I had the pleasure of visiting Madrid back in January for a long weekend and fell head over heels in love with the city. I thought I'd share my favourite spots so if you ever find yourself there you have a cracking starting point.
For reference I stayed at the uber-groovy, louche and self confessed 'hetero friendly' Axel hotel - which I would highly recommend.
During our fleeting trip we visited Museo del Prado and Museo Reina Sofia. Both equally impressive.
M del P:
It was ace seeing Bosch's surreal the garden of earthly delights IRL. If you haven't already seen Fantastic Planet before - which gives me serious earthly delights vibes - you need to get into the groove.
MRS:
I was delighted to spy Yves Klein's Victoire de Samothrace.
Magnificent Calder sculpture sporting the colours of the national flag!
I'd also recommend to fellow bookworms swinging by La Cuesta Moyano book market:
As my partner in crime was the restaurant manager of The Fat Duck, it's no surprise that damn good food was of paramount importance & as you can see, we dined like kings.
#1 breakfast spot goes to whimsical Hojaldreria. Their pistachio mille feuille with steamed strawberries was devilishly good. As was their bonbon coffee (a shot of espresso w a scoop of dulce de leche).
On our first night we hit up Asian-fusion restaurant Street-Xo for what was potentially one of the best meals of my life - the menu was truly sublime. The interior was also spot on and the staff's uniform was akin to strait jackets. There was even a chef with a giant red mohawk because, why not?
We sat at the bar so our food was made in front of us, which is always a thrill.
The crowdpleasing Pekinese dumplings with pig's ear and strawberry hoisin sauce was a riot of texture and the Jackson Pollock style presentation was bang on! The baby scallops w garlic butter, kimchee and coconut also went down a storm. The innovative blend of flavours and twists on tradition ignited my tastebuds. The badass yet playful staff were also eager to explain in depth the variety of exotic ingredients in each dish.
In the back you can spot the mouthwatering tandoori lamb with summer truffle and black trumpets & in the forefront, the cosmic Crispy BurgerXo, which consisted of a soft shelled crab in a tiny bun allowing the legs to drape out. It was exquisite. The saam of grilled Iberian pancetta was the winner of the night for me:
Madrid only has one chef with three Michelin stars: David Munoz. Who, no surprise, created Street XO. I tip my hat to him! For dessert we went to Rocambolesc Gelateria which is opposite - handy for stumbling over to after a few too many. They have groovy flavours such as panettone and amusing shaped ice lollies such as this coconut meringue delight:
Rumour has it that if you go during the day, your flavour of choice can wear a hat of candyfloss.
The morning after the night before we began our day with a shot of coffee at the iconic Angélica Café. I opted for the scrumptious nocciola cafe, which is essentially a latte with a dollop of Hazelnut spread. Delightful.
On our final night we went to El Cisne Azul, a super duper traditional and cosy Spanish restaurant famed for its mushroom dishes:
Despite the unassuming venue, the food is exceptionally delicious.
I was fascinated by the intricate faces popping up all over the giant doorways gracing the city and could of walked around for hours gazing at them, in fact that's exactly what we did.
The rumours are true, Mad is Mad:
Keep Madrid weird!
