Fusion, in Sisapo's own framing a cooking without borders: Asian technique, South American flavours and Spanish seasonal produce brought together into something new. It's modern and creative, ingredient-led, with tasting menus alongside the carta.

Sisapo starts from the belief that cooking has no borders. Each plate is meant as a journey between cultures, where Asian technique, South American flavours and seasonal Spanish produce come together into something new, a concept the restaurant calls el arte del encuentro, the art of meeting. It sits on Calle de Trafalgar in Chamberí and has held a Michelin Bib Gourmand in four consecutive guides, 2023 to 2026.

Sisapo takes its name from the Roman city of that name, whose remains lie at La Bienvenida, in Ciudad Real, a nod to the past that fits a restaurant about building bridges between cultures, eras and flavours. It has cooked on Calle de Trafalgar, a few steps from the Plaza de Olavide, since around 2019. The décor sits somewhere between industrial and palatial, with vintage touches, and there's a good terrace for the cooler hours; the restaurant takes three weeks' holiday in August.

Chef Alejandro Aguirre designs the menus. The dishes the restaurant puts forward as its signatures include a seared scallop with mango, jalapeño and yuzu, a Tudela artichoke, croquettes of wagyu and of cuttlefish, a creamy rice with red prawn, sea urchin, coconut milk and makrut lime, oxtail shao mai with quail egg and Timut pepper, an aged-beef steak tartare with grilled marrow, duck magret with ginger pears, and a deconstructed cheesecake.

The carta has plenty of ways in: several starters come by the piece, so you can build a mini tasting of your own, and the main dishes pair Spanish base produce with exotic garnishes, always with a sauce or purée so each diner can adjust the intensity. Over the years the carta has included a carabinero gyoza with the juice of its heads, coconut and lemongrass, a flambéed scallop with miso, yuzu and pico de gallo, the Sisapo potatoes, very crisp squares with chipotle mayonnaise, a Peruvian corvina ceviche with tiger's milk, cancha corn and sweet potato, and a picanha burger with truffle and caramelised onion. In the tasting menu the scallop is flambéed in front of the diner, and the cheesecake comes with violet ice cream.

El Encuentro is eight courses for €65, VAT included: seared scallop with yuzu, mango and jalapeño; Tudela artichoke under a veil of acorn-fed Ibérico jowl; a cuttlefish croquette with alioli and nori and a wagyu cecina croquette with quince and Parmesan; carabinero rice with codium and a coconut and makrut lime americana; oxtail shao mai with fried quail egg and Timut pepper; steak tartare with grilled marrow bone and green tomatillo chutney; brined duck magret with ginger pear, sautéed mangetout and sweet potato gochujang; and a deconstructed cheesecake with red berries and fresh herbs. It is also sold as a gift card, valid for six months.

The list runs from a Rioja semi-sweet white at €22 to reserve bottles such as a 2012 Calvario from Rioja at €150 and a 2017 Aquilón Garnacha from Campo de Borja at €155, with Champagne Taittinger at €95 and a Gevrey-Chambertin from Thierry Mortet among the French bottles.

Sisapo is at Calle de Trafalgar 14. It serves lunch Tuesday to Sunday from 13:00 to 15:00 and dinner Tuesday to Friday from 20:30 to 22:30 and Saturday to 23:00, with no dinner on Sunday, and is closed on Monday. Book online or call +34 910 291 247; the restaurant recommends booking ahead. There's a terrace, and step-free access at the entrance, restroom and seating.