That octopus that makes us sigh...
** ALABASTER, A QUASI MICHELIN CAPRICHO** _(Calle de Montalbán, 9) _
Get ready to enjoy the best atlantic cuisine in town (we started strong, huh?), and give you a marine whim as you would in the Galician estuaries. The Alborada Group has brought to the capital the best of A Coruña, its catches, its recipes and its contemporary touch... (what a pity that they cannot bring one of the windows with sea views from their Coruña restaurant). Any dish on the menu is a success, but it would be a crime to opt for meat and not order the star starter: smoked sardines with Arzúa cheese and tomato jam . As a main course, we recommend the extremely tasty pan-fried San Martino with carrots and roasted orange purée, without neglecting the hake with lemon-lime pil-pil. As a climax, a visual and taste show: chocolate in textures and red fruit foam. bitter, refreshing ...perfect to follow with a nice drink at the nearby Sixpence padded skay bar.
Hake with lemon-lime pil-pil
FURANCHO GALICIAN FOOD , SHARING A TABLE AND CONVERSATION
_(Ventura Rodriguez Street, 5) _
A furancho is a food house that was born improvised in the cellars of homes where surplus wine was sold, accompanied by some other tapas (yes, Galicia is its thing to have a village with vines from which to produce some little bottles of your own wine – in my house we play like this -). The Furancho that you will find on Ventura Rodríguez street it is the complete opposite of your village cellar , although you will be able to see that 'china cabinet' so similar to the one in your grandmother's kitchen.
Newcomer to town, Furancho Galician Food stomps on: here you'll hear _ falar galego _ (guess where their staff members are from) , non-stop toast , some other singing and... sighs, again, for some dishes that are not going to remind you of your mother's (but would remind you of your mother's if MasterChef had won). Essential the lobster croquettes , the very fine pork shoulder empanada with chorizo and that octopus a la mugardesa ... delicious. Don't get overwhelmed by anxiety and leave room for the obligatory filloa (also known as frixuelo in Asturias or crêpe in Paris) with Nutella well sprinkled with a shot of pomace, to facilitate digestion, of course.
Compadreo in Plaza de España
** THE BEST POTATO OMELETTE IN THE WORLD IS AT CAFÉ DO BICO **
_(San Joaquin Street, 5) _
Malasana. Night (or day, any time is good to taste an Estrella Galicia). Suddenly, our senses lose the rhythm of the conversation, the concentration is scattered, and our whole body reacts to a perfect potato omelette , so round, so Rubenesque... what is that orange color? Pa-ta-ta and ba-ta-ta . That is the infallible trick of Café do Bico (of the kiss) to keep us hooked on this place. Its extreme juiciness (without turning the egg into a soup to mop up) and that game sweet salty in your mouth yes it is a kiss. The one of perdition: you will want an omelette for breakfast, lunch, lunch, snack, snack between meals and dinner. You are warned.
Brief and important paragraph : in O Bico you will also find potato, sweet potato and courgette omelettes; potato and sausage; potato and snow peas... and dry potato omelette.
** OR PAZO DE LUGO: LAVAPIÉS IS GALICIA**
_(Argumosa Street, 28) _
You better make a reservation if you want a table at O Pazo de Lugo: it is the winning option of the Madrid families and groups of friends for the weekends. The reasons? A close, fun treatment (although the waiter is Cuban, is there anything more Galician, perhaps?), an always active bar of people who come and go while peeling some prawns and tasting an albariño . And a very Galician letter. Direct. Simple. Product, product and more product . The great option in the Pazo is to order a stew to share. Or treat yourself to a tapas tribute: potato omelette with lacón and turnip tops, Padrón peppers, octopus á feira (cooked, with salt and paprika, puntopelota) and a piece of advice: be strong and leave the bread ... we know it's delicious but STOP. As culmination: to choose between shot of coffee liqueur, orujo cream or herbal liqueur . Do you make a Galician gin to celebrate the terriña? Marching a Nordés with tonic!
octopus to fair
** NAVAJA: MALASAÑA IS A BAR FROM VIGO**
_(Valverde Street, 42) _
We already knew Libia Veiga from another Galician bar in Madrid (does Fabuloso ring a bell?) but this time, in the company of Álex Álvarez, she proposes a daring: Galicia meets Peru meets Japan. In Navaja, the Galician product is the base and the dressings and some processes of Nikkei cuisine. You dare? For the purists of seafood only cooked with salt, we confirm: you have to try the razor clams that give the place its name, you will like them, they will surprise you and you will want to buy them by weight. It continues with the sea bass tiradito with chili and with a bao of Iberian prey, Or maybe a pout from Grandma? Everything is possible.
** O GRELO : CELEBRATING GALICIA**
_(Menorca Street, 39) _
It is perfect, perfect, to go in a group and enjoy it (ask about the availability of their private rooms). If you're a bit lazy, don't worry: O Grelo takes it home (yes, as a catering for special occasions). Can you imagine your delivery man going up the stairs of your room without an elevator with some eels? With a lamprey? and long live O Grelo , that with his 30 years of life , he continues to be a benchmark for galeguidad in the Retiro neighborhood. Their rice with lobster has managed to unseat A Trapallada (remind me that in the not too distant future I'll write about The war of rice with lobster, there's a topic there), its grilled scallops, its seafood-style clams, its scallop empanada, its xoubas with Padrón peppers... immediate salivation.
If you've been wanting more and want to explore the Community, don't miss his brother, O Recanto, in San Sebastián de los Reyes (Avenida de Somosierra, 18).
Long live O Grelo, with his 30 years of life!
MELOS CROQUETTES ARE BETTER THAN YOUR MOTHER'S
_(Ave Maria Street, 44) _
And this statement, although it hurts, is true. The Melos is so battle that the simple act of 'entering' is a feat: put your elbow out, be patient and start advancing between the hordes of hungry beings who approach the bar with faces of desperation to get hold of the listed ones (? and waning?) croquettes. Have you been hungry? Get strong on the bar and ask for a slipper , if you have what it takes: loaf bread about 30 cm long by 6 cm high and generously stuffed with pork shoulder and melted tetilla cheese. Cheer up, mate .
The classic Melos sneaker: guilty pleasure
THE DRINKS ALWAYS IN THE ALMUDAYNA
_(Street of the Holy Spirit, 5) _
This last establishment is not the best Galician in Madrid : it is the gift of the people of Castro Caldelas to Madrid (something like the northern Temple of Debod). La Almudayna welcomes us in the morning with its energetic breakfasts (fine potato omelette that melts in your mouth and freshly crushed tomato toast with olive oil on loaf bread), and hugs us at night, protecting us from the dangers of the streets, and serving us generous drinks and liqueurs from the land. The Malasaña party begins and ends at the Almudayna . And this revelation, dear homesick Galician, is the best gift we could give you.
*Luckily we still have good restaurants where we can stop sighing for a moment.
I went to Castile for bread,
and saramagos came;
give me fel for a drink,
pens for food
_(Rosalia de Castro, Galician Songs ) _
La Almudayna: WHAT A MOTHER'S LOVE OMELETTE (Galician)