YOUR NEXT DESTINATION / December
The San Miguel Market, located within walking distance
of Plaza Mayor and loved by both locals and visitors for its
contemporary Spanish cuisine.
Traditional dishes are experiencing a
revival; more places connected to age-
old traditions are opening in Madrid
for example, neighbourhood bars that emerged
during Franco’s dictatorship and haven’t changed
since then. ‘I love their modernist features and the
diversity of the clientèle, but it’s their individuality
that makes them special,’ she says. ‘Despite their
charm, many people find these bars to be outdated,
while tourists are too afraid to enter them, and
therefore these places are struggling and need our
help to survive.’
Later I come across another incomer with the
same drive to preserve the timeless parlours called
tapas bars. James Blick moved to Madrid from New
Zealand in 2011. Originally a lawyer, he fell in love
with a Spanish woman who is now his wife, and he
also fell in love with her native country. After moving
to Madrid, he began working as a travel journalist,
but later he co-founded Devour Tours, a company
that organises food and wine tours around Spain.
I catch Blick in the Anciano Rey de los Vinos bar,
chatting with the bartender in such exquisite Span-
ish that only his pale skin and curly hair betrays that
he may be a foreigner.
‘The idea of Devour Tours was born when I
noticed that a lot of the city’s visitors tend to go to
dishonest places. I wanted to suggest better ones and
also tell the story behind the food to make it more
meaningful,’ Blick says. Most of the places included in
Devour Tours are family-run, some of them fighting
for their place in the sun. It’s actually a win-win situ-
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The oldest restaurant in the world, Sobrino de Botin, is located in the heart
of Madrid. It was founded in 1725 by Frenchman Jean Botin, and it is said that
Spanish artist Francisco de Goya worked there as a waiter. American writer
Ernest Hemingway loved to visit the restaurant when in Madrid.
al ajillo (garlic-infused shrimp), patatas bravas
(fried diced potatoes), and boquerones (anchovies
in vinegar).
ation, in which the guests have an authentic experi-
ence and the establishments are able to continue
their existence.
Anciano Rey de los Vinos has tiled floors, a
marble bar counter, no seating, and a menu written
on a blackboard – all the ingredients of a genuine
tapas bar, which makes it a bit challenging for
foreigners. Blick explains that one of Devour Tour’s
aims is to make visitors feel comfortable enough that
they can afterwards go and explore the local bars on
their own.
As Blick orders a caña – a small glass of beer,
typical for Madrid – the bartender puts a plate of
ensaladilla rusa by our side. This is one of the perks
of Madrid: tapas are included in the purchase of
your drink. ‘You won’t get a free tapa in Barcelona,’
he says, triggering the age-old Barcelona vs. Ma-
drid debate, although in terms of food, not football.
There’s a considerable difference in the way the two
cities eat. In Madrid, there’s a strong fiesta culture:
people stay out late and the streets are filled with
energy, whereas Barcelona is more tranquil. People
in Barcelona sit down, while bars in Madrid have few
or no chairs at all. Moreover, tapas are not native to
Barcelona; they’re from Andalucía and came to Ma-
drid along with migrants from the southern region.
Therefore, tapas culture is much stronger in the
capital. Ensaladilla rusa is a sort of Olivier salad but
with tuna. Other classic tapas in Madrid are gambas
IN TERMS OF CUISINE, MADRID IS THE
MELTING POT OF ALL THE SPANISH RE-
GIONS. When King Charles I moved to Madrid
and declared the city the capital in the 16 th cen-
tury, many people moved here to be closer to the
king. Naturally, they brought their native cuisines
with them. Walk the streets of Madrid and you’ll
find Galician, Andalusian, and Basque cuisine. In
other words, if you want to taste Spain but don’t
have time to visit all the regions, just go to Madrid!
The main idea behind Spanish cuisine has
always been simplicity and high-quality ingredi-
ents. You don’t need a bunch of spices if the piece
of meat is purely divine. Moreover, traditional
dishes are experiencing a revival, and more and
more places connected to age-old traditions are
opening in Madrid. One such tradition is the hour
of vermouth. Originally enjoyed by socialites after
church and before lunch on Sundays, vermouth
was regarded as an old man’s drink throughout the
20 th century and even up until just a few years ago.
Now, visit any bar around lunch time, and you’ll
see people meeting up for a glass of vermouth.
People also drink it before dinner, but as a rule of
thumb, it is never enjoyed as a side drink while
eating; the idea is to drink a vermouth to cheer up
the appetite.
La Hora del Vermut is a venue that offers on-
tap vermouth from small wineries around Spain. It
also has a stall at the San Miguel Market. Actually,
it was born along with the market and has been
there since 2009. In 2017, the bar opened another