So I'm told San Sebastián and Barcelona are where you hit when you want to experience the cutting…read moreedge creative styles that have given contemporary Spanish cuisine its GOATED reputation for the past few decades. Madrid, on the other hand I quickly came to realize for the most part leans into traditional styles, to the point that some could deride it as verging on tired and stuffy. That being said, you could do far worse than getting a taste of Madrid here, where said traditional dishes are presented in updated and fresh ways in an extremely lively convivial atmosphere, in a gorgeous sultry dark wood barroom setting. I originally popped in here during the height of lunchtime, the Spaniards most important meal, if not overall part of the day. Perhaps not surprisingly the place was packed to the gills and electric, with a typically fashionable Madrid crowd gathered around the bar nibbling on tapas and sipping on Tinto de Verano and vermouth with chatter and laugher filling the room.
We came back a few hours later (Madrid proved to be the exception to anywhere else we traveled in Spain in that a good number of places were actually open during the traditional siesta hours of 3;30-7:30 whereas most every establishment elsewhere would be completely shuttered) to find the place pretty much empty and were able to steal ourselves a very nice snacky meal. I am in general a sucker for chorizo of all stripes from the soft and spreadable Mexican vartieties to the more solid traditional Spanish version and the simple presentation here of thick slices of thee sausage served in its own thick, syrupy delicious juices and topped with a fat green pimiento pepper were as lovely as any I can remember, I gobbled the dish down way too fast. Also scrumptious as hell was the squid sandwich or calamari boccadillo. A smallish yet well stuffed sandwich on a soft roll, packed with perfectly lightly fried yet wonderfully crisp squid and smattering of aioli alongside some house made potato chips, this is apparently curiously one of the landlocked cities signature dishes, despite the considerable distance from the sea. I've heard that mediocre versions of the dish are quite common so if you want to sample it when in town I would certainly recommend stopping off here for one.
This place is very centrally located to tourist heavy Centro district yet still manages to retain an authentic and sophisticated, decidedly non touristy vibe and clientele and the staff was uniformly gracious and professional. Definitely worth a stop in and if you want to partake in the lively lunchtime bar scene maybe arrive as early as possible in hopes of securing a coveted bar seat before they are inevitably quickly snatched up.
