Restaurants

A friend of mine discovered this charming little Neapolitan restaurant by chance, and shared the knowledge with me during the last holiday season. Having been to Naples, I have an idea of what real Neapolitan pizza is (actually one of the best I’ve ever tried), so finding a restaurant run by Neapolitans hell bent on preparing the best pizzas in their citiy’s traditional way was a pleasant surprise. As an Italian I once met told me: “You can only find out if a pizzeria is good by trying their simplest pizzas, like the margherita; it’s easy to chock up the flavor by adding all sorts of stuff”. And boy, Totò e Peppino’s margherita and marinara pizzas, the most traditional (and you could say “simplest”) of Neapolitan pizzas, are good.

But don’t take my word for it. You can ask Real Madrid’s players, who usually eat Totò e Peppino’s pizzas every weekend they play at home, delivered directly at the stadium after the game is over. Turns out that Fabio Cannavaro, a Neapolitan himself, is a friend of one of the owners and recommended the restaurant during his stint in the capital. And ever since, most of the players have visited it, and nowadays grace its walls: right at the entrance, there are a myriad of pictures of Real Madrid’s stars, from Iker Casillas to both Ronaldos.

Tell any Madrilenian that you’ll be traveling to Galicia, and it’s very likely that he or she will talk about the great and bountiful food you’re bound to be eating during your visit. Indeed, Spain’s most northwestern region is known for its gastronomy, especially its seafood, given that it’s one of the country’s most active fishing areas. Its white wine is also very appreciated, notably its albariño variety.

That’s why Galician restaurants are quite popular in Madrid. There are a few grouped around the Puente de Segovia (Segovia Bridge), which offer good food at very reasonable prices. Of these, I normally go to Mesón A Ría de Noia, where my favorites are Galician-style octopus (pulpo a la gallega), grilled cuttlefish (sepia a la plancha), Galician cheese (queso de tetilla, which can be translated as titty-cheese, claimed to be Spain’s most sexy cheese!), and the Padrón peppers (pimientos de Padrón). Trying out the Padrón peppers is a must, the tradition states that some of them are hot, and some of them are not (Pementos de Padrón: uns pican e outros non, in Galician). If you end up eating a hot one, a glass of albariño will help wash the pain away.

No Restaurant is the name of one of the latest additions to Madrid’s gastronomy restaurant guide. It had taken me about two weeks to be able to book a table and in general when a restaurants becomes trendy it seems to fall short of our expectations.

Nonetheless, my experience was mind blowing in every aspect, from the attention, the service, the quality of the food, and the attention to detail by the kitchen staff. Everything, in every aspect deserved a straight A, and frankly speaking, that does not happen every day.

The first thing I noticed was that it was elegant, classy, however non-pretentious, the atmosphere was relaxed with a chilled out attitude, looking to let patrons enjoy their venue and honestly I felt so comfortable during the whole meal that time just passed by without notice.

The same attention is being addressed in the kitchen, they handle themselves wonderfully whether it be meat or fish, focusing on offering quality produce which is key when dining out. Every single dish that we tried was cooked keeping our preferences in mind, and without second thought they would have switched it for something else if we would have had any complaints about it. My impression was they were aiming to please their clientele with an earnest intention.

After this first experience, if someone was to ask me if I would go back, I would definitely say YES, to No Restaurant.

For being a Michelin-ranked restaurant, El Buey is surprisingly affordable and makes for a fun interactive meal!

The restaurant, one of two in Madrid, is famous for the high quality of ox meat which you can order in a stew or in raw slices to cook on a hot ceramic plate. The ox-tail stew, though spectacular, is nothing compared to the raw meat with big grains of salt, seared on your plate. Don’t rush and try to cook all of the meat slices at once, if your plate gets cool, ask the attentive waiter for another one.

The menu is short, with some fish and vegetable options and the waiter will also tell you about any daily specials as well. Added bonuses are the excellent house wine (which you can buy on your way out) and aged cheese that is served as you sit down at the table. My only complaint would be that the fried potatoes served with most of the dishes are unimpressive in comparison with the rest of the food.

Market food trends suggest that Madrid is hyped about sushi. I have noticed that many new places that are opening up are more about the atmosphere, trying to sway patrons with fancy decorations to justify expensive prices. It’s so different in Yoka Loka, this small Japanese stall at the ground floor of a fresh foods market.

This place reminds me a bit of the Tsukiji fish market and all the tiny sushi parlors selling their freshest skilled cuts to the people that are willing to wait in line for hours on end for their breakfast, with the bonus of not having to queue very long for your food. Having mentioned breakfast, it’s one of the few, if not the only Japanese to offer a sushi breakfast menu. 

I love watching them prepare my order right before me, something that I miss in high end trendy places, and I would highly recommend only ordering piece by piece or one dish at a time, it may take a little longer yet the experience is much more authentic.

When I take a seat, one of 5-6 that are available, and have a look on the counter to see what catches my eye, surrounded by the catch phrases of fish mongers selling their daily specials, the busy bodies of people taking home their groceries passing right behind me, I get the feeling that I’m once again in Tokyo, and think…this is how everyday sushi should be.