Restaurante Seoul

 

Cannot get lost!

Here we have again the traditional Christmas dinners! Everybody talking about the crisis but as every year is very complicated to reserve these days… So, why not trying other options instead of having the classical sea-food or meaty dinner? Let´s go to a Korean restaurant!

Korean cuisine, the unknown… well, known for the urband legend about dog meat as the main traditional delicacy ( who hasn´t seen the reports about stolen dogs in Korea? ). Well, in Mexico they eat grasshoppers, in the north of Europe horse meat, … Be calm, we didn´t have dog meat as dinner, but a very tasty selection of traditional Korean plates. And where? At the Restaurante Seoul, very close to La Latina and Puente de Segovia. The best thing, as they have two floors is a perfect place for big groups

All tables are equipped with an electric barbacue so you can cook yourself at the table. Ah, and they have the approved  Korean chopsticks: metallic ones! I advice you to practice with them in advance before they serve the food, they tend to slip down. The trick, hold them by the central part The Korean ritual is quite similar to ours, which means many plates at the center and to eat! I have to admit that whatever you ask for in this restaurant is good, and what is more important, completely different to what we are used to. As we were many people, the best option was to order a tasting menu for everybody for a price of 30 euros per person ( the menu is not including the drinks but this was the final bill for everybody ).

and makis to start with ...

Some damplings

Ok, I am going on and on, not focusing on the details. Let´s start talking about the starters: first, they brought us some cold salads with vegetables and sesame oil very tasty ( why is not working when you buy yourself the ingredients and try the plate at home? ) and some makis ( you know, rice balls with vegetables rolled with weeds ) and soya sauce. When we started to find our way with the chopsticks, they brought us the typical Korean dumplings, so more than one person took them as if they were pork kebabs and directly to the mouth! Finally we had some omelettes with octopus and vegetables, which reminded me to Spanish ones called “tortillas de camarón” ( for this one many people used the fingers instead of the chopsticks, je, je, … ) All this accompanied with beer ( they have Spanish, Korean, Japanese, …) and local wine. What we missed is the star of Korean starters, the “kimchi”, which is a cold salad of cabbage very spicy. But they have it at the restaurant, so ask for it.

A pot of rice and transparent noodles!

Now, the more tasty part, the rice and noodles! Korean people cook a special kind of rice plate in iron pots ( “bibimpap” ) and once it is cooked they serve the rice on the table, sometimes with a raw egg at the center. The idea is to start mixing everything inside the pot and drop a little of spicy sauce they bring you apart. Take care, the pot is really hot! Once you have finished you extend the rice over all the pot so it finishes cooking for about two minutes, obtaining a crunchy part. The noodles ( “guksu” ) are less complicated, just mixing and taking the quantity you want. They are also transparent and very delicious!

Here comes the Korean barbecue!

At this point you might be asking yourself, why they have barbacues at the tables? Well, this is for the meat dishes, but as we were so many they cooked them and brought directly the barbecued meat to the table. We had veal and chicken and lettuce leaves with a brown sauce ( don´t ask me which but a good one ). The way to eat this part is the following: you take a lettuce leaf and put some brown sauce on it. Then you take some pieces of meat and put them over the leaf. You close the leaf and eat it with the hands. Is really tasty and not very complicated. Ah, if you finish with the lettuce before the meat is gone, ask for more!

As any Asian restaurant the desserts offert consist on rice cakes and ice-creams with curios flavours. We asked for a variety of cakes and ice-creams of green tea, sesame and vanilla I guess ( this is what happens with Asian food, there are some tastes you cannot distiguish ). And they invited us to rice liquor, a typical Korean one which in words of a friend “is what a Korean would sweat after drinking vodka”. I leave you the thought

The coordinates:  C/Ronda de Segovia, 25

For reservations, the phone number: 913 650 087 . To have a look through the internet: http://madrid.salir.com/seoul

And to make it easier, they have menus with photos of the plates, do you just need to point directly

Sidrería Donosti

As I know you were waiting for my return to the ciber-tapas world ( I promise you keep updated I am offering you a double program on Basque cuisine

Considering we are in a city where everybody enjoys to have some beer/wine with a tapa, then why there are not more places of Basque “pintxos” ( = Basque tapa ) in the city? Even the Basque people living here ask themselves the same question, and that’s why one of our friends from the northern lands decided to organize a Basque night.

The firt step was to find a restaurant good enough, not very expensive where we could get lot of of meat and coldfish. But, you know, going directly to the restaurant is not precisely very Basque tradition, first we had to go for pintxos!

Fast photo and start to eat!

Then, recommended by other people ( as usual ) we had the first pintxos at Taberna Txacoli, in the best neighborhood for having them: La Latina. The place is quite warm, but I suggest you to go early, around 20-21 if you want to avoid the crowded hour. At some point many people go inside, mainly foreign ( I guess this place is also appearing in lonely planet guides ;-P) and starts to be too crowded. One advice, they have a blackboard at the back part behind the bar, so you can see all the pintxo options, instead of going around trying to see what they have at the bar. One thing, if you ask for a pintxo and they tell you they are going to make it, change it for another one at the bar to avoid suffering hunger while waiting ( they have a little kitchen ).

 

They have a huge variety in pintxos which are not precisely cheap ( 3 euros in average ) but heavy. In addition the Txacolí ( = Basque white wine ) is very good, not so acid as in other places, so I highly recommend you that one, and the red Rioja they have. The place is not cheap, but you wont ruin yourself and is worthwhile to go and try the pintxo of “morcilla envuelta en patata con huevo de codorniz”  ( = black pudding covered with fried potato and quail egg on top ), or the “queso de cabra con cebolla confitada” ( = goat cheese with crystallized onion ), …  

 

Once we were stating to think on taking a second round of pintxos, was the moment of stopping and going for dinner at the Basque cider restaurant. Just a walk from La Latina to Plaza de España and back to the food!

 

The  Sidrería Donosti is more a restaurant than a typical cider bar, so forget the common image of a bar with people pouring the cider at the cornes. Here the waiter pours the cider for you and serves it at the tables in jars

 

They serve either separate dishes or menus, which are typically for a least 4 people. Th quality of the food is quite good, but we were expecting more quantity from a Vasque restaurant, so the guys were glad they took the previous pintxos. As we were eight people, very easy, two menus for 4 people. The starters are varied, like the quite original salad with mushrooms and prawns, the classical “croquetas de jamón” ( = fried breaded balls made of flour, milk filled with ham ), or the dishes with “bacalao” ( = coldfish ): the “tortilla” ( = omelette ) and the “pimientos rellenos” ( = red pepper filled with coldfish ). After that, let´s go for the meat!

What a piece of meat!

We asked for “chuleton” ( = steak ) which they have in different sizes and you can ask them how cooked you like it. The meat is really good although, as commented before, not so much quantity as expected. Ah, haven’t mentioned, but all drinks (wine or cider) are included in the menu!

Cake for cheesealholics

Finally we had the dessert. I have to admit is not for all tastes, not many people can easily eat a cake made with philadelphia, blue and Idiazabal ( =strong goalt cheese from the north of Spain ) cheese, but was very goog and I am glad there are dessert offerts other than the typical tiramisu.

After all this food and cider? We went for some drinks at the neighborhood, where you can find many little bars full of teenagers, je, je, ….

If you want to go por pintxos:

Taberna Txacoli: C/Cava Baja 42

If you prefer meat at the restaurant:

Sidrería Donosti: C/Luisa Fernanda, 21. Reserve! Here you have the phone number: 915 401 976. And the web page: http://www.accua.com/rest/r7772/default.asp

La Gabinoteca

Just in case you were always wondering: “Where do posh people go for tapas?”. I found the answer recently when we met in ” a new place they just opened”, is what a friend told us so we could go to have something there. We decided to dress up a little fancy and put the heeled shoes, but we were not really looking the fanciest ones in the bar. Well, doesn´t matter, we chose a place at the bar and tried to wait for a table while having some white wines ( they are serving them too cold but very good winery, I recomend you the Melquior , cause I should advice you they are not making reservations, even if you arrive telling them you are a still waiting for a couple of friends to come, etc, … nobody will sit down until the whole group is there!

While we were waiting our last friends to arrive, it happened to me what sonner or later was going to occur… I knew one of the waitress!! Well, the poor girl was super stressed out, running around the place, as ussually happens in fashion bars, but she was taking care of us, and although she didn´t manage to have a table for us, we stayed in the best part at the bar, where one of her friend/waiter was serving us the wines, je, je, …

As I lately have seen in postmodern places, the decoration is what I call rustic-industrial ( maybe decoration magazines won’t like my definition, but it’s like that, rustic and industrial ;-P ). And have to admit they have used very well the space, cause apart from the modern-intellectual touch ( also own terminology ) the place looks much bigger than it is!

Yeah, I now, everything very “cool”, but how about the food? I have to say that everything was surprising us a lot, as you can find in the menu dishes like “ensaladilla rusa” or “pisto manchego” which is not so original, but the way of presenting them is particular and the taste is good. Ah, of course any place “in” should have dishes like “aroma de huevo con trufa”, “tortilla de patata con mousse de bacalao”, etc, … They have a little of everything!

Let´s start with something at the bar!

I will tell you what we ordered, although we also had a look around us and everything looked quite nice, despite the concept of sausages in cardboard packs or “tortillitas de camarones” ( = omelettes filled with little prawns ) in a cone of the same material. We started by some “tortillas de patata con mousse de bacalao” ( = Spanish omelette with coldfish mousse ) served in wide glasses. I have to say that for me, who don´t like the codfish, I really enjoyed it Then we went for more traditional dishes, like “pisto” ( = fried vegetables, like onion, pepper, aubergine and tomatoe ) and “ensaladilla rusa” ( = fresh salad made with potatoes, tuna, peas, olive, … covered with mayonnaise).

Look that fried egg on top of the pisto!!

Theyserve the “pisto” in a bowl with a fried egg on top of it, and for the “ensaladilla”, it´s like the usual one, but with the mayonnaise spread below the vegetables instead of above them. From these last two ones, I would rather prefer the “pisto”. Yeah, I know, the classical “croquetas” ( = fried breaded balls made of flour, milk filled with ham ), cause they also serve them, this time with “jamón”. And well, it was not the most surprising dish but they are good. For finishing with the tasting we asked for a couple of dishes I recommend you: “carrillera de ternera” ( = veal cheek cooked with several vegetables and red wine ) and a speciality called something like “aroma de huevo, patata y trufa” ( = mix of boiled egg, potatoe and truffle ), served in a glass like those ones for putting yoghurts! Ok, this is maybe too refined, but if you are going with several people, you can share and then is not so expensive. Ah, and don´t miss the bread!

I forgot to give you the prices… The dishes are not very huge, but they usually cost around 5 euros each one, so the total price is not bad.

Yeah, I know this is a tapas blog, but look what a good evening end

Important! Is a perfect place to have the first drink of the night Served in big glasses, they are so professional that they even have their own electrical machine for making crush ice! And of course they have a more flexibletime than other restaurants. Around midnight they put the lights darker and increase the music volume, so we decided to taste the local specialities: mojito and gin-tonic! And even cheaper than in the bar at the corner! For 6 euros, you can start the night party

The adress: C/Fernández de la hoz 53, Tlfno:913991500.

They also have a web page, but is under construction. I give it to you just in case:

www.lagabinoteca.com

And remember to dress up a little not to be out of place!

Mesón Portomarín

Everybody has a usual place without really knowing why, maybe cause you already know it, perhaps for mental lazyness, or just because we get sentimental and want to come back to remember passed tapas nights… So when we knew we had celebration dinner with the people´s work, everybody thought instantaneouly about Portomarín, cause we couldn´t  break the tradition and try a new one! Also is a good idea to go to a known place when you are a big group

Some "pulpo a la gallega" for starting!

As usual, we decided to meet at one specific hour and the people appeared one by one, which is great if you want to have a little tapa at the bar. By the way, they serve you many finger food, like “patatas ali-oli” ( = boiled potatoes with a mayonese of garlic and pepper )  and “torreznos con pimientos del padrón” ( = fried pork skin with hot green pepper ). Ah, don´t think that just for being in one of the centric neighbohoods, Lavapiés, they serve great draft beer… But with a glass of “Ribera de Duero” wine, waiting at the bar is nicer ;-P

Once everybody was there we had to decide if “finger food at the bar or just ask for a big table”… Of course, some wanted to stay at the bar, the others to sit down, so we went for the table. And here an important comment about Portomarín, they always have a table for you! Don´t know how but even if you get inside and the bar is fully crowded, they always have free tables in their two dinning room! Hey, don´t think this is a horrible place, it´s just is huge, je, je, …

Some "croquetas", "morcilla" and "revuelto de setas"!

Imagine, 20 people in a big table, everybody talking at the same time, fights for having the menu, etc, … Luckily  we know what to ask for, so we went for jugs of beer for everybody and several dishes, of course 3 of each one, we had to feed the people! As we have tried almost everything in this place, we asked for the secure dishes, “morcilla de Burgos” ( = fried blackpudding with rice ), “chopitos” ( = little fried squids ),  “revuelto de setas con gambas” ( = omelette fried with mushrooms and prawns ), of course as we were in a Galician place, one “empanada” ( = pastry filled with tuna and vegetables cooked in the oven ), ah and don´t miss the “croquetas” ( = fried breaded balls made of flour, milk filled with ham )! And bread for everybody!

Hey, the sweet cake selection

After dinner the plan was to go for some drinks, so we asked for a plate with a dessert selection. Well, the selection was consisting on three cakes, don´t imagine this was going to be the festival of sweet. They served us apple, cheese and santiago´s cake, accompanied with chocolate sirope… ummmm, right? … Well, not, the only decent one was the cheese cake, and only compared with the others…

In any case the dinner was cheap, summing the cañas at the bar plus what we had at the table, it was 12 euros each one and if you want to ask for a drink or licour, it´s cheaper than in a bar and good quality! Note down, don´t ask for the “queimada”, not worth trying.

 If you want to go to our usual dinner place, at C/Valencia 4, Tlfno:915285686.

And then, some mojitos at Badulake!

Nina Madrid

We continue with the brunch-fever! Ok, it was Eastern and so many festivity days that we should try something different and go to one of the official brunch places in Madrid.

A real local from Malasaña should have a graffiti on its wall

I comment you, for 22 euros everything included, you get completely full. Ah, they also serve the brunch at 12h and at 15h! Ok, maybe at 15h is more like meeting for lunch ;-P And I recommend you to reserve a table!

Once we were placed in a really nice table with rustic-industrial atmosphere ( very fashionable in this kind of coffee-places… ) we asked to the waitress how does the brunch goes. Ok, this has several parts, first you ask fo the coffees or juices you want, ah and it´s like an open bar, in case you want later more coffee/tea or juice you can ask for it again! They have many kind of juices, and very good ones. And they also have water jugs at the table! The coffee, I have to admit I have taken others much better… I think the problem is that they make it very strong so if you ask for a “café con leche” ( = coffee with milk ) they serve you a “cortado” ( = coffee with a little drop of milk ) in a big cup. Well, not everything was going to be perfect.

What I´ve told you, rustic-industrial decoration!

The brunch consist on three parts: first they serve you several dishes with butter and mermelades, fresh cheese and pate. You can also ask for yoghurts and milk-shakes. Everything accompanied with baskets fill with many kind of breads. Try the bread with garlic, delicious! Ah, if you want more bread you just have to ask for it!   

The second part consist on choosing 1 among the 5 dishes on the menu, and they bring it after the bread-session. Have to admit that not too many of us could finish the second dish, and it was not cause we didn´t want, it was just physically impossible. After the first round, we already had our stomach quite full.

Just for waking up your appetite!

They have a little of everything, for those who like the traditional English breakfast with scrambled eggs, bacon and sausages, for those who prefer something lighter, like smoked salmon with fresh ceese inside a bagel ( that bread with donut shape ), the turkey lovers, cooked in the oven with plum sauce… Almost everything!

In the meanwhile, you can continue asking for other things, like industrial bakery products, juices, yoghurts, etc, …

Last part, the brunch dessert, with a varied selection of home-made cakes, muffins with and without chocolate, brownies, … so leave a little of space between first and second parts if you like sweet stuff!

After more than 2 hours non-stopping of eating and driking, let´s pay and enjoy the sunny weather at 2 de Mayo square, and why not, a “tinto de verano” ( = red wine mix with soda ), which is the best combination with the sun and a filled stomach  

The coordinates: C/Manuela Malasaña 10, Tlfno: 915910046.

Las mañanitas

Festivity day, which means you went out the previous night, you wake up late and enjoy good weather going for a walk. Now that we were in the neighborhood, I remember there was a Mexican place somebody recommended me at Churruca street… Hey, we were not only going to have “tostas”, “raciones” and “pinchitos”!

Of course I mistook the street, but at this point we were hungry and in the mood of guacamole, so I decided we should go to a Mexican I knew at Fuencarral street. Et voilá! Las Mañanitas was not yet crowded, so we can even choose a table. The decoration of this Mexican is very cute and warm, let´s see how is the food…

How colorful!

First thing, have a look at the local beers, they have something else than coronitas! We asked for one of them, don´t remember now the name. My advice, they serve the beers quite cold, so in case you don´t want to have a digestion cut, drink them smoothly

While they bring us the dishes, what about asking for some nachos! If you go to Las Mañanitas a must-eat is their nachos with cheese, guacamole and enchilada! Tasty! And heavy dish, don´t think they serve you a little dish with 4 nachos and a little of sauce at the corner.

The worst thing of hot gastronomy restaurants is that in order to attrack attention to Madrilenian people they don´t prepare their dishes too spicy, so you don´t need to carry an anti-acid with you ( which I appreciate, I am not an expert in throwing blazes by the mouth ;-P ) so in case you want something spicy, you have to ask them for some extra hot sauce. In any case, their dishes are heavy so don´t mistake and ask for a plate less than the number of people at the table and share them.

My advice: Nachos with guacamole and enchilada! Essential fork and knife

After giving up with the tasty but heavy main dish, we decided to skip the dessert, despite the sweet tentations of the menu and we asked for the bill so we could go for a digestive walk

Have to admit this is not precisely a cheap restaurant, although the place is nice and the food is good, but sinceresly, next time I will try to go to the Mexican I was looking for at Churruca street, which I finally found ( in another street, of course ). If I come back here I will be happy with a local beer and some nachos for sharing

If you want to try the Mexican experience, go to C/Fuencarral 82, Tlfno: 915224589.

For looking at the dishes and prices:

http://www.mananitas.com/

Ah, and don´t forget some liver salts, just in case

Le Pain Quotidien

In northern countries they have a curious tradition called brunch=breakfast+lunch, which is essentialy what we ussually do on weekends we have been partying till late, so when we wake up we go directly for a fatty lunch, and if possible with a coffee. 

Here is still not very fashionable the brunch idea ( = cool places with not really popular prices … ), so we tried Le Pain Quotidien as a first experiment. This is a Belgium bakery/restaurant franchise belonging to an international company, which means that the only rustic things they have are its decoration and the bread. But both are worth  

What a nice combination of wood and industrial lamps!

As we were going to meet a sunday morning, let´s ask the friends with children to bring them, they even have special chairs for childs
If you are a big group I advice you to arrive there before 12h, as it gets crowded fast, in order to avoid queueing for getting a table.

Knowing all this, I made the appointment with the rest at 11 morning and we managed to have a good table for everybody with enough space for the little ones.

Here the odyssey of having a coffee started … ok, this is a cozy place but the waiters organization is quite caotic.
After a long while sitting there showing a face of “we are hungry” and looking to every waiter passing by, finally we made visual contact with one of them, who brought us the menus and a promise of return.

As we were many people and the main idea was to make a brunch, which was combining coffees, with bready pastry, bread and salty dishes, we decided to ask for several “cestas de pan” ( = bread baskets, 4 euros each one ), which they serve you with butter, different mermelades, chocolate and praline! Well, if they haven´t got the jars in another table, so if you are lucky you will taste each of them.
And what about trying the croissants? Highly recommended at 100%, even by a French friend, and you know, if a French is telling you a croissant is good, then is good, je, je, …
Apart from the coffees we also asked for “tablas” to share ( around 15 euros each one ). One arabic table with a delicious humus ( really, one of the best I´ve ever tasted and another from the toscana, with typical products like cheese and Parma ham and a great black olives paste with pesto. The good thing about asking for so much bread is that is also serves to dip in the tables

To have breakfast! ejem, lunch! well, brunch!

Obviously with so much food, we started to be thirsty. Let´s ask for some glasses of water … In two words: Impossible mission … Among managing to catch the attention of one of the stressed waiters and that he also could understand we only wanted either glasses of a jug of water … Well, we still are waiting for the water, not more comments … At least they paid attention to us when we asked for the juices ( maybe because these ones they can charge to us? ummm … suspicious, not? ). By the way, I recommend you their homemade lemonade

After all this eating, coffees, lemonades, we asked for the bill to the first waiter who passed by our side. Have to admit they have a cozy way to give you the bill, as it comes with a nice cardboard with a recipe. The problem is that they brought us a wrong bill twice! So take care if you go and check you bill!

Apart from all this, if you like one of their products, like mermelades, the olives paste, etc, … you can buy it in the bakery part

Ah, the brunch could cost you between 12 and 18 euros each one, depending if you ask or not for juices.

So if you make yourself patient enough to deal with the caotic service of this place, you will taste delicious dishes
in order to begin the weekend with all your strength, at C/Fuencarral 95.

As a good international franchise, thay also have web page:

www.lepainquotidien.es

Taberna Alipio Ramos

Some streets have their own charm, I mean those ones in which you easily find a good tapas bar at every corner. Ponzano street is one of them, it has a little from everything, from old traditional taverns, to more modern bars , “pulperías” ( = restaurants where octopus is served ), etc, …

Birthday party at saturday night: drinks for free But we should go an eat before, unless we want to make the spectacle later, more than the birthday guy. Let´s go to Ponzano street to see if we can find any place and have some finger food at the bar before free drinks moment …

We first tried the typical nineteenth-century bar full of tiles and advertising they serve the beer in the old style, etc, … ok, the beer was very well drafted, but after looking at the prices of the dishes, we went out to look for another place. Then we met a warm bar completely full of people. There was nothing to be decided, if it was crowded, must be a reason for that, you know our main advice is that if the place is crowded, “go inside!”, if nobody is there distrust till the contrary is demonstrated ;-P

ok, we already tasted the tortilla before making the photos, but with that smell ...

After overcoming the groups of people at the entrance, and by the way, starting to feel our stomach rumbling and our mouths making water while looking at the dishes they were sharing, we went to the end of the bar and ask if they had any free table … “ummm, let me see, … ah, there will be one in a while, so have something at the bar, I will call you”.

“Nos pones unos Ribera de Duero?” ( = asking for a Ribera de Duero wine ), was next we talked to the waiter while dibbling when we saw the “tapas” they had at the bar … And she not only served us the nice wine, but also acommpanied it with some chicken wings and toasts with “jamón” and tomato! “Wish they give us the table soon or I will eat everything they have on the bar and the dish the group close to us is having!”

Once we were sitting down, we started to look at the menu, which is really vast, and what can I say, we wanted to order everything
Let´s increase a little our colesterol levels, we will burn it afterwards with the alcohol! Don´t miss the great
“revuelto de huevos con patatas y gulas” ( = fried eggs with potatos and gulas ), or the one with “torreznos y pimientos” ( = fried eggs with pepper and culin fried rasher of bacon ), for the “suicide by colesterol overdose” commando group. Hey, they even have a dish called “colesterol” or something similar!.
The thing I like most from this place is that they have traditional Spanish dishes like “albóndigas” ( = meat balls with tomato sauce ), “tortilla de patata” ( = Spanish omelette ) or “croquetas” ( = fried breaded balls made of flour, milk filled  with ham, codfish or chesse ), with a nice home-made taste not very easy to find
Also, the menu is quite varied, the “chopitos” ( = little fried squids ) are really good and they also have
tables of chesses and cold meat for sharing.
 
Yes, we also asked for a nice bottle of Rioja wine to acommpany the food, cause it´s a sin to eat these things without a good wine, eh?

Looks like san marcos cake but one thousand times more delicious

But still we had to complete the colesterol extra dose … Just an advice, which I have taken other times I have been here … “Tarta de Orujo!!” The way cakes should be, sweet and light

We ended the dinner with a “chupito” ( = alcohol shot ) to speed up the digestion, we still had a long night and had to be prepared to burn the disco dancing floor

Ah, almost forgot, prices issue. The same as usual, dishes going from 7 to 12 euros, the bottle, we ordered one of the cheapest, for 12 euros and at least the home-made cakes are cheaper than in other restaurants, 3 euros. You can always go there, take a seat at the bar and eat from the tapas they give you with the wine ( about 2 euros ). Of course it´s not going to be like the food festival of “El tigre”, but the quality is good

How to get to colesterol temple? Go to: C/Ponzano 30. Tlfno: 914414961
 
And in case you stay chating longer while they are closing, they don´t pester you to go home, well, in the end you leave, but in a friendly way, je, je, …

Cabañaquinta

And they are claiming there´s crisis at cinema theaters… lately, everytime I go to the cinema, after waiting an eternal queue, the only tickets available are on the first row! As we were not in the mood of looking closely to facial pores of Clint and co., we decided to meet early and have dinner before entering in the cinema, with decent tickets

Apart from being a bucolic Asturian village, it´s also a restaurant

What a better plan than having a “tabla de pinchos” ( = selection of toasted bread covered by food ) and some wine at Cabañaquinta? The best of meeting early is that we found a couple of empty stools and a little space at the bar, not to be stressed out. While deciding what to order we asked for the drinks, which they brought us with a delicious tapa of “patatas fritas al cabrales” ( = fried potatoes with cabrales ( strong ) cheese )

Have to admit that since I discovered this place, it has become one of my usual ones, for two reasons, one logistics, I live nearby, and the other, everything is delicious!
They have dishes of several “revueltos” ( = food fried mixed with fried omelette and fried eggs, like “huevos con chistorra”… tasty! ), salads for every taste, some pasta dishes ( I recommend you the one of “saquitos de gorgonzola!” ), brochetas ( meat and vegetables fried and inserted in a metallic stick ), several “raciones” including hunt products and the “pinchos!” ( = toasts covered by food ). They have special tables of 5 or 10 “pinchos”. Apart from being delicious and heavy toasts, they always cut them in two halfs in case you want to share them, so you can skip that uncomfortable moment like “don´t worry, I will cut it”, which in the end results in a piece of bread completely destroyed and almost all the food in one on the pieces, while you, embarrased, have to offer the big piece just for not behaving like a vulture…

For making yourself an idea about the budget, we shared a table of 5 “pinchos” with two drinks each one, everything for 22 euros. The “pinchos” cost around 3 euros each and the rest of dishes go from 6 to 13 euros, depending on what you order.

This is a real pinchos table!

Just for making your mouth water… we went for a table with “solomillo con brie” ( = sirloin with brie chesse, also really tender meat, so you don´t need to fight with the sirloin just for taking a piece , “morcilla (de burgos) con pimientos” ( = black pudding with fried pepper ), “jamón ibérico con tomate” ( = jamón iberico with squeeze natural tomato ), “queso de cabra con salsa de higos” ( = goat chesse with fig sauce, quite advisable ) and “pimientos del piquillo rellenos de carne” ( = red pepper filled with meat, essential! ).

They also have some little blackboards with their recommended wines, which by the way are quite decent

Yes, I know, the desserts… we didn´t ask this time, but other times I have been here I remember super caloric bombs for the most sweet-toothed, for about 4.5 euros. And yeah, they have the fashion dessert… home-made tiramisu

After this nice finger food moment, we went directly to see last Clint movie, which I recommend you this time

More info: they open everyday around 13h till 16h and in the evening, I think it´s around 20.30h, till 00.30-1.00h. And they have tab vermut!

Coordinates: C/Eloy Gonzalo 21, Tlfno: 914465962.

You know, if you are going there, just give me a call, I will join for sure!

Viva la vida!

Yes, I have to admit that I am not really a vegetarian ( I imagine after several posts you also guess it … ),
but here we are decided to taste everything, you never know, so after an intensive sales session by Madrid we were
in the mood of something fast and not too fatty. 

What a cosy place!

 

We were in La Latina neighborhood and needed a quiet place, where we could sit down after the marathon of “It was me who first saw that pullover!”, etc, … and decided that we could give a chance to the picturesque “Viva la vida”.

Well, this is a curious vegetarian restaurant cause you serve yourself the food in a buffet on plastic dishes. Of course, they also have several trash containers in order to divide the trash and recycling plastic. This is a little contradictory environmentalism, but in this way they save money in the staff, as you don´t have real waiters and everything goes faster than in a normal restaurant.

You have to ask for the drinks apart and then they weigh your dish ( the price goes by weight ) and they charge you everything together before you go to look for a table with your plastic dishes, your plastic cutlery and your plastic glass on your plastic tray. At least the food is real, if not … ;-P.
They also have a shop inside the entrance in case you want to play the “Vegetarian-cook” at home.

You must be asking now, and what vegetarian places have to offer you the rest don´t do?? Well, tofu!! This you don´t have in non-vegetarian restaurants ;-PP

Ok, jokes apart, they have “croquetas” ( = fried breaded balls made of flour, milk filled
with chesse, vegetables or mushrooms ), “verduras rebozadas” ( = vegetables coat in batter and fried ), “queso de cabra con tomate” ( = goat cheese with tomatoes ), “tortilla” ( = omelette ), “empanadas” ( = pie filled with vegetables ), … and many kinds of desserts!
From all we had (you can put as many things as you want in your dish … ) my favourite ones where the real vegetarian dishes, like the chesse with tomato or omelette. Also the “boniato” ( = sweet potato ). But the pseudo-vegetarian, like the sushi, they are not worth trying. Ah, and some dishes with “boletus” ( =  kind of mushroom ) were also quite ok.
The best, the dessert! They have several cakes and they also weigh you the dessert dish an charge you apart from the main one.
In any case, usual clients of “Viva la vida” have told me they actualize frequently the menu.

Plastic-land ... have a look at carrot cake! ( right lower side )

Ah, and be carefuf, cause you get easyly full with these kind of meals, although doesn´t look like, so don´t behave as me and don´t eat with the eyes when serving, eh? The prices, for around 10-15 euros you can have a dish, a drink and a piece of cake.

After filling as much as possible the dish we asked for a “té energético” ( = energetic tea ) and then pay everything! I recommend you this tea, really good, despite it´s strange to have it on a plastic glass, …

And now comes the best part, cause one of the charms of this vegetarian is its decoration. Soft music and warm and bright decoration.

As a curiosity, visit the toilet, mainly the one for “diosas” ( = girls ). Very cosy, and have to say they know how practical would be when two friends go together to toilet ( well, what always happens so they can use it at the same time, cause they have two wc in the same room! Ok, I only advice this practice to good friends and relatives, je, je, …

I like this place

 

You have two “Viva la vida” in city centre:

C/Huertas 57, Tlfno: 916397254
C/Costanilla de San Andrés 16 (Plaza de la Paja), Tlfno: 913663349
 
My last words …  Viva el tofu!