What do you think of when you hear the words ‘Spanish cuisine’? Let me tell you, it is not just your typical Potatas Bravas tapas dish anymore… it is much more. Our society is moving away from the habitual routine menus and going for exciting new fusions. It is not just the UK that has a changing culinary environment, it’s global and here to stay.
On our most recent excursion, we experienced the modernity of Madrid’s finest restaurants to the Mercado San Miguel, one of the famous food markets. When there is a language barrier, it is always hard to know what you are going to get. That is the excitement of it all, to expect the unexpected.
A key dish for anyone travelling to Spain is the renowned Paella, let me tell you, this probably was one of the best Paella’s I have ever tasted and it was from a little family run restaurant in La Latina square in the heart of Madrid. Paella is all about the rice, balancing the flavours to make that delicious taste we all love. The subtle seasoning of paprika and saffron ran through the dish to create the famous colouring of the nation’s favourite dish accompanied by the delicious seafood and chorizo.
Our next meal was an invigorating tapas fusion of Spanish, Mexican and believe it or not Japanese! Our location…central Madrid just off Gran Via, our equivalent of London’s Oxford Street. We decided on a cosmopolitan range of dishes including; Potatas Bravas, Quesadillas, Gucamole, Gyozas (Japanese dumplings), grilled octopus with potato and paprika cream, houmous and Iberico ham croquettas. What a mixture, but absolutely scrumptious.
What comes next on our Spanish adventure is the buzzing Mercado San Miguel, similar to the Dalston Street feast, this food market is heaven for the food lovers, those who want to experiment with different foods. The market was packed full of fresh fish (every kind you can imagine), meats, vegetables, pastas, pastries and ice creams with hundreds meeting in the middle to eat their treats whilst listening to the subtle music in the background.
Watch out for our blog on the evolutionary dining experiences next week!
