The baguettes that the French eat in France are here
The history of this establishment, which is both bakery, pastry shop and restaurant, is not limited to the three weeks that it has been open in the number 11 Genoa Street.
His story begins far away, in time and space. It goes back, in fact, to 1894 when Mélie Denance founded her bakery in Honfleur, a town in Normandy; she continues in London, a 'little bit' later, when in 1989 Denancé's great-grandson, Jacky G. Lesellier, together with his partner, Michel Glas, created a company that, among other things, helped French expatriates in the British capital they will kill the gastronomic homesickness with those breads and cakes how well our northern neighbors prepare; and **writes (for now) its last chapter in Madrid, with the opening of Maison Mélie ** for the delight of those of us who have ever tasted what a good French croissant tastes like.
You can choose between an 'à importer' or a 'sur place'
Little remains of that original project except the family bond of Lesellier and the commitment to traditional recipes to make his products, especially the bread. “We have loaves that are excellent made by a baker who has won numerous awards. They are special recipes made for us with a peculiarity: here in the restaurant we have an oven that allows us to make fresh bread and croissants for the whole day " , explains Michel Glas to Traveler.es.
And it is that Maison Mélie is responsible for the fact that in Madrid find the croissants and baguettes that the French eat in France. A mixture of the savoir-faire of its bakers and confectioners and of raw materials What do they use.
At least, that's how Glas responds when asked about the secret. “These croissants are made with butter d'Isigny, with denomination of origin and that gives the croissants the taste they have. In the case of bread, it also counts the quality of the flours that are made especially for us”.
Come for breakfast and stay until dinner
This care in raw materials is a reflection of a quality that is present in all his letters. Because let's face it, you may be going in for the bread or a croissant with coffee (or one of their specialty teas) to go, but you'll probably you end up staying for breakfast there , you may even extend up to food, joints with the desktop, you get to the afternoon snack and, already put, you join it with the after-work and finish dining there. Let's not fool ourselves, no matter how French you are feeling, you carry the mess in the Spanish genes.
“We decided to create a concept that is, at the same time, store and restaurant, in which we offer breakfast, Brasserie-style food at reasonable prices ; afternoon tea room; and at night, dinner with a more elaborate bistronomique style of French cuisine” Glas describes.
For each of these moments, Maison Mélie has created specific menus with delicacies such as foie navettes , the jambon beurre baguettes (ham-butter) typical of Paris, the delicious pains au chocolat , the veal treat, the grilled duck ribs or some ice creams that are accompanied by the tagline 'Extra Chantilly' which sounds even sweeter, if possible, in French.
“We are in Spain and it is important to affirm our French image, but we are aware of the bond that the Spanish have with their excellent cuisine and, therefore, you have to give certain Spanish touches to the menu, such as gazpacho or, in the morning, tomato to put it on the bread” Glas says.
Dinners with a more elaborate 'bistronomique' style of French cuisine
The same goes for wines. Spanish and French references alternate in the menu. “We cannot be in Madrid without having Spanish wines”.
At the moment, they only have a menu at breakfast time. Those of lunch and dinner are yet to arrive. “If you eat in the brasserie you will pay between 25 and 30 euros. At night, you will pay between 50 and 60 euros. We do not have very low prices, we are not among the super expensive restaurants either, but we are in the average of many others”.
WHY GO
Because the Maison Mélie on Génova Street is probably the first of some other store in Madrid, so You can say that you were one of the first to try those croissants and baguettes that everyone will probably be talking about in a few months.
EXTRA
Your traditional French brunch with toast, an assortment of mini pastries, orange juice and an array of egg-based dishes ranging from classic benedicts to soft-boiled eggs, asparagus, bacon and bread; going through the French omelette with fine herbs or cheese. There is also a dessert based on cakes, fruit salad or ice cream _(weekends and holidays from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) _.
Its traditional French brunch, your new need for the weekend in Madrid
Address: Calle Genoa, 11 See map
Telephone: 91.088.93.81