire and embers are the thread between product and technique, and the kitchen calls itself free of ties: Galician at the root, with plenty picked up on the road. The carta opens with individual bites, an oyster with Padrón pepper emulsion, a Covap Ibérico ham croquette and a savoury torrija with aged picanha, chive emulsion and caviar. Starters run to raw Aquanaria sea bass with a Galician ponzu, caviar lentils with cod tripe and beetroot, Josper-grilled pak choi with Thai green curry and a pil pil of Lugo chicken, and a Galician tripe mondongo.

From the sea come hake in a Thai-style caldeirada, a glazed Balfegó tuna cheek with carrot and cumin, grilled sole meunière for two and a whole Getaria-style turbot for three or four (€96); from the land, beef sirloin with pepper sauce, a 500 g bone-in aged ribeye (€65) and Ibérico presa with Mencía wine and onion duxelles. Desserts, all €11, include a smoked San Simón da Costa cheesecake and the 'apostle's coulant'. There are also two tasting menus, which can be bought directly on the website, and vegetables come from the house's own urban garden.

Villa Thiebaut is one of the grand houses of the Salamanca district, built in 1934 by Manuel Galíndez Zabala, at the corner of Serrano and María de Molina. Since 2021 it has been the Madrid seat of the MOM Culinary Institute, a private hospitality school founded by Laura Morcillo, which now also has a campus in El Pardo and has opened in Kyoto.

Bancal is the school's restaurant, but not a school canteen: students rotate through every station, in the dining room and the kitchen, for real service and events. The house has salons, private rooms for events and a terrace that works year round, and an urban garden where students learn seasonal growing, sowing and harvest, and which supplies the kitchen.

Vidal describes his cooking as Galician tradition lifted by fire and grill, with ideas gathered on his travels. Dishes that have marked the kitchen include clams stuffed with their own innards, the hake in Thai-style caldeirada, and empanadas from his own workshop, Mai e Matucha. The seasonal carta sits alongside the tasting menus, and the terrace and private rooms can be booked for events.

Bancal serves lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Saturday, 13:30 to 15:30 and 20:30 to 22:30, and is closed on Sunday and Monday. Book through the restaurant's website, where the tasting menus can also be bought directly. The entrance, toilets and seating are wheelchair accessible, with free and paid parking nearby.