Morgana_Madrid

Restaurante Morgana: la reina de Galicia

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Madridiana is the goddess of hunting cool places, when she meets another goddess they will be friends forever.
Morgana is a strong woman, a Celtic goddess, una mujer de fuerza.
Madridiana met Morgana on a sunny Sunday morning, while she was hunting new places in the very center of Madrid, the barrio Chueca.

Morgana immediately appear to be for the naming, the atmosphere and the Galician origin of the founders, as a big deal, a recently opened restaurant with a brand new unique offer.

Why restaurante Morgana Madrid?

The answer is simple, as Augusto and Miguel, the two owners, immediately explained that they wanted to have a strong identity, that’s why they chose a woman, and a powerful message, that’s why they chose a mitologic figure.

Augusto and Miguel are the two owners of restaurante Morgana Madrid, they are really young but at the same time they have gained a lot of experience around the world. Their competences complete each other because Augusto has studied and worked in hostelry while Miguel is the chef. This special mix of skills has on the other side the most important thing in common: friendship. They are good friends and they both come from La Coruña. So two common features: friendship and roots. Their provenience need to be explained a bit because it’s because of their Galician roots that they have started the Morgana adventure.

Galician water, beer, food and tradition and ingredients. They are focused on spreading the Galician food best products in Madrid, modernizing the most famous traditional food with a touch of international cuisine, because Miguel, the chef, has travelled a lot, in Europe and outside. The ceviche is for sure the result of his Peruvian experience. Not to mention that he has also worked at Diverxo with the awarded chef David Munoz.

Galician traditional best sellers as new, more contemporary, reinterpretation. I will write about my experience, which will be personal as always and «non replicabile» because every week Morgana changes the menu. The best food for sharing like the tortilla, the croquetas and the empanadas are the only fixed food of the menu, but especially for croquetas and empanadas the flavors usually change as well.

What attracted my attention was the scallop plate with pork and a pumpkin creme, impossible to resist. What I really loved about this plate, above the taste of course, was its concept, Miguel explained me how he balanced the fat savor of the pork with the acidity of the pumpkin creme.

Everything from a simple burrata to a more complex dish, is expressed in a new custom version edited and invented by Miguel.

Even the dessert I ‘ve tried had a twist of unconventional, with the crunchy texture of the bizcocho and the sweet cheese cake cream.

Morgana has just opened but for sure it will become an addiction to all, for Miguel innovative cuisine and Augusto detailed attention to the clientsn and for his special cocktails

More info: Morgana Restaurante.

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bEST COCKTAILS MADRID

The 10 Best Cocktails in Madrid

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Quote for the best cocktails in Madrid: My life is 50% wondering if it’s too late to drink coffee and 50% wondering if it’s too early to drink alcohol – Anonymous [This article is written by Enzo Lauretta]

First thing to say: this not a chart. It is based on my experience as Cocktail Lover spent in almost all the most particular cocktails bar in Madrid.

The experience of drinking a cocktail it’s only not about drinking what each barman serves but also take a sit a the counter, meet the bartender, listen his story and most of all the story of the cocktail.

In this short time frame between the cocktail preparation and my first sip, I always need to hear what he/she has to say, about the cocktail chosen.  What I appreciate the most is to hear their ideas about bartendering, their vision and how those ideas are transmitted into each cocktail, and while they are explaining I love to take these kind of pictures that I’ve been collecting in one year here in Madrid.

And I am already feeling the smell of cocktail and how they mix it, it’s craftsmanship, artesanal work, the more I see that sort of maniacal detail attention and the level of the cocktail rising perfectly until the glass limit, the more I’ll be back to that bar, spending more time with the mixologist, enjoying new tastes and new stories.

Best cocktails in Madrid

1. Angelita Madrid

Angelita Madrid has one of the best cocktails in Madrid because: craftmanship. This is the keyword, even if it sounds a little weird that’s exactly the impression I had. The accuracy they put in the preparation of each cocktail, they way you see it served looks more like a work of art rather than a cocktail.

Not to mention the fact that the service should be a benchmark in town, when you seat you already have your fresh water and a little sweet tapa well presented in a tiny box.

The space is really nice and what surprised me was also the great number of spirits that Angelita does, 100% homemade with serveral tastes, that are added in all the cocktails of the menu.

Angelita Madrid, Calle Reina, 4, 28004 Madrid

2. Benares Madrid

Benares has one of the best cocktails in Madrid because: the way they reinvented the barra as we wrote in the article «The barra esperience in Benares» is something really unique in Madrid, but I guess even in Europe probably.

I’ve never tried an indian cocktail, but I know really well how reach is the indian variety of tastes that I had really high expectations about the experience, but than what I’ve discovered talking to Santi (the barman) is a Menu where each cocktail is dedicated to an Indian city and where you can taste the differences of every city through a unique mix of ingredients.

For example, vodka, beetroot “rubidus” juice, homemade chutney with just a hint of spice, lima sour, silver dust, accompanied by aromas of Delhi’s market and a jelly from the gardens of the Red Fort, is the composition of the cocktail Old Delhi.

Benares Madrid, Calle de Zurbano, 5, 28010 Madrid

3. Museo Chicote Madrid

Museo Chicote as one of the be cocktails in Madrid because: historical. Museo Chicote needs no introduction. Chicote is a stop on the Hemingway trail in Madrid. His tecnique and his way of mastering the mixology art has fascinated not only the cocktails lovers, but but also artists like Salvador Dalì and international actresses and actors like Ava Gardner, Rita Hepburn and Frank Sinatra.

The Museo Chicote is the history of mixology as it was the first cocktail bar in Madrid, with the best position, on the most famous Street of Madrid, the Gran Via, it maintains the classic allure with some shift in modernity with special nights and video mapping shows, always maintaing the focus on cocktails. The red lighted barra makes the experience even better because it catches the attention, and the barman are all great professionals. The Menu spaces from the unmissable classics to the new inspiring creations of the new generations of bartenders.

Museo Chicote Madrid, Calle Gran Vía, 12, 28013 Madrid

4. Del Diego Madrid

Del Diego Madrid has one of the best cocktails in Madrid because: familiar. Don’t waste your time looking for website and social media accounts, Del Diego in calle Reina is a familiar bar, at its second generation of Del Diego batenders. We met Fernando junior that is the son of the founder,  that is keeping alive the family tradition of how to manage a bar and prepare cocktails as they should be done.

They have a very old school barra, where you can comfortably sit and relax, admiring the Del Diego’s barman in action. The new bottles and the spirits collection are protagonists, both at the entrance and behind the barman. During the week you can have the opportunity to speak with the Del Diego Brothers and hear about their passion for the family business.

Del Diego Madrid, Calle Reina, 12, 28004 Madrid

5. Harvey’s Madrid

Harvey’s has one of the best cocktails in Madrid because: it is pure old fashioned, what you expect from an american bar in the 50es.

Located in calle Fuencarral, really close to Tribunal Metro station, with its shiny neon lights and the american style seats. But as in all the other locations, I never seat on the table, I want to stay close to the barman, ask some advice on the menu and see the magic. Because of course I’ve been to all these bars, but to more and more, and from one reason or another only these ten are on the list.

Perfect service also here, and they passed the test of my favourite cockail: Manatthan, and I cannot tell you how many bars can’t do a Manatthan or a Margarita, the basics.

Then with the Sazerac and the French55 on the menu they are stating «we know the history of mixology» and they really know how to mix.

Harvey’s Madrid, Calle de Fuencarral, 70, 28004 Madrid

6. Hermosos y Malditos Madrid

Hermos y Malditos has one of the best cocktails in Madrid because: you feel like you are out of space. I had the impression to be suddenly catapulted in a downtown diner late at night portrayed by Hopper in one of the most recognizable of paintings.

Distinguished, elegant, sophisticated that captured me for one of the best Instagram profile in town, exactly when it was opened.

Reading a bit more about the cocktail bar I also discovered the cocktail menu had one super hipster mixology tresure called “Wes Anderson”.
When I ordered it the very kind barman told me that due to the decision of creating this Scott Fitzgerald atmosphere, this key cocktail was renamed as the famous writer. Hermos y Malditos is infact the spanish version of the very renowned “The Beautiful and Damded”.
Well, the cocktail was very good, and I also appreciate the candies and the still water as soon as I sat down to the blue velvet sofa (yes, another Director’s quote, Mr. David Lynch).

Hermos y Malditos, Calle de Hermosilla, 23, 28001 Madrid

7. Meraki Gastrobar Madrid

Meraki gastrobar has one of the best cocktails in Madrid because: special. Yes this place is special and deserve a place in this list, because as for Hard Rock barman, talking to the master of mixology you hear a completely peronal why of developing and creating a cocktail. Unique.

I had the chance to meet the bartender Joaquin Poyatos at the same event where I’ve met XXXX from Hard Rock. Joaquin prepared a special cocktail that it will be included in the new menu of the restaurant than I was able to try and preview; a cocktail made with Spinach, called Popeye, paired with a spinach biscuit that perfectly matches with the taste of the drink.

His idea of the contamination between the cuisine and the barra, as a liquid exchange of knowledge really fascinated me, and the same it was during the Made in Love event when his creations were aromatized with olives, like if the tapa was inside the cocktail.

Moreover they have in Meraki a tremendous complete selection of Vermouth, with the Martini Italian version called Riserva Speciale Rubino, Cinzano 1757, then Casa Mariol, the classic Zecchini and much more. Every thursday and saturday there is always live music in Meraki so that know you don’t have any excuse to not trying this unique place.

 

Meraki GastroBar, Avenida de Carabanchel Alto 138, Madrid

8. Salmon Guru

Salmon Guru has one of the best Cocktail Bar in Madrid because: Diego Cabrera. In Madrid when you talk about mixology of cocktails, the first name that you will hear is him, Mr. Diego Cabrera, born and raised in Argentina, he is the owner of Salmon Guru. The service is excellent, when you sit you already have a fresh glass of water and some candies waiting for you. Details makes the difference, and everytime I go to calle Echegaray I find the same perfect service, and it’s unusual that Diego itself is welcoming with like this. The bartenders serving at the table create a connection with you, because they are making your cocktail so they need to know you and wish you to enjoy it.

It’s a chic bar, the ambient is amazing for sure, but the cartoons inspired neon are all part of the experience, a different experience where you can feel that connection to Diego’s passions.

You can find some pictures of Diego mixing but for this blog post we have chosen this funny one with Alex.

 

Salmon Guru Madrid, Calle Echegaray, 21, 28014 Madrid

9. El Palco Platea Madrid

El Palco Plate has one of the best cocktails in Madrid because: theatrical. The space is unique.

For those who don’t know, Platea is an old theater turned into a gastronomic center, with chic bars and restaurant. El Palco, located on the second floor offers an impressive view on the stage that can distract the atterion for the original reason why you are there, and it’s so hard to sit at the bar with the theatre on the back, but it worth a chat with the bartender, and than back to the seats.

 

El Palco Platea Madrid, Calle de Goya, 5-7, 28001 Madrid

10. Torre Barcelò Madrid

Torre Barcelò has one of the best cocktails in Madrid because: design. Yes, no doubt, it’s strenght is the design, in the spaces, in the menu, in the business card too. Nothing is left to change in this men made paradise.

Barceló Torre de Madrid really strenght it’s uniqueness with an incredible architecture from the outside and a great design on the inside. The view is reserved to the higher floors for the hotel accommodations and the spa. The cocktail bar is on the ground floor, right in front of Plaza de Espana shining through the fountains water.

I loved the atmosphere of the bar and service was perfect. I mean, if you bring me nuts and candies I’ll be in love with you forever.

 

Torre Barcelò Madrid, Plaza de España, 18, 28008 Madrid

My advice is to try it all as I did it. And I am quite sure that my barra experience will not end here, my research will continue as long as there will be new cocktails to try.

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Meraki, when passion meets food

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How many times your favourite bar or restaurant was so full of people and impossible to get in on a random weekend? What about the bruch? Sunday morning queueing, the Madrid revisitation of Sunday Bloody Sunday by the U2.

Madridiana has the solution for this annoying weekend madness.

The method is: hype cool centric location on Monday or Tuesday, leaving the M30 for peaceful and relaxed locations during the weekend (remember that weekends start on Thursday in Madrid, or better Juernes).

meraki madrid

Meraki is a great example of the perfect weekend location.

Lore and Cris, the owners of Meraki restaurant decided to open their first venture in Carabanchel instead of a more centric barrio.

It’s a challenge but most of all it’s an innovative idea and proposal, and when I see innovation I see future and I have to support it.

The name, Meraki, is the first step into this wonderful world, because Meraki comes from the modern Greek and means “do something with passion, with absolute devotion, with undivided attention”, exactly what Lore and Cris transmitted me.

Even if there is a lot of green and blue, cold colours, Meraki it’s really a warm restaurant welcoming clients with a unique atmosphere, also thanks to history of how it was built and which materials have been used like the woods that  comes from the Iglesia de Fuente el Saz del Jarama.

At this point you might have already reserved a table in Meraki for the weekend and I haven’t talked about the food and the barra (which will be explained by Enzo Lauretta, the drinks expert).

And to be totally sincere I haven’t mentioned the first two part of the atmosphere that I guess are the most appreciated, the green walls and the beautiful murals in the terrace.

So let’s start with the core point of a this gastro restaurant: the menu.

meraki madrid

This fantastic ensaladilla rusa is the first bite of Meraki cuisine, as a welcoming tapas.

The starter best seller is the tartar, in the veggie, fishy or classic meat version, it’s really special, and the famous guakamola, which is a sort of avocado tartar, the paradise of avocado lovers.

meraki madridmeraki madrid

Look at the mango and the tomatoes in the veggie version, no filter picture of course, with my Nikon, it was delicious, I could have two more, even if the portions are huge, and dine with it, as starter, main course and dessert.

Choosing the main courses was not an easy task, the burger with beer bread sounds incredibly tasty, the tuna tataki perfectly matches with the tomatoes tartar, tortilla and croquetas for the classic spanish food with a Meraki touch.

In the end as for the guakamola we went for the funny naming, with the Maki taco as a mix of japanese uramaki and mexican taco, and a classic dish de toda la vida, the carrillera de ternera with patatas purea.

meraki madrid

Like a happy kids I was surprised to find my favourite water, San Pellegrino, the best sparkling water in the world.

Not to mention the tablas of quesos and jamon, cecina de Leon, with many starters and main courses made with cheese, Italian with the Burratina and French with the queso Camembert.

So many different cultures in one menu, totally in harmony between each other as a fusion concept should be considering that our tastes are changing every time we travel to a new destination and its culinary tradition and culture.

Creativity is the fil rouge of Meraki, it’s in every mesa, in every sofa, in every dish, that’s why this is not an ordinary restaurant.

Enzo’s thoughts

meraki madrid

As it was for the San Pellegrino water, the same accurate selection for the coffee with Illy and for a tremendous complete selection of Vermouth, with the Martini Italian version called Riserva Speciale Rubino, Cinzano 1757, then Casa Mariol, the classic Zecchini and much more.

Last but not least we also had what we call a «barra experience» with the bartender Joaquin Poyatos that we already had the chance to meet in occasion of the regional final of the bartending competition Made with Love, in collaboration with the Campari Academy, that put together the best bartenders of Madrid.

Joaquin prepared for us a special cocktail that it will be included in the new menu of the restaurant than we were able to try and preview.

meraki madrid

A cocktail made with Spinach, called Popeye, paired with a spinach biscuit that perfectly matches with the cocktail.

His idea of the contamination between the cuisine and the barra, as a liquid exchange of knowledge really fascinated me, and the same it was during the Made in Love event when his creations were aromatized with olives, like if the tapa was inside the cocktail.

Every thursday and saturday there is always live music in Meraki so that know you don’t have any excuse to not trying this unique place.

Wishing all the best to Lore and Cris, we can’t wait to be back to Meraki, convinced that their passion and dedication will be the key for the success and growth of this restaurant, which might be only the first of an amazing series of locals.

More information here: Meraki.

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Donde Marian

Donde Marian honest food

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There are a lot of things that can occur during a dinner. The focus is always on what you eat, the taste, the smell of it, and in some cases it can also involve the touch feeling when the food should be eaten with the hands.

Well, in Donde Marian I also listened a lot, probably the most used taste was definitely hearing, and it rarely happen to enjoy a meal at restaurant while learning a lot of interesting thing about the quality and selected ingredients that you can find on the menu.

Even if the historic founder Marian de la Peña retired in 2016, the service and the key dishes are at the same level as they have been for more than two decades.

Donde Marian

Marian left her restaurant to her niece, Ana Hernández and her husband Alfonso Luca de Tena. Ana as a successful architect took care of the restoration of the different areas of the restaurant with a classy restyling of powder blue tones and modern lighting.

What didn’t change is the core and most important part of restaurant: the team. Same chef, same waiter and waitress. The star dishes of Donde Marian like the seasonal vegetables, artichokes and white Navarra asparagus are still the same, as the chuleton, a huge ribeye grilled in the best way.

In the end, Donde Marian continues to take good care of his clients.

And this is probably why in Donde Marian in two decades became so popular and has so many trusted clients, season after season.

Like I did last week, all the clients have learned when they’ll find asparagus and when artichokes because the strength of this place is that almost military selection of only the most valuable products, with a special reference to the vegetables.

I’ve learned a lot about how the white Navarra asparagus is so white and how taught is life of an artichokes collector. As my father worked as greengrocer and I never had the chance to hear from him how passionate he was about his job, I found really interesting and inspiring to hear the passion that Alfonso’s suppliers, La Trailla, put into their daily job, proud the have the best white Navarra asparagus of Spain. Which by the way as a really tiny percentage of worldwide production because most of the white asparagus in commerce are from China, like the 95%.

la trailla

What also impressed about Alfonso is that he defined the Donde Marian kitchen as a “cocina honesta”, because they want to be honest, the chef have always, and will always, cook only the seasonal products, presenting to clients only the best real food when it has to be eaten. The menu has the same high requested meat, vegetables and fish typical Spanish food for the trusted clients, but now as also some new entries like Italian Burrata as starter or two different tartar, one with beef solomillo and one with salmon, both perfectly hand-cutted.

Everything is homemade in Donde Marian, from the starters to the desserts, and the wine selection is really impressive.

They also have a “menu jovenes” at 28€ when the medium price for a dinner is usually around 40€, and I guess if you see the passion that Alfonso and his historic team put into Donde Marian you’ll understand that all the best products research they do, and their 100% honest food principle is very rare and totally worth the bill.

In Donde Marian you can enjoy a star dinner, or lunch in a beautiful restaurant or in its amazing quite terrace and try a classic of Madrid since two decades.

More Information: Donde Marian.

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hop in the box

The Hop In The Box Experience

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“Beer, if drunk in moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit and promotes health.” – Thomas Jefferson

This article will take you 1 minutes 22 seconds to read – written by Enzo Lauretta

What were we talking about last time?

In my latest article about Hop in the box I talked about

  1. Travel the world by tasting different beers from the comfort of home
  2. They will rang your door, it’s like Christmas but every month
  3. The excitement of a surprise box, which is priceless
  4. They spread the craft beer culture helping local producers to be distributed
  5. Being the coolest beers bottles collectors between friends.

In the last weeks I have heard and read about at least 5 different events-festivals-fairs totally dedicated to the amazing and exciting world of the beer.

Some were focused on a specific typology of cerveza, some others were totally involved in the growing trend of craft beer, letting tiny producers to speak out and meet their desired target.

I have to admit that in the end I’ve been only to one of these events, the more advertised and far from Madrid center, and it really disappointed me. Prices were too high both for beers and food, few varieties of cervezas and an awful space, desolation …

Probably the other events were great and I just pick the wrong one, but for sure this episode made me think about how much we do expect sometimes from a location and an event and how much we can be disappointed, hopefully in this case I didn’t had to pay for an entrance ticket.

Comfort is what I was thinking about.

hop in the box

So, after that I thought, why I should move from home to look for a craft beer store or to go for beer festivals when I can stay at home enjoying a box of beer?

I have to admit that it is always a pleasure to visit that kind of festivals, meet people, taste different beers from all over the world, or I don’t know, decide to go for a picnic with some friends and bring hop in the box with you, but sometimes you just need to stay at home spending more time with ourselves, a football and a beer, some beers, that knock on your door and with which you can make something to eat as i did it.

To make it even clearer we record a nice video on how you can enjoy the Hop in the Box experience, from the ring bell to the consume, drinking or cooking with the craft beer selection of every month.

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Casa Tomada Madrid

Bocata gourmet XXL at La Casa Tomada

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You can’t say you are a Madrileño if you don’t know La Casa Tomada, not because it is serving typical Spanish food, but mainly because you have to sit in calle San Lorenzo 9 and try the most sculptural bocatas of Spanish capital.

I’ve been hearing about La Casa Tomada since day one in Madrid, because of Instagram, because of Deliveroo, because of friends of friends and positive reviews I saw in the web.

Finally I got the chance to taste those gourmet sandwiches everyone is talking about, that red and white checkered paper that is so familiar after tens of photos I saw in Instagram.

I really enjoyed the history of the restaurant, hearing how it all began right from the founder and head of the kitchen army in La Casa Tomada.

“Hacemos bocadillos con mucho arte” is the mantra of this restaurant but I have to admit the what I really loved was talking with José Antonio, the founder, about how he loves to take care of his crew and make sure everything that comes out from his kitchen is 100% perfect. So art and perfection, Salvador Dalì used to say “Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it”, because you need to be confident in order to get to that level of perfection or even better that level of quality, providing each day a high quality product.

José Antonio, who was born and raised in Venezuela, started his bocata revolution while he was at school, in Madrid, studying the art of cooking, training everyday making bocatas for his university’s colleagues. He saw an opportunity, the school cafeteria bocatas were a disaster, and started leveraging his cooking abilities delivering daily orders for all his mates.

La Casa Tomada was born in Venezuela, 2011, when he came back after the graduation in Madrid, becoming super popular, serving more than 100 bocatas every night, from his mother’s house transformed for the occasion into a street food restaurant.

la casa tomada madrid

Madrid calle San Lorenzo 9 arrived in 2014, when José Antonio decided to move to Madrid and started a new La Casa Tomada venture.

The good news is that La Casa Tomada in Madrid is open both for lunch and dinner, so that you can try fight the biggest bocata in Madrid at midday or midnight, I mean, there is not a real proper time for a La Casa Tomada bocata, you can have breakfast with the night before doggy bag bocata or dine with friends sharing different tastes.

Sharing is a key point of this place, if you just take a bocata it might be a pity, because the starters are massive, and if you don’t get a bocata but a salad, well, you’re a loco, even because there are meat bocatas and veggie bocatas, for all the tastes.

The delicious entrantes of La Casa Tomada, the Chili Cheese Fries is quite mandatory, like the unmissable dish of the menu, you can’t see the fries from the top, they are quite hidden but they’re super tasty, not the typical patatas I guess.

la casa tomada madrid

If you want you avocado dosis of the day, the Pulled Pork Fries might be a good compromise, because more than fries and pulled pork the bowl is full of fresh guacamole style sauce that matches perfectly with the pork.

Now that you are already half full with such a starter you see this huge bocata coming and you need to be really hungry and take some courage to start and end it all alone, so that sharing might be a good idea again, because trust me, half bocata is already a bocata.

I’ve heard a lot of positive reviews about the roast beef, so I chose the Fat Roast Beef, with onion, cheese, bacon and roast beef for sure, but the Teriyaki de ternera is a good choice if you love that asian sauce, or all the chicken bocatas are quite special, from the Pollo Italia with pesto to the Parmigiana Sandwich for the Grana Padano lovers.

la casa tomada madrid

There are more than 20 sandwiched between the classic bocata and the hotdog style, and nothing better than a fresh graft beer to sip with them.

The guys of La Casa Tomada can really help in choosing between all the different fancy bottles exposed on the window, starting from Spanish beers (from Madrid) that might be more famous like the Cibeles or less like the Moustache.

I’ve tried the Moustache which is super suave and perfect for me, but if you prefer stronger tastes the black ipa might be the right beer.

Last but not least the desserts, I will never leave a restaurant without trying at least one dessert, I don’t like the unfinished works, and in La Casa Tomada there is really good ensemble of postres homemade.

More Information:

La Casa Tomada

Calle San Lorenzo, 9, 28004, Madrid

Metro Tribunal / Alonzo Martínez

+3434915138448

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tuk tuk asian street food

Tuk Tuk asian street food for everyone

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Monday night, Calle de Alcalà 167. Welcome to the newest Tuk Tuk asian street food restaurant, or even better south east asian street food restaurant.

Not my first Tuk Tuk comida, but definitely the first relaxed one.

tuk tuk asian street food

I’ve been previously in Calle Barquillo and ordered from Deliveroo several times, but I’ve never heard the history of the restaurants (more than one, and even more than the two mentioned), and had the chance to try so many different dishes sharing the bowls like if they were tapas, between spicy lovers and spicy kind of haters like me.

The first thing to take into consideration when ordering at Tuk Tuk restaurant is the spicy level of food that you can handle.

I am definitely not an harder spicy taster, but I am really into ginger, curry and chilly too, so I can dine with all the comidas with one and two peppers in Tuk Tuk without any problems, but this is a very personal choice.

I can state that if you are a spicy lover you’ll be challenged in Tuk Tuk, there will be a lot of great food for you, from the entrantes to the desserts, and the same story for the sweet flavour lovers, like me, you will desire the chili mango bowl as the ultimate favourite asian food.

Let’s start from the begin.

Why Tuk Tuk and why southeast asian street food?

The founder of Tuk Tuk restaurants is Ricardo Alexander, a british bollywood actor and entrepreneur that has lived a lot of years between the tuk tuk streets of Asia. Exploring different countries and food tradition of south east Asia he was able to live the spicy world of asian food cuisine. His travels and researches brought him to start experimenting with all the most common ingredients and recipes he had tasted around Bangkok, India, Philippines, and Vietnam.

If you have never been to Asia you can start understanding the real complexity of a pad thai or the hokkien, which might be less know but is to me a masterpiece of the Tuk Tuk menu.

I guess Ricardo should be both proud of teaching and letting newbies about the south east asian street food traditions and as well of the people that have already visited one of those countries. They can really appreciate all the details in the restaurant design and the in the food menu felling the same atmosphere they have already lived, every sip of Tom Ka Gai soup and every bite of the Ayam Sambal brochetas.

I’ve to admit that I’ve really appreciated both the design of the menu divided mainly into rice, soup, noodles, curry, and the very useful explanation of the Tuk Tuk master.

To be honest the sexy bao in Tuk Tuk asian street food is the only one I’ve really appreciated so far in Madrid, because of the softness of the dough and for the shape too. It is much easier to eat when the toppings are vertical and not horizontal. The taste is really great, soft and crispy with the these delicious red onion in escabeche.

And mint, lots mint and herbals, the sexy bao like many other dishes has a good portion of mint leaf on the top of it. I am really into mint and usually you find it cooked, but this is really fresh and gives a twist to the strong pork taste of the bao and same thing for the main courses.

tuk tuk asian street food

Not sure if a spicy beginner like me can handle a whole portion of Malay Curry Laksa but have for sure need to try it, because this is really a special dish, a real asian gem brought in Madrid straight from the asian markets. Curry and coconut soup with prawns, chicken, tofu, eggs and noodles, and it’s so beautiful, look at this strong yellow colour, impressive.

tuk tuk asian street food

My suggestion? Find 4-5 mates with different tastes in terms of spicy addiction and share with them one rice, one soup, at least a noodle meal and for sure half bao and some brochetas. You’ll end up with a more complete south asian street food experience as if the bowls were tapas, and be back to Tuk Tuk sharing or ordering your favourite, which in my case will be really hard between the chili mango chicken and the hokkien, really really hard.

Make sure also to find a sharing desserts mate because the match of white chocolate and ginger of the lemon cheesecake is massive, I mean, white chocolate and ginger, could you ask for more?

Not to mention the superb Dorayaki with banana ice cream and spicy chocolate sauce, unmissable.

You can find the full menu here.

The Tuk Tuk restaurants are actually 5 (+ street food festivals), and these are the locations:

Tuk Tuk C/ Cardenal Cisneros 6 (Metro: Bilbao)

Tuk Tuk C/ Barquillo 26 (Metro: Chueca)

Tuk Tuk Av. General Perón 16 (Metro: Santiago Bernabeu)

Tuk Tuk C/ Alcalá 167 (Metro: Goya)

Tuk Tuk Mercado Vallehermoso C/Vallehermoso 36 (Metro: Quevedo)

 

 

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Selecta San Miguel

Exploring San Minguel Selecta

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This article will take you 1 minutes 55 seconds to read – written by Enzo Lauretta

Try to imagine a dinner with a great chef from a very special tavern in Madrid Retiro, a unique menu, an impressive location and a lovely blonde girl serving your favourite beer every time you sip the last drop.

It’s a true story that San Miguel made happen last week, organizing a dinner inside the Museo del Ferrocarril, discovering why the Selecta is the greatest beer.

I drank lots of different beers in my life, from several countries, but I do believe that you don’t need to be a beer specialist to understand and taste the difference of the San Miguel ingredients compared to all the other beers on the market.

And after that which was already an incredible once in a lifetime experience I also had the chance to meet David with a tiny group of friends on the occasion of a degustation of San Miguel Selecta in a very characteristic bar of Las Letras, called Kaixo.

I discovered that San Miguel comes from Manila, Philippines, which is a city I love and I have been to 4 times. It really surprised me.

And I learn a lot during these two events, because the only way to learn is to explore, to be in the front row enjoying the experience with all the senses.

Johann, who was our storyteller at the Exploratorium dinner, all his talk along the dinner was focused on the tastes (sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, umami or savoriness) and how Chef José Luis Martínez from Taberna y Media has developed the menu of the dinner in order to match the Selecta tastes with his premium quality food.

José Luis Martínez taberna y media

After a talk with Chef José Luis Martínez  I understood why San Miguel has chosen him. First of all for his passion, it really seems to me that I was full of joy when talking about the preparation of his creations, second because he’s an explorer so that this melting’ pot of different countries, tastes, ingredients and culture was crucial point of the dinner, mixing and matching top quality food with the exclusivity of San Miguel Selecta.

I mean it is not just a matter of matching food with beer, all the courses were cooked or marinated with San Miguel Selecta.

And you know you is a great fan of the beer foam for cooking?

Ferran Adria, one of the most famous chef in the world, a revolutionary man for the cuisine and restaurant world s widely credited with starting the trend of foam on food, always preferring beer or sparkling wines to the still once.

First Course

Fattened hen chicken pickled with foie and ras el hanout.

Roasted scallops with confit artichokes from Tudela.

Second Course

Roasted beef cheek and venezuelan cocoa.

Dessert

Chocolate mousse with gianduia.

With David few days after all the attention was on San Miguel Selecta, the history of San Miguel, the development of Selecta, taking into consideration all the ingredients with a five senses approach, from the hearing to the taste, analysing the smell of hops and of more complex tastes like chocolate, galleta and cinnamon.

We admired the color of the beer with the sight, and did a three tasting phases analysis on how different they were one between each other.

It was a blast. Stop thinking about everything else and just turn on the focus on what we were drinking and the sensations that we felt.

You can only reach excellence with knowledge and what’s better than exploring for accumulating more and more knowledge. This is the spirit and the vision of the Exploratorium project that we had the chance to live twice, first with the “mesa nomada” inside the Museo del Ferrocarril and than with the cata viajera at Kaixo in Las Letras.

There are lots of “mesas nomadas” you can participate, unfortunately not in Madrid, but that’s that’s an explorer challenge, to move forward.

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benares barra madrid

The barra experience at Benares Madrid

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It’s hard to fully explain the experience of the new barra at Benares Madrid.

It’s hard mainly because it’s the first time we see the reinterpretation of the most famous Spanish tapas by an Indian chef, and he is a star chef, he is Atul Kochhar, the owner of two Michelin stars and the reputation of having completely changed the way we enjoy the Indian cuisine.

It’s hard to explain how the bocata de calamares was edited in Benares Indian way, but as you try it, and we have tried it, everything is clear, taste the different but also the similarities.

Each Spanish tapa can easily match with one if the new cocktails. Each cocktail has been realized by Santiago Dorado, the official bartender of the new barra at Benares.

Each cocktail represent a city in India, following the naming of the Restaurant tradition, because Benares is the name of the most sacred Indian city.

And the new menu is a like a travel diary with strong leather cover and soft white papers in the inside.

It’a a challenge but we’ll try to bring you in India without exciting Madrid, tasting known food in a different and innovative way, and new cocktails that we’ll bring you to the very heart of India, passing through Jaipur, Old Dehli and Kochi.

Let’s start from the cocktail Benares and the tapa “patatas bravas”.

benares barra madrid

Benares, also known as Varanasi, is rightly called the religious capital of India. This cocktail, that takes its names from one of the world’s oldest living cities. It’s made from gin, homemade lemon grass, cordial, green cardamom and a touch of wine. We accompanied the Benares cocktail with a reinterpretation of a typical spanish dish, the «patatas bravas», with crunchy bananas, chutney of mango with indian canela, tomato sauce, and spicy yogurt.

Now it’s time for the main course: paella, the spanish queen of the comida can be matched with the City (and cocktail) Old Delhi.
From Benares we move to Old Delhi, and we step across the Old Delhi’s ancient silver market with its different aroma types. Finally we arrive to the Red Fort and its gardens.

Vodka, beetroot «rubidus» juice, homemade chutney with just a hint of spice, lima sour, silver dust, accompanied by aromas of Delhi’s market and a jelly from the gardens of the Red Fort, is the composition of this cocktail Old Delhi.

While puffed rice, fondo de pescado al azafrán and macerated shrimps makes the unique “La paella” of the Benares’s barra.


Last but not least the «buñuelos de bacalao» really transformed into a work of art, which is again a musically food, because the silver fried skin of the bacalao is super crunchy, that your can ear that noise, like for the paella crispy sound.

benares barra madrid

They call them Bacalao en texturas instead of“Buñuelos de bacalao” because the base of fried balacalo has a completely different texture than the fried skin, the base really melts in the month, it’s delicious.

The «barra» experience ends with a very particular cocktail called Kochi, a non-alcoholic cocktail served is a cocoa dusted glass.
Considered as the Queen of the Arabian Sea, Kochi was an important spice trade center on the coast of the Arabian Sea from the 14th century. The cocktail is composed of passion fruit juice, natural pineapple juice, fresh squeezed lime juice, white chocolate syrup and homemade spicy syrup.

benares barra madrid
benares barra madrid

We have really appreciated how the Chef and its team have tried to surprise us with spanish tapas twisted in creative revisitation inspired by tale of a Thousand and One Nights.

More information: Benares Madrid.

 

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drink6 detox

Detox time with drink6

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When you often eat outside and the carbs are always part of your meal, you might feel at a certain point that five letter word whispering at your years: deeeeeetooooooox, deeeeeeetooooooox.

I’ve listened them last week and gave a try to drink6 detox solutions. The name “drink6” is due to the basic pack of 6 juices that you have to consume as your normal daily diet meals.

I chose the 4 juices and 2 soups pack for one day on treatment, but you can choose between a great variety of solutions.

What is the difference between one or more days of drink6?

Well, drink6 is not a diet, you don’t lose weight, detox means to clean up the body, so this is what the program does. More days means more things that can be cleaned up.

From one to five days, the drink6 program is a substitution of the normal daily meals, from breakfast to dinner:

  • One day: if you follow the drink6 plan for one day, the detox plan will work in order to remove all excess toxins;
  • Three days: if you follow the drink6 plan for three days you will of course have the eliminations of the toxins as in the one day plan but three days it’s sufficient to clean also the blood;
  • Five days: this more complete plans adds to the first two results a complete restoration of the immunitary system.

It is not just a matter of drinking the juices, it is important to follow the rules and the order from zumo 1 to zumo 6, as well as the timing. Everything is written on the bottle, you can’t take them in the wrong order.

The most important thing to add is that they are totally 100% natural and fresh juices.

drink6 detox

Between all the different tastes I’ve tried, I have to admit that I was really impressed by the “manzana asada” taste which was number 2, “manzana asada” and pineapple, I’ve never tried a juice with the apple previously cooked and I really enjoyed it.

My second favourite was number 5, I thought there was ginger in it because of the spicy taste, but it is made of lemon, mint, cayena, cucumber and agave, the texture is more thin than the others which makes it very fresh and easier to be drinked.

For me it’s not the first time I do a detox plan, I’ve tried several detox delivery programs, one very similar to drink6, totally made by juices and another one for seven or ten days made by different typologies of food, no juices but lots of quinoa and cereals.

I had to admit that my purpose at that time was not to detox, I bought that planes because everyone was doing it, and for the 10 days plan I really thought I was going to lose some weight but not, anything, and I didn’t appreciate the fact the maybe it was healthier than a diet.

Now it’s different, I really know what a detox is and I hope that this article will be useful if you are considering a detox plan. The drink6 plan can bring you the energy that you need to face up your daily life, feeling healthier and stronger.

A detox plan like drink6 is really a gift to your body and health.

The interesting thing about drink6 is that the company is run by professionals like the CEO Belen Monederos and partnered with Nutrimedic, a specialized clinic with nutrition experts directed by Dr. Conchita Vidales.  

Don’t be surprised that drink6 is the first detox juice brand in Spain, from my experience they worth it, and you if scroll their Instagram profile or their press section with a live storify of all the people posting with the official hashtag and mentions, you will see that I am not the only one thinking that drink6 is the greatest gift you can do for your health.

More information: drink6.

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