• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

All That I'm Eating

Recipe ideas for budget meals, everyday cooking and a little indulgence. Travel inspiration and restaurant reviews too.

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Wild Food
  • Events & Reviews
  • Travel
  • About Me
  • Contact Me

A Trip to Madrid

June 22, 2014 By All That I'm Eating 14 Comments

Last week I jetted off to Madrid in search of churros, tapas and sunshine. I managed to get three out of three so no complaints from me. Around a two hour flight from London it’s far enough to be ‘away’ but not too far stuck on a plane. Before I went I knew next to no Spanish other than what I had learnt from watching Fawlty Towers so you can imagine my delight when, on arrival at the hotel, the receptionist’s name was Manuel. We landed late afternoon, had a quick glass of vino tinto and then got some rest ready to explore the next day.
madrid
Madrid itself is a mixture of old grand buildings and modern ones in between. It’s easy to walk around and explore central Madrid but on the outskirts the helpful maps disappear so the guide book was indispensable. The weather was fantastic for the four days and I found it very easy to get into the relaxed way of dining which basically involved eating all day.
churros in madrid
One of the things I wanted to try was chocolate con churros; deep fried batter (not sweet or savoury) which you dip in thick, bitter dark chocolate. You can also have cafe con churros and dip the batter in coffee. The first morning, with incredibly rusty language skills, we ordered churros in a very local cafe; one chocolate and one coffee. It cost €4.20 for both of them. The churros were slightly greasy and the chocolate very bitter, a great way to start the day. The next morning we made a long trip over to the Chocolateria de la Puerta del Sol (above right) where the churros were a slightly different shape and less greasy. The chocolate was slightly sweeter. Both good places but I prefer the more bitter chocolate.
 
On a walk back to the hotel we stopped off at a local beer bar, really modern and simple inside, and sampled some Spanish Brabante beer. I loved that everything always came with crisps. The lager and gold beers were very nice and the carta de cervezas was full of information about the brewery and beers.
beer bar in madrid
Walking around the central area of Madrid it’s hard to know where to stop for food; there are so many places and it’s hard to tell which are authentic or tourist orientated. I chose the above restaurant (La Marmita Taberna) because of the fabulous carved wooden exterior. We ordered albondigas (meatballs) and chorizo salchichones (chorizo from a particular area of Spain) which was a bit milder than the chorizo I’ve had before. Of course we also had a side of patatas alioli; the sauce for which was more like a garlicky ranch dressing than the mayonnaise I was expecting and was delicious. The jug of sangria was so good; loads of fruit and ice which made it very easy to drink but was very welcome at a particularly hot lunch time.
For dinner we went to Taberna del Volapie which I think is a chain but everything we tried was wonderful. The gazpacho had grated boiled egg and chunks of jamon iberico on top and there was a very soft sheep’s cheese full of herbs at the same time. The croquettes had a ragu in white sauce inside which melted on the first bite. There was also a chickpea stew which I think was my favourite dish of the whole holiday; full of celery, chorizo and pork belly. I ordered dessert which was a big slightly sweet cracker with honey and fennel seeds served with cheese ice cream. I thought it was a bad translation and they meant cheesecake ice cream. No, they meant sheep’s cheese ice cream; it was actually a great combination.
Taberna del Volapie madrid
The next day we went to the Plaza Major to find the glass market nearby. I loved the market; you wander round picking things you fancy trying then find some room at the tables to eat what you’ve got. It was bustling, busy and full of tapas, paella, cheese, cured meats, beer, wine, juices, cakes, fruit, everything really! I had a lovely piece of manchego drizzled with honey and fresh oregano.
Plaza Major market Madrid
For the last night we treated ourselves and went to a fancy restaurant (Jose Luis) to try what the locals actually eat. We ordered a fantastic bottle of rioja to accompany the meal and the waiter even complimented my Spanish, at least that’s what I think he said. We shared mushrooms to start which came with a thick white sauce on top which had been grilled until brown in patches. The mushrooms were drizzled with honey then the white sauce, so heavy with raw garlic it was almost spicy, was served on top. The best mushroom dish I have ever had and one I tried to recreate at home. I followed this with hake, steamed potatoes, parsley and a wedge of lemon. There was nothing else on the plate and it was so simple and so tasty. Chocolate cake for pudding which was surprisingly light. 
Jose Luis Madrid
I really enjoyed my trip to Madrid, I’d love to go back as I didn’t manage to go to half the places I wish I had! 

Other posts you might like

  • A Trip to Bruges
  • Dovedale Stepping Stones
    A Trip to Derbyshire
  • Garlic and Honey Mushrooms

Filed Under: Restaurants, Travel Tagged With: Madrid, Restaurants, Travel

« Pulled Pork Ribs with Carrot & Ginger Slaw
Homemade Elderflower Cordial »

Comments

  1. Mark Willis says

    June 22, 2014 at 10:49

    Sounds like a wonderful trip. I hope you haven’t been anywhere near the bathroom scales since you got back – it might be bad news…
    I am always a bit wary of Spanish food (probably unjustifiably so) because I don’t understand much of it. With me not eating any fish or seafood, there is always the risk of an unpleasant surprise. If I had an experienced guide who spoke good Spanish it would be another matter! 🙂

    Reply
  2. Navaneetham Krishnan says

    June 22, 2014 at 10:59

    Wow, its really a nice place and churros are good. Wish I can get to Madrid but from my place, 15 hours flight. Hopefully I can make it.

    Reply
  3. Mich PieceofCake says

    June 22, 2014 at 11:09

    Wow looks like such a lovely place! I’d love to visit someday after hearing all about it from you.

    Reply
  4. Mango says

    June 22, 2014 at 13:43

    I’m totally with you on the Brabante beer; very yummy stuff (I first had it last summer). And I’ll be back in Madrid in less than 2 weeks. Your post just made me even more excited for my trip!

    Reply
  5. Angie Schneider says

    June 22, 2014 at 16:12

    It sure sounds like a dream trip!

    Reply
  6. Elzbieta Hester says

    June 23, 2014 at 14:06

    Oh men, good looking things there…Sounds like a fantastic trip! I’ve always liked Madrid…

    ela h.
    Gray Apron

    Reply
  7. Kim says

    June 23, 2014 at 16:52

    Great food round up! I feel like I don’t ever see or hear much of Spanish food so I really enjoyed this. If crisps come with everything I need to book my flight asap! I do like how in mainland Europe you get little snacks with drinks. It feels so much more civilised!

    Reply
  8. Liz Berg says

    June 24, 2014 at 11:37

    My neighbors just returned from Spain…and you’ve made me want to book a vacation and try all the classic dishes!

    Reply
  9. Joanne says

    June 24, 2014 at 12:49

    Oh my everything you ate sounds SOOOO good!

    Reply
  10. Emma @ Fork and Good says

    June 25, 2014 at 11:14

    I’m so jealous, this looks like food heaven!

    Reply
  11. Lucy says

    June 28, 2014 at 10:20

    A super trip I love tapas and churros so yummy. Great review like us travelling with you Lucy

    Reply
  12. David says

    September 11, 2014 at 17:28

    Glad you enjoyed Madrid ,my daughter is an English teacher there. She regularly dines on all the free tapas available , local knowledge is an advantage and so much cheaper.

    Reply
  13. Jerry R. says

    June 4, 2015 at 15:44

    Nice article, but no, you haven’t seen all there is to see. I’ve been here since 1989 and I certainly haven’t seen it all! 🙂

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Garlic and Honey Mushrooms - All That Im Eating says:
    February 17, 2015 at 08:32

    […] went to Madrid last year in search of tapas, paella and Rioja and I was not disappointed. I think I ate more often each day […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Any information added when you comment will be handled according to this Privacy Policy.

Hello I’m Caroline

Welcome to my site All That I’m Eating. You will find inventive recipes using seasonal and foraged ingredients as well as everyday easy meals and a few indulgent recipes too.

I believe humble food doesn’t have to be hum drum so whether you’ve oodles of onions, superfluous sausages or apples aplenty I hope you enjoy having a look around.

Find Out More…

Never Miss A Thing

Subscribe here!

Get all my posts straight to your inbox.

Instagram

Instagram did not return a 200.

Contact Me

Your name
Your email
Enter your message
Enter below security code

Quick Links

  • About Me
  • Contact Me
  • Caroline Taylor Communications

Recent Tweets

  • Error: Invalid or expired token.

© 2018 Caroline Taylor - All That I'm Eating
·
Privacy and Copyright
·
web design::mogul

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT