Seeing Spain Through The Stomach
And eating... mostly international food
Hola! I hate to break it to you, but another week has passed where the main highlights were going to work and going out to the club. And as entertaining as that is to live through, it’s not nearly as riveting in this written space.
So, I figured it was time to release the big guns. A deep dive in all of the food I’ve been eating these past two months in Spain.
Just as a warning, you all know I believe Spanish food to be lacking in seasoning and flavor overall, but, there are some exceptions. I also want to highlight all of the International food I’ve been eating around Madrid, so without further ado, here is the complete breakdown.
Tapas
Acting as the saving grace of Spanish cuisine, tapas are essentially small bites that you share amongst the table varying from potatoes, toast points, seafood and are almost always paired with a drink.
As you all know from previous newsletters, my favorite tapa is patatas bravas, which is a cubed and fried potato with tomato sauce and aioli on top, and they really hit the spot when you need a quick bite on the weekend.
I am excited to announce though that I have a favorite place to get tapas. It is called 100 Montaditos and it is perfect in every way.
The concept of 100 Montaditos is the menu consists of 100 tiny sandwiches with various fillings in them. The menu also offers traditional tapas like fries, croquettes and olives. Even better, you can wash it all down with a 2 euro tinto de verano that comes in a giant beer stein.
Overall, it really is the place that I go to most often. My goal is to try all 100 sandwiches before I leave Madrid.
Another tapa I really enjoy is the ensalada de ruso, otherwise known as Russian potato salad. This consists of potatoes (obviously), tuna, mayo, tomatoes, egg and is usually served with bread.
There are other popular tapas such as the tortilla de patata, tomato on toast and mussels, but I have yet to find a really good rendition of these items in Madrid.
Spanish Food
Outside of tapas, there are plenty of main meals that act as signatures to Spain. One of the entrees I was most excited to try was paella. I’ve only had it a handful of times in my life, and I could not wait to see the Spanish rendition.
When we went to Valenica, I decided that was when I had to try it, as that is the undisputed birthplace of paella.
The giant pot we got or Manal’s birthday had an insane amount of seafood on it from mussels, to shrimps, to calamari. There are other meats you can pair with your paella too, rabbit is a popular option in Valencia as well.
One type of paella I still need to try is the arroz negro, or black rice paella, where they use squid ink to make it that color.
One staple I miss from home that was always a quick and easy meal was Chipotle. Here in Spain, they have their own equivalent of that called Tierra Burrito Bar.
I tried Tierra and… it was fine. It didn’t fully scratch the Chipotle itch, but it will do.
A notable place in Madrid to go get groceries or some small bites is the mercado de san miguel. Here, I’ve had a chicken sandwich, a spritz and some churros. All pretty good to pair with the bustling atmosphere the market provides.
Speaking of churros, that has to be best thing Spain has ever come up with. One of my roommates is obsessed with churros here along with the rich and thick chocolate sauce they pair with.
We’ve all visited a few churro places, but nothing tops San Gines as it is the oldest Churreria in Madrid. Not to mention, it’s open all night long.
International Food
Now, let’s get to the good stuff. Madrid is a hub for all types of cuisine and I have had my fair share of it.
From sushi, to Korean fried chicken, to ramen, and kebab, all corners of my favorite style of food is being covered. My roommates and I even tried an all-you-can-eat revolving sushi bar and I can safely say I got my money’s worth.
One of the top places I’ve been to so far is a ramen joint called Igo Ramen. There, we tried strawberryand lychee juices, a saucy chicken karage and, of course, the ramen. Cheers to my meal here being one of the few times Spain has given me spice.
Another top place to eat has been our local doner kebab shop where the man we have deemed “Somayya’s Husband” works. He makes a mean chicken kebab, I’ll give him that.
Amana and I tried a Japanese restaurant near us called Katsu, where we got, you guessed it, chicken katzu. Getting the delicious meat in sandwich form was truly top tier.
Another quick bite place that is considered international in Madrid is TKO Tacos. This is where my friends and I will go to get authentic Mexican style street tacos, and at one euro a piece, we go pretty often.
There are a few cuisines I haven’t tried that I would like to in Madrid, such as Georgian, and I’ve yet to find a good place for arepas yet, so I’ll be on the lookout and keep you updated when I try these.
Drinks
Many of you know that I cannot survive without some coffee, so I had to find the best of the best while I was here.
Lately, I’ve been pretty good about just making a pot of coffee at home or using the pot at work, but on the rare occasion that I go out for coffee, I’ve had a few great experiences.
There are many fun flavors I’ve seen and tried at various cafes such as a pistachio latte, a red velvet latte, a pink chai and a lotus latte. The later uses the lotus cookie butter flavoring, and it is truly delicious.
I’ve even tried an Irish coffee while here. Amana and I needed something warm while we were on a rooftop bar, and she had never had one before, so we relished the hot coffee and even hotter whiskey burning our lungs.
Moving to the alcoholic beverages, there have been plenty of stellar cocktails I’ve had here, as well as great concoctions I’ve made at home. Some of the most popular drink options in Spain include the aforementioned in this newsletter Tinto de Verano, sangria and gin tonic.
Sprtizes are also fairly popular here, but I’ve learned from a lot of trial and era that no one knows what a Saint Germain Spritz is. The only time a bar did have the ingredients, they charged me 22 euros for it, so safe to say, I’ll just wait until I’m in Italy again to have it.
One of the best cocktails I’ve had here, even though it’s of Peruvian origin and not Spanish, is a mango pisco sour. Truly phenomenal.
Overall, I’ve eaten pretty well here and I will continue to explore all the food options there is to offer!
I’ll be going to Lisbon this coming weekend, and there are plenty of foods I hope to try and tell you all about! Until then, adios!
Have fun in Lisbon ✨