We are happy eating Chinese cuisine from The Happy Buddha 1974
It has taken more than 40 years for the residents of the Tudescos street , between the well-known Plaza de la Luna and Gran Vía, confirmed that neither the three delights rice nor the spring rolls served in the mythical happy buddha They are basic dishes of traditional Chinese cuisine -surprise!-. And it has been, precisely, thanks to its reopening. whoever was the first Chinese restaurant in Madrid , faces a new stage converted into The Happy Buddha 1974 , in homage to the year of its foundation.
He's back. More Chinese than ever.
You only have to take a look through its windows to verify that has been completely renovated . The interior design is signed by Lavela study , responsible for its paradisiacal Shangri-La atmosphere, full of plants, exotic prints, very warm lighting and a lot of glamor on its two floors : at street level, the bar, and on the top floor, the room itself where, needless to say, there is no trace of dragons or columns of Chinese temples.
Chinese maximalism and Asian minimalism
But four decades give a lot of tradition, difficult to eliminate only with the latest aesthetic trend and interior design. Although it is very useful, the truth is, above all to attract and convince both the parishioners and lifelong neighbors -among whom is the popular Mario Vaquerizo - like new customers, that what is cooked inside their stoves little or nothing to do with the stale kitchen of yesteryear.
The merit belongs to Yong Ping Zhang -Julio, so that we understand each other- the chef of the Chinese fusion cuisine restaurants I'm Kitchen and Lamian (in the neighboring Plaza de Mostenses), with whom he has been conquering us for several years. But beware, do not confuse his style with that of the letter from The Happy Buddha 1974 , much less sophisticated -but not for that reason of lower quality- and, above all, more street and cheaper than that of his older half-brothers.
Plating at The Happy Buddha
Julio is not the chef, but he does advise the entire kitchen team on the gastronomic section -which, by the way, is on view- in this new stage of the Buddha, with proposals on the menu that reminiscent of those Chinese dishes that conquered us in the 80s , but renewed: it is inevitable to think of the three delights rice with Chao Fan (soy fried rice, strips of pork, spring onion and Chinese cabbage) ; or in the veal with vegetables with Hei suan zi no rou (cubes of beef tenderloin in wok pepper sauce and golden garlic) .
The entire menu is inspired by the chinese street food , but revised by Julio: from spicy chicken (Chuang yi kong su ji), one of the warm starters, yam with prawns, oyster sauce and Sichuan pepper , already positioned among the new hits on the menu.
Revolutionary Sichuan Spicy Chicken from The Happy Buddha 1974
Special mention deserve the Handmade noodles with pork, mushrooms and wok vegetables ( Zhou zhua shot gan mian ), or the prawns with quoba rice, spring onion and sesame ( ku bar xia ), served in an original iron pot.
There's more: marinated aubergines, shrimp with edamame, ribs with soy, sautéed vegetables, 'dragon balls' and the unmistakable sticky rice dim sum. For dessert, from a green tea eclair to a surprising spicy chocolate cake and creamy peanut ice cream (Qiaokeli dangao), a more than explosive combination that you have to try to leave with a great taste in your mouth of El Buda Feliz 1974. Now yes, happier and Chinese than ever.
Marinated aubergines, ancient duck egg and almonds
WHY GO
To confirm what we all knew: that the popular Chinese food we've been fed since we were teenagers has almost nothing to do with the true chinese cuisine . This is a tasty cuisine, full of different flavors -there is life beyond soy-, aromas and textures and, important fact, nothing indigestible.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
In order not to go crazy ordering dishes for the first time, El Buda Feliz 1974 has several tasting menus to share, which makes it possible to enjoy several of its hits without bursting, from the starters to the main courses and, of course, the desserts.
Although for extra, its terrace, which will remain open every day of the year, as long as the weather allows it.
IN DATA
Address: Tudescos Street, 5
Telephone: 91 531 95 24
Schedules: Open every day, from 12pm. Mondays, from 5:00 p.m.
Yesterday's rice with cashew nuts, chicken and prawns from El Buda Feliz 1974