What if you want Catalina rice
This paella devotion in Madrid is such that the paella tapa on sundays has become a sorrow remover essential in the bars of the capital (of course, if we talk about a rice in conditions and quality well we can tear our clothes in many cases). In Madrid you can eat spectacular rice if you know exactly what door to knock on.
THREE RICE COURSES FOR THE MOST GOURMET
Until 22 establishments compete this year to win the award for the best rice on the 2017 route of paella and rice in Madrid, a gastronomic walk between the oak groves of tradition and the avant-garde, hand in hand with Azpilicueta.
And the fact is that this proposal goes beyond summoning the rice lovers ; Rather, it consolidates a definitive boost for that part of the restaurant industry specializing in rice dishes, a narrow corridor where the most demanding palates coexist with those who want to learn to differentiate a good rice.
The menu: a starter, a rice dish and a dessert , all washed down by an excellent Azpilicueta, with some prices ranging between 30 and 40 euros . And although it is difficult to decide, here are three proposals so as not to make a mistake:
1. Charlie Champagne _(Segovia, 17) _. Not long ago we told you in Traveler how Carlos Durán reappeared with the renewed CharlieChampagne , the romantic neo-tavern that conquered (again) the heart of the La Latina neighborhood. But without a doubt, Charlie's rice dishes are part of his heavy artillery.
On the occasion of the route, the star rice presented by Charlie is the Hazelnut and truffle rice , an original creative and original bet, ideal for those who conceive a rice dish as something different, almost like a work of art . In addition, after the route there will always be the possibility of Lord's Rice (blind) or Rice with duck, black beer and orange . Charlie is always top.
The neotavern rice
two. Uskar Restaurant _(Alonso del Barco, 11) _. An essential stop on this route must be made yes or yes in Uskar, the house of the Granada brothers José Miguel and Carlos Valdivieso.
The "Valdivieso touch" is evident in the rice with which he contributes to the route, a spectacular Iberian pork sticky rice, chickpeas and seasonal mushrooms that "takes away the feeling". In addition, the menu is opened by spectacular Cod cheeks with cream of green beans, feta and snow peas.
3. The sky of Urrechu _(Avda. Europa, 26. Pozuelo de Alarcón) _ . Without a doubt another of the heavyweights of the route, and who has not hesitated to place his famous Russian salad to open mouth.
His candidacy for the best rice on the route is based on a Sticky seafood rice , a dish that is closely watched by the most demanding and knowledgeable. As a final sweet brooch, a torrija with iced cream of coffee with milk . Of course, it plays with the advantage that digestion can be spent with a spirit on its privileged terrace, under the watchful eye of the Madrid sky. A luxury.
THE VALENCIAN PAELLA HAS A NAME: CATALINA
It could be the name of any mother or grandmother who makes rice for five hundred on a Sunday. But no, Catalina is how she is affectionately known. What if you want Catalina rice _(Main of provinces, 9) _ , the restaurant they run Antonio Galan and Alfonso Lara in the well-known Gastronomy Walk of the Casa de Campo and that he could not miss the appointment of the Paella Route with its splendid Valencian paella.
What if you want Catalina rice
The Valencian paella at the Catalina is so spectacular that we had to ask Alfonso Lara to tell us about it in person. “I of Valencian paella if I presume. I bet on single-product restaurants. The little offer of rice in Madrid was not good. We wandered around the Valencian community for many months until we came up with Rafael Morales . Or rather, with her mother. The Valencian belongs to Rafa's mother, that she left on a Sunday in fallas that we went to eat at her house. She was so bestial that traditional paella that she was clear that she was the one I wanted for my restaurant ”says Alfonso.
the menu of What if you want Catalina rice open with a chilled glass of gazpacho or salmorejo. Undoubtedly, the show comes with the Valencian paella, cooked over a fire as is traditionally done in Levante.
His secret lies in doing things to the millimeter , weighing everything conscientiously and calculating times with sickly accuracy. employ "bombita" rice from the Albufera , a variety that they work with care and dedication. “The paella concept is the first in Spanish cuisine and the problem with paella is that those of us who dedicate ourselves to it take it for granted. 80% of Valencian paellas are crimes. Here we put a lot of love into the rice and that's what makes people come" notes Lara.
And she adds that the ingredients must be of the highest quality, starting with rice as the base ingredient. Use of seasonal vegetables is important. quiet stir-fries, great broths with good whitebait and good monkfish heads.
As Alfonso says, " rice must be eaten with appetite, with desire ". The clientele is largely made up of a large number of Levantine expatriates who live in Madrid and who go to eat every Sunday: pure demand. Without a doubt one of the best Valencian paellas in Madrid, not only available on the Route but during all year. A pleasure to enjoy powerful and intense rice dishes , as traditionally eaten in Levante.
Of course, we are talking about a site that is 100% reserved on weekends. Remember: you have to ask with time but without falling asleep, because the route ends on October 15 . And yes, be punctual, because rice never waits.