The Best of 2009

When the clock struck midnight on the 31st of December, the first decade of the 21st century ended.  The past ten years have passed so quickly and so many important events have taken place.  I began the noughties with my wedding in Napa, followed by several moves: first to Santiago, then Dubai, then Montreal and now Marbella.  My two children were also born in the last ten years and my blog was created in the last part of the decade.

Now, I'm facing the next year and am both eager and wary of what the future may bring. There is one thing I can be sure of though, and that's the best gourmet experiences I had in 2009. So, Happy New Year and here's to sharing more gourmet travels with you in 2010!

Best Bang for the Buck - Chocolateria San Gines, Madrid
This is a bang for the buck that's satisfying for all the senses.  A short walk off a pedestrian street and in a tiny alley is where you'll find Chocolateria San Gines.  Open 24 hours, they serve freshly-made churros and thick chocolate to dip them into all day long and into the night.  Great for a mid-morning pick-me-up or a late afternoon treat.  Aside from jamon Iberico, this is my other favorite Spanish snack.

Best Bistro - Itineraires, Paris
This new and cozy bistro in Paris' 5th arrondissement was a revelation.  A young chef, his wife out front greeting diners, fantastic prix-fixe menu, modern interiors and best of all, really good food.  This will stay on my Paris TO GO list for a long time.

Best Breakfast - Break of Dawn, Laguna Beach
No one does big breakfasts like the Americans do and this out of the way restaurant located in a nondescript strip mall in Laguna Beach is a perfect example.  Ex-Ritz Carlton chef who leaves the busy hotel kitchen to set up his own place and spend more time with his family.  The result is impressive - breakfast classics like corned beef hash, french toast and oatmeal are on the menu alongside an Asian-influenced spicy Hawaiian sausage with rice, eggs and pickled shredded papaya or a Mexican-influenced chorizo and scrambled eggs.  Mugs of fresh drip-coffee, free iced water, large tables filled with families makes it almost like a diner.

Best Hotel Buffet Breakfast - Woods, Geneva
Hotel buffet breakfasts are all starting to blur into one - assorted breads and pastries, yogurts, cold cuts, cereal and a small selection of cooked items (scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon) kept warm in chafing dishes.  Well, not at Woods in the Intercontinental hotel where breakfast was an aesthetic experience - a large wooden table piled high with baskets of assorted breads and pastries, artisanal jams and honeys then a cold section of marble-topped shelves where yogurts, fresh fruit, fresh juice in individual carafes and cold cuts were laid out and finally, a hot food section where a granite topped counter with built-in warmers kept the food in the serving dishes hot.

Best Chinese - Hakkasan, London
Another Alan Yau  and Christian Liagre partnership, this time with Michelin star as well for the creative Chinese haute cuisine.  I went there first in 2002 when they just opened and was already impressed with what they had created.  Seven years later, it's still a pleasant shock to the senses - dark, sexy interiors and sexy, snappy servers just add to the atmosphere and honestly with food this good, I can tolerate the attitude.  Lunch is a bargain but the dinner bill can become astronomical with the colorful cocktails and first growth wines.  No photos are allowed so I wasn't able to document my lunch there so you'll just have to imagine it.

Best French - Joel Robuchon at the Mansion, Las Vegas

Elegant, check. Cozy, check.  Haute cuisine, check.  Hypertension-inducing prices, check.  Dinner with my sisters, priceless.  My sisters and I try to meet up at least once a year and when we do, we always go somewhere new for dinner and last year was Joel Robuchon's fine dining jewel at the MGM hotel.  We decided to skip the degustation and go a la carte so we could all order different things and have a taste of each others' plates.  The food was classic French haute cuisine with some modern twist but thankfully, none of those molecular/hyper-modern foams and dry ice creations that are a bit of a turn-off.  Was it delicious? Yes.  Was it worth it?  Yes, once every decade.  The experience was impressive but we're still saving up for another anti-recession meal like that one.

Best Home-Cooked Meal - Mahnaz's Persian Kebabs, Marbella
Mahnaz invited us over for a traditional Persian dinner of kebabs - both chicken and lamb - served with grilled peppers, tomatoes and buttery long-grain rice.  She also made fesenjan, the traditional lamb and pomegranate syrup stew.  Persian comfort food at its' best.

Best Japanese - RAKU, Las Vegas
My sister and her husband had been raving about this tiny off-strip restaurant for ages so when we finally made it there in February, our expectations were high.  After lots of little plates - creative Robatayaki-based dishes,  super fresh sashimi,

Best New Gourmet Discovery - Foie gras carpaccio, Paris
I have Tonger to thank for taking us to Comptoir de la Gastronomie, a deli/restaurant near Les Halles.  He insisted I order the foie gras carpaccio and I was glad I did.  The plateful of paper-thin slices of foie gras drizzled with honey, balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with sel de Guerande.  It made for a terrific cold lunch and it was such a pleasant surprise to try foie gras in a new way.

Best Tapas - La Moraga Iberica, Puerto Banus

I was never a fan of Dani Garcia's, Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant, Calima.  On the other hand, his tapas bar concept La Moraga in Malaga has always been a favorite.  This year, he opened a second tapas bar in the middle of Puerto Banus - La Moraga Iberica.  Modern interiors with a large bar where diners can sit and watch the action from the show kitchen.  His modern version on the classic Spanish tapa of boquerones (anchovies) served in an opened sardine tin with roasted peppers is fun and fantastic.   It's been packed ever since they opened and because no reservations are taken, the wait can be unbearably long but worth it.  I'm looking forward to his new creation La Moraga Sweet just down the road which should solve the problem of where to go for a nice dessert around here.

Best Thai - Busaba, London
2009 was all about recessionista dining and this Alan Yau concept and Christian Liagre-designed Thai restaurant brought the best bang for the buck with its' spicy flavors, generous portions, modern interiors, efficient service and most of all, reasonable prices.  Perfect for both yummy mummies and slummy mummies, businessmen and tourists, families and couples - the large communal tables and shared dishes make for convivial dining.

DE MARIA

Just a few days before the end of the year, we went to Madrid to get our U.S. visas sorted since we found out that we won't be able to change our current passports to biometric ones.  We took the AVE late on Monday for our early morning appointment the following morning at the U.S. embassy.  That evening, we were debating where to go for dinner and decided to try a restaurant that my brother in-law, J, had recommended.  We booked their earliest table -9:00 p.m., as this is Spain, and hung around at the hotel lobby until we had to leave for dinner.

De Maria is a grill restaurant which opened in 1994 with both Argentine and Spanish specialties which is obvious from their menu.  There are the classic Argentine starters like empanada (meat pastry) , Provoleta (cheese, grilled with oregano) and chorizo (pork sausage) as well as Spanish starters like huevos rotos (scrambled eggs on fried potatoes) and jamon Iberico (ham from acorn-fed Iberian black pigs).  Argentine parilla (grill) classic cuts such as Asado de Tira (beef short ribs) and Bife de Chorizo (rib-eye) are listed alongside Spanish grill classics like Chuleton de Buey (T-bone steak).   The interiors are cozy with an exposed brick wall on one side and mirrors on another.  White linen-covered tables line the room and the glass-enclosed grill is at one end for all the diners to see.  There is also a wall of framed photos of De Maria's more prominent guests from the drummer of QUEEN to the Spanish former prime minister Felipe Gonzalez and Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal.  There were also several footballers on their photo wall who are rumored (at least according to J) to frequent the restaurant and take advantage of it's proximity to the Santaigo Bernabeu stadium.

We didn't take too much time looking at the menu and stuck to the Argentine-side and ordered accordingly - empanadas to start, followed by a some mollejas (sweetbreads) and finally a chorizo and asado de tira for our main course.  Surprisingly, there were only pommes souffles ( a typical Spanish side dish) or roasted potatoes for sides dishes and no fries on the menu at all.  We settled for the pommes souffles and a half bottle of Protos crianza (so in fact, we did order something Spanish).

We were given some olives followed by an amuse bouche of a tiny ham croquette and some salmon mousse which were both delicious.  Next up were our empanadas which were fried (a good sign) and filled with the requisite mixture of oregano and pepper-flavored ground meat.  The empanadas were very good although they should have been served piping hot rather than warm.  Good thing they were were served with chimichurri.

Our plate of mollejas (sweetbreads) arrived next.  Sweetbreads are our personal litmus test for Argentine parillas who know what they are doing and De Maria passed with flying colors.  The sweetbreads were thinly-sliced and grilled until the edges started to get crispy - a perfect mouthful of hot, crisp and soft all at the same time.  And they were served with lemon which is all it needed - just a squirt of acidity to make each mouthful perfect.  

The chorizo and short ribs came last accompanied by the souffle potatoes - the chorizo was sliced (not typically done) and tasted good enough although the ground sausage meat was too fine and not chunky enough so it didn't quite taste like the real thing.  The short ribs though were excellent - meat and fat marbled together on the bone and jugoso (juicy, the word Argentines use, although the Spanish prefer "poco hecho" or not that cooked).  The potatoes were a bit of a letdown - too fiddly to eat as they can't be forked and too oily to pick up with ones fingers.  The portions were fine except for the sweetbreads which were so much that we couldn't finish them (better for our cholesterol).

After our meat feast, we had no space left for dessert and just asked for the bill.  They brought the check with two small mini-desserts: yoghurt mousse and a shot of pineapple sorbet.  The pineapple sorbet was just right - a little shot tart frozen pineapple slush that helped clear the palate after our heavy meal.  We decided to walk off our dinner by heading back down the Castellana until we got tired and flagged a cab to the hotel where we had a coffee at the lobby bar and enjoyed the lovely Christmas decorations of the Ritz.
______________________________
De Maria
Calle Felix Boix 5
Plaza de Castilla
28036 Madrid
Tel: +34 913 596 507
(this is the main restaurant but there are several others in Madrid)

KOREA

It will seem strange that we always end up eating in a Asian restaurants while we're away but the truth is there aren't many Asian restaurants we really enjoy in Marbella and we've been to most of them which is why during our Madrid mini-break we decided to eat at a few Asian restaurants.  After attempting to snag a much-coveted table at tiny Sudestada and failing, we went to our second choice restaurant -  Korea.  My friend T took us to this tiny restaurant once before.  It's a little bit out of the way but is worth it, so much so that even the Korean ambassador eats there.  Don't be put off by the slightly shabby retro decor or the big hole in the tablecloth (its' for the pan used to cook Korean Barbeque at your table), the food here is authentic and reasonably-priced.

We started with the traditional kimchi (spicy pickled cabbage), bean sprouts tossed in a soy sauce and sesame oil dressing and some fried dumplings.  The kimchi was sinus-clearingly spicy and the bean sprouts were crispy and well-seasoned.  Unfortunately, the dumplings were overcooked and filled with mushy mystery filling.

For our main courses, we ordered two meat dishes and the traditional yam noodles (or sweet potato starch noodles) and vegetables dish called chap jae.  The noodles were served with some steamed rice topped with sesame seeds.  It was the best dish we had - sweet and salty at the same time.  The first meat dish arrived in paper-thin slices and came with shredded cabbage and a side salad. The meat was cooked right on our table with some lard then the cabbage was added and a dipping sauce of sesame oil and salt made completed each delicious mouthful.  This is a classic Korean beef barbeque similar to but not the same as bulgogi.   This was followed by a spicy pork belly dish which was not as good as the barbeque beef.  We wanted to have another classic - Bibimbap (rice topped with assorted vegetables, bean paste and sometimes a fried egg too) but we couldn't even finish the pork so that'll have to wait until our next Korean meal.  The best part was when we asked for the bill and it came to €58 for 2 starters, 2 main courses, 2 side dishes and 5 beverages.   Now, isn't that bang for your buck?

_________________________________

Korea

Calle Cristobal Bordiu, 59

28003 Madrid

Tel: +34 91 554 2034

MERCADO SAN MIGUEL, Part 2

I was able to do several tours of the market while waiting for Cookie Feria so by the time she arrived for our lunch date, I had already scoped out which place was worth sharpening our elbows for.  We decided to wait for a spot at the seafood counter which had a simple but interesting menu and instead of ordering our food and taking it to one of the tables in the center of the market, we decided to wait for a spot directly at the bar.  After a ten-minute wait, a couple left and we immediately staked a claim on the one stool and tiny space they had.

We decided quickly and shared several plates - boquerones fritos (fried fresh anchovies), steamed shrimp, ensaladilla con erizo (sea-urchin with Russian salad) and steamed mussels.  Service is haphazard as there's only one person behind the counter but it was pretty quick and the seafood was quite good.  We were debating on whether we should have a plate of pan-grilled prawns but decided to have a dessert instead.  As soon as we paid the bill and slipped our handbags off our one and only stool, another couple edged their way in and there were still loads waiting around for a place to sit or to order.

We walked around a but more and looked for somewhere we could get a dessert - I chose churros con chocolate (fritters and hot chocolate) which should have been a breakfast treat but I couldn't help myself.   They weren't very good as they had been sitting on the display case for ages and were no longer hot and crunchy as they should be.  I should have had a slice of apple strudel from the Viennese place or a tiny cake from the pastry stall.  We sat at another counter and I had my disappointing dessert while Cookie had her coffee.

On the way back to the hotel, Cookie showed me a shortcut to get to the Ritz and we passed a few other interesting gourmet places.  There is a tiny Carbonell shop on Calle Mayor with lots of their different olive oils at really good prices - a small bottle of olive oil flavored with garlic and dried red chilies was 1.50 euros and a large bottle of first-pressed organic olive oil was just under 5 euros.  Further down the road and just on Plaza Mayor is a typical Spanish pastry place - La Mallorquina.  It's an old-style bakery complete with the white-coated not-so-friendly servers and an old-fashioned cash register.   Closer to the Ritz on Carrera de San Jeronimo were two other foodie spots - one is the traditional delicatessen Lhardy  which is old-fashioned but drop in as the woodwork and antique silver is worth a look.  On the tiny Plaza de Canalejas is the bustling Cafe del Principe which is going onto my Madrid List for my next visit. Another traditional gourmet shop is Casa Mira which specializes in turron (nougat) and is rumored to be the King of Spain's favorite and is just steps away from the hip and happening Hotel Urban.  As always, it's better to explore a city with a local, in this case Cookie, who took the time to show me a few new twists and turns in Madrid that I had never been to and now, i have loads to visit on my next trip to the big city.

MERCADO SAN MIGUEL, Part 1

After hearing so much about the newly refurbished Mercado San Miguel off Plaza Mayor, I knew that I couldn't avoid going there and seeing what the fuss was all about.  Since its' construction in 1916, this Beaux Arts iron and glass was always a working market until then over the years, the structure was left in disrepair until it closed for renovation in 2003 and reopened to much fanfare this year.

The market turns out much smaller than I expected but interesting nevertheless with its' concept of a modern market.  The combination of traditional market stalls - fruits and vegetables, fresh fish and seafood, bacalao (salted cod), jamon Iberico, cheeses, fresh meat, Italian delicacies and pastas and gourmet products - Vincon for its' well-known array of designer kitchen gadgets, Libreria LAIE for a wide selection of cookbooks).  

There are also several places to enjoy what the market has to offer and eat sur place either directly at the bar or brought to one of the few high tables left in the center area.  You can have a major smorgasbord of goodies - freshly-shucked oysters accompanied by champagne from Ostras Sorlut , some freshly sliced jamon Iberico with a glass of wine from Pinkelton & Wine, some Fino and mixed cashews and almonds from Vinos Olorosos.  There is also a stall specializing in Portugese delicacies like tiny shrimp fritters and croquettes or smoked salmon and cod from La Casa del Bacalao.

If you'd like to have a proper lunch then sidle up to one of the three bars serving food and squeeze your way into a space on the counter - there is the Cafeteria on one end which serves round pieces of bread topped with all sorts of delicious things: pulpo (octopus), tuna, ham, egg or even better, do as we did and sharpen your elbows for a spot on the counter right beside the fishmonger where there is a list of fish and seafood specials along with two dishes in the cauldrons right on the counter (more on that in another post).

Of course, if you're just wandering around  then have a look at one of the pastry counters at the far end where there will surely be something to tempt you.  Pasteleria V is an Austrian pastry shop where the cakes are made following the Viennese tradition of pastry-making.  Beside it is another sweet-tooth magnet, a long counter with Spanish pastries and sweets from magdalenas to yemas, from chocolates to artisanal ice cream.  All you'll need is a cup of coffee and a place to sit down to enjoy your treat.  The best part is that all that grazing of top-quality food is easier on the pocket than a full-on sit-down meal at a traditional Madrid restaurant and much more fun too.

Mini break: Madrid

Half term started yesterday so I'm taking advantage of the days off to finish some paperwork that have been left sitting on my desk for almost a year, at the Philippine embassy in Madrid and making it into a mini-break too.  We'll be taking the AVE (high-speed train) from Malaga which should get us to Madrid's Atocha station in less than three hours.

At the top of my list is the Mercado San Miguel, Madrid's renovated market near the Plaza Mayor which re-opened earlier this year after extensive renovations and now houses several stalls (fruits, vegetables, seafood, ham etc.) plus a few gourmet boutiques and a central area which serves food from the few bars/restaurants.  Also on my list are:  Isolee - the multi-brand boutique which has its' own restaurant/bar and deli, some window shopping on Serrano to see the new collections, a meal at our favorite sushi place Ginza and this time hopefully, a visit to the Reina Sofia national museum of contemporary art.  That should just about fill up the two days we're there before we return to Marbella.

CASA MIRA

One thing led to another and the week has just gone by and I still haven't finished my last post on our weekend in Madrid. Well, here it is.

On Carrera de San Jeronimo, not far from the ultra-modern and hip Urban hotel is where Casa Mira is found. My friend T had mentioned that this is where the King of Spain supposedly gets his turron (nougat). Traditionally eaten during Christmas, here at Casa Mira, turrones are available year-round. The store has a lovely window showcasing a gigantic revolving, multi-tiered display of goodies from croissants to polvorones (flaky biscuits) and lots of other pastries and candies wrapped in fancy paper that people passing by often stop and stare and almost always enter to buy something.

Inside, the different turrones are displayed on a marble counter where you choose which one you want from the large block and they cut off the portion that you'd like to buy. The large revolving display is where you choose whatever else you'd like which they then place in pink-coloured cardboard boxes or in colourful paper bags. On the wall is a large photo of el Rey (the king of Spain) looking over all the delicacies on offer. Maybe the rumours are true and this is the royal family's favorite turron.

We couldn't leave without sampling something from the wonderful display so my husband and I shared a sugar doughnut and ate this on our walk back to the hotel. Alongside us where several other Madrilenos with a small paper bag of goodies from Casa Mira. Another gourmet discovery worth visiting next time we're in Madrid.

GINZA

We met up with T, her two daughters and our son, who was sleeping over at her place in La Moraleja for the weekend. From the Ritz, we crossed over to Plaza de las Cortes and walked to this sushi bar across the street from the Westin Palace Hotel and behind the Thyssen-Bornemisza.

Ginza is a simple Japanese restaurant with a large conveyor-built sushi bar downstairs and some tables upstairs. We opted to sit at the bar so the children could have their fun picking out their dinner from the contantly moving array of sushi, sashimi and rolls plus a few other small cooked Japanese dishes. There are 6 types of plates and each different coloured plate is priced accordingly from 3.90 for a simple tamago (egg on rice) to 7.90 for a negi-toro (fatty tuna and chive sushi). My son, who loves Japanese food, ordered a plate of salmon sashimi immediately while the rest of us watched and waited for what goodies would come up on the moving display.

We picked up these dishes from the conveyor - tuna and salmon sashimi, negi-toro, ebi tempura maki, spicy tuna maki, toro temaki (cone-shaped sushi), crab roll and ebiko roll (shrimp roe). From the menu, we ordered miso soup, yakitori and tofu agedashi.

The fish was fresh, the rolls were reasonably-priced and the portions were substantial. This place is a perfect lunch spot after a visit to either the Prado or the Thyssen. We spent about 30 euros per person for great sushi - a bargain comapred to what we spend in Marbella. After our terrific dinner, we walked back to the Ritz and said goodnight to T and the kids and agreed to meet for lunch the following day before we headed back to Malaga.

CHOCOLATERIA SAN GINES

All day Friday was spent doing errands - getting a U.S. visa for the nanny, checking out computer prices at El Corte Ingles, pakcking the kids off to go and sleep at my friend T's house for the weekend and tracking down our suitcase which finally appeared around at around 5:00 p.m. and turning in early.

We woke up early on Saturday to give us some time to explore the Madrid. After a wonderful breakfast at the Ritz, we crossed the street to the Prado museum which we always plan to visit when we;re in Madrid but never had the time to. Luckily, we didn't have to queue for tickets and went straight into the new entrance right below the church of San Jeronimo el Real . We spent most of the morning walking through the Prado and admiring the works of royal painters Velazquez and Goya. Most of the works are religious-themed and realist that we realized we enjoyed our last visit to the Thyssen-Bornemisza more. Unfortunately, the Rembrandt exhibit had already finished and the cloister was closed for renovation work so after a quick look throught the current sculpture exhibition, Among Gods and Men, we left past noon and walked back to the Ritz. On our next Madrid trip, we'll make an effort to visit the Reina-Sofia.

After our cultural morning, we decided to visit another Madrid insitution, the Chocolateria San Gines. Located behind the church of San Gines on the pedestrian street, Calle Arenal, this is where locals come for their daily dose of churros con chocolate. Open 24 hours, this cafe/bar is usually packed in the wee hours of the morning when clubbers from nearby disco Joy Eslava have their snack before heading home. The young crowd is then followed by Madrilenos having their breakfast until about 10 a.m. Later on, San Gines is filled with non-Spanish churros lovers like ourselves who dare to eat churros out of the traditional breakfast schedule. We arrived to a semi-full cafe, plonked ourselves down on one of the marble-topped tables and hastily ordered a portion of churros with the accompanying cup of thick hot chocolate.

Fortified by our noontime snack, we went to Calle Serrano (near Colon) and made our way down Madrid's main shopping street cutting through trendy streets like Jorge Juan and Ayala for some serious window-shopping before heading back to the hotel.

After a short rest, we walked towards the Las Letras area of Madrid and tried to find a tapas bar for a quick lunch. There are many right behind the Palace hotel off the plaza Neptuno (Neptune's fountain) but all of the ones we entered were packed with smokers and eating in a cigarette-fogged atmosphere was out of the question so we walked towards Plaza de los Cortes and stumbled on a small corner tapas bar/restaurant - El Rincon de Cruz Blanca. The place wasn't packed and there were only a few smokers at the bar having a beer. We settled onto a corner of the long marble-topped bar then asked for a few tapas - boquerones en vinagre and morcilla until we saw the entrecot con patatas (rib-eye steak with fried potatoes) and couldn't resist sharing one as well. We finished off our meal with cafe solos (espressos). Service was quick and efficient and the food was surprisingly good so the restaurant turned out to be a good find and centrally located.

Long Weekend: Madrid

Off to Madrid for the weekend. We left Malaga yesterday afternoon and arrived on time (yay!) but soon realized that one of our suitcases was lost (oh no!). Luckily, the children's luggage arrived and so did the trendy Bugaboo car seat but our suitcase was nowhere to be found. A long discussion with the SpanAir staff followed which led to no straight answers - no compensation and no schedule as to when we would get our luggage so we gave up and headed to the Ritz where we arrived past 10 p.m. sans suitcase, checked-in and went straight back out for a quick dinner at Wagaboo with our 7-year old. Back to the hotel for an early night - no eyeglasses for me so I couldn't even read or watch t.v.

Woke up early this morning and I have to say that without luggage, getting ready is so easy - no choices for clothes and no make-up (although I did manage to recycle my lenses) so we had more time to enjoy the wonderful Ritz breakfast. Hopefully, we get our suitcase soon although we haven't heard anything from SpanAir yet. If not, we're going to have to hit the shops for some basics or else it will become a real challenge to look ritzy at the Ritz wearing the same clothes three days in a row.

The long weekend: Madrid

Thursday

The AVE from Malaga to Madrid was such a luxury compared to the stress and unpredictabiltiy of air travel. The train left on time, we had no problem with our luggage and we were served complimentary drinks, snacks and newspapers in Preferente class. We arrived exactly as scheduled at Atocha station in downtown Madrid and took a very short taxi ride to the Ritz hotel where we would be staying for three nights. Check-in at the hotel was a breeze and we were upgraded to a junior suite on the smoke-free fourth floor which overlookeed the Prado museum and the convent of San Jeronimo.



After unpacking, we crossed the street to the Westin Palace hotel where we had dinner at Asia Gallery. The food was disappointing - spring rolls that had pieces of roast pork and cabbage - a very strange combination, the kung pao chicken was made with bland chicken breast and served with soggy peanuts and a cornstarch-thickened sauce, shrimps in black bean sauce had a handful of shrimps and an abundance of red peppers. The only decent dish was the crispy shredded beef and even that had a hint of curry flavour instead of the usual sweet-spicy Szechuan sauce. It was a mistake to eat there but we were hungry, it was nearby and we were craving for some Chinese food. Asia Gallery is definitely going on my restaurant black list. We went to bed early after that.

Friday

The next morning we had a wonderful breakfast at the Goya restaurant with the tables laid with silver, starched linen and crystal. We had croissants, café con leche, poached eggs on brown toast with bacon and fresh orange juice to start the day.

As we were Madrid with our six-year old, our plans were made to accomodate him so we went on a tour of the Santiago Bernabeu football stadium which is the home of Real Madrid. It was a well-organized and comprehensive tour. We saw the bleachers and the special boxes, the trophy room and the football pitch, the bench where the players sat during games and even the changing rooms which had power showers and a jacuzzi. After that, we headed off for some lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. The burgers were good and the children's menu was a steal at €9.45 including a drink and a scoop of ice cream. We all had a nap after lunch then got ready at around seven. I went downstairs to the intimate wood-panelled Velazquez Bar to have a drink with my good friend, Therese, then the boys joined us (my husband and son) shortly after. We decided to walk to the Gran Via where we had a reservation at Madrid's oldest Japanese restaurant - Robata. What a change from our dinner the previous evening - the food was authentic - the sushi and sashimi were fresh, the yakitori was very good, the prawns and vegetables tempura were crispy and light and the agedashi tofu was delicious. Robata has been on the same location off Gran Via on Calle Reina since 1992 and is a favorite with both locals and the Japanes community of Madrid. We walked off our yummy dinner and returned to the hotel close to midnight.

Saturday

Bright and early after another civilized and delicious breakfast at the Ritz, Therese picked us up and we went to Las Rozas Village for some retail therapy. Out of the sixty plus boutiques at this outlet mall, the ones I recommend for some fantastic bargains are: Bodum and Le Creuset for the home, Loewe, Carolina Herrera, Pedro del Hierro, Purificacion Garcia and Hoss Intropia for Spanish fashion and Camper and Petit Bateau for children's clothes and shoes. After a few hours of shopping, we went to La Moraleja and had a quick lunch at Argentine grill restaurant - Clerico. After lunch, the boys went to visit my brother-in-law and his family while I stayed with Therese so we could "chitter-chatter" as my son says.

We were all tired after a long day and so after Therese dropped us off at the Ritz, we decided to spend the night in and have room service, pack our bags and go to bed early.

Sunday

On our last morning in Madrid, we had a quick breakfast then headed to the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum across the street. The best part about staying at the Ritz is that it is located in the golden art triangle of three fantastic museums: the Prado, the national museum; the modern art museum - Reina Sofia and the private collection of the Baroness Thyssen-Bornemisza. An exhibit on Modigliani's works had just opened a few days before that we wanted to see. Unfortunately, tickets were sold out until 2:00 p.m. so we decided to see the permanent collection instead which is amazing as well. 800 works of art all owned by a private individual which is quite impressive. Our visit ended at the museum shop where our son was allowed to choose a treat and promptly decided on a wonderful colouring book of unfinished drawings that the child completes with his own designs.

We then walked to the little street behind the Westin Palace hotel where there are loads of little tapas bars. We tried to get into a few well-known ones but they were jampacked so we ended up in a chain called Cerveceria Gambrinus which is like a Mc'Tapas - the food was typically not very good and the service was spotty but we had a train to catch and not much time to wait around for a spot at one of the better tapas bars. After lunch, we walked back to the hotel, checked out and headed to Atocha station where we had enough time to buy some magazines before boarding the AVE back to Malaga.

Mini-break: Madrid

We're off to Madrid this afternoon and we're taking the train instead of flying there. The last time we took the train to Madrid was in August, 2006 when the trip was still on a regular train that took almost four hours. Now, with the AVE (high-speed train), getting to Madrid only takes 2 hours and forty minutes. The best part is the train arrives downtown at Atocha station which is very near the Hotel Ritz, where we'll be staying.

Last Christmas, my husband and I agreed to no gifts except for token ones - he gave me a scarf and a picture frame and I gave him a World Grand Tour boxed set of eight LUXE guides which included: Madrid, Paris, Rome, Istanbul, New York, Dubai, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Tokyo and Sydney. The slim accordion format of these guides make them really easy to stick into a handbag ensuring that the guide is always with you instead of left behind on the hotel rom bedside table.

This weekend instead of using our tried and tested Louis Vuitton guides, I'll be using our brand-new Madrid Luxe guide. Let's see what new places we'll discover with it.

SUDESTADA

After a week of either grilled meat or pasta, we escaped to Palermo Viejo for lunch and booked a table at Sudestada. Located on the corner of Guatemala and Fitzroy, the restaurant is a stark white space complemented with a few black touches.

Opened in 1999, it has been a success from the beginning and has helped make this far-flung corner of Palermo Viejo a destination. Now, several other restaurants also occupy this area. Directly across the street on the other corner is Standard, an Argentine-style diner run by the same people who own Sudestada. There is also a recently-opened Sudestada in Madrid which I intend to try soon.

We arrived at 1:00 p.m. and a few minutes after we did, the place stated to fill up. The menu is a collection of Southeast Asian dishes with wok-fried items being the main event along with a few things from the grill. Unfortunately, the grill items are off the lunch menu and can only be ordered at night and since I've been here several times before but always for lunch, I've never had the chance to try any of them. There is also a set lunch menu for 23 AR$ (about US$7) which includes a starter, a main course and a soft drink and is on a separate sheet of paper that comes with a hole punch so you can choose the items yourself by punching your selection on the piece of paper - a quirky design touch.


We ordered some cha gio (Vietnamese spring rolls) to start while we decided on what we would all have for lunch. Since there were four of us, we opted for the set lunch for our five-year old: steamed dumplings plus a vegetable curry with rice. We opted to share three items from the Wok selection: bean thread noodles with shrimps, chicken and vegetables; stewed spicy pork-ribs and stir-fried spicy duck.

The spring rolls were crispy and came with the traditional lettuce, cilantro and mint leaves to roll them in plus the fish sauce dip. There was also a tasty cabbage slaw that accompanied them which is not typical at all but good nevertheless.

We waited a bit before the main courses arrived. All were served in large metal bowls with steamed white rice on the side. The noodles were very good and came in a tamarind-flavored sauce with lots of chicken and shrimp. The duck was spicy but the heat was offset by the sweetness of the grapes. The pork ribs were falling off the bone and came with a tangy soupy sauce. The lunch set vegetable curry was good but not like a typical coconut based Thai curry but more of a Japanese curry made with these special curry cubes.

At first, we thought we wouldn't be able to eat everything, but slowly we worked our way through the different dishes and eventually finished it all. Order a Thai lemonade, like we did, to help tone down the spiciness. There were some tempting dessert items on the menu but I guess I can save that for my next visit. Maybe then I try to have dinner so I can finally sample the grill items and their desserts.
___________________________
Sudestada
Guatemala 5602 (corner Fitzroy)
Palermo Viejo
+54 11 4776 3777
Open for lunch and dinner, Mondays to Saturdays

* Plus another branch in Madrid on Modesto Lafuente 64 (+34 91 533 41 54)

KABUKI

We arrived in Madrid late Sunday afternoon on the same day as the final match of the Spanish league and the city was readying itself for a Real Madrid win. The area near the Ritz, where we stayed, is traditionally where all the football fans gather on important game days for Real Madrid. This being the final, the area around the hotel was already filled with supporters getting ready for the final. We had a quiet meal at a nearby pizzeria then headed back to the hotel for an early night which turned out into an all-nighter with the fireworks and partying fans on the Plaza Canovas nearby.

The following morning, we had a few important errands to run and then in the evening, we had a dinner reservation at Kabuki . I chose this restaurant because of it's high score in the Zagat.

A and I had dinner with my good friend, T and we chose an outdoor table in their pleasant terrace. The menu at Kabuki is quite large each section divided into classic Japanese cuisine and Kabuki specialties.

We started off with miso soups then had sashimi of tuna and salmon which were very fresh. From the Kabuki specialties, we had the temaki (a hand-rolled sushi cone) of spicy tuna with fried quail's egg - something that none of us had ever tried. The temaki was very good - an interesting flavor mix of warm fried quail's egg with the cool spicy tuna chunks accompanied by cold sake.

For our main courses, we chose the traditional mixed tempura - prawns, sweet potatoes, carrots, peppers and lotus root and from the specialties, a sauteed tenderloin sprinkled with sea salt and served with a spicy mustard dip. Dessert was ogura (red bean) ice cream.

Kabuki
Ave. Presidente Carmona, 2
Tel: +34 914 176 415

Closed Saturday at midday, Sundays, bank holidays, Easter week and 3 weeks in August

**** Food (excellent sushi and sashimi)

**** Atmosphere (Modern interiors with a nice outdoor terrace)

*** Service (Correct and efficient although the waiters could smile a bit more)

My tip: Order the set menu (either traditional or Kabuki) to try the wide range of specialties available.

Weekend in Madrid

Since we moved to Spain a year ago, we've been to Madrid on several occasions but were able to see only a a bit of the city each time.

Last June, my husband was on a business trip so we flew to Madrid all together. While he was at work, I explored the city with our 5-year old son.

All he wanted to do was stop at each playground we saw and ride the red double-decker bus of the Madrid Vision tour (two routes: classical or modern Madrid). It's cheesy but the most convenient way to see all of Madrid's sights within an hour and especially entertaining for children. We got off at the Palacio real and where he really enjoyed seeing the Apothecary (which he could relate to as the potion room from "Shrek 2") and the armory that showcased all the knights armour and weapons. The royal palace is right beside lovely gardens with a large playground and several maze hedges where he ran around for hours. We had lunch one day at the terrace of Cafe Gijon, Madrid's famous artist's hangout since it opened in 1888 and another day at the garden of the Ritz Hotel where we were staying.

In February, we took the train and my good friend Therese took me around the up and coming Chueca neighborhood that is Madrid's hip area for new restaurants and young designer's boutiques. We wandered around the small streets, went window shopping and had a coffee in a scruffy bar filled with young artsy types. We continued on to Calle Serrano in the barrio Salamanca where the scene changes completely. This is where the city's best shops are - from Loewe to Carolina Herrera to Purificacion Garcia. We had lunch at Thai Gardens on Calle Jorge Juan where recently many new restaurants and shops have also cropped up.

This time, we decided to drive to Madrid (around 600 kilometers) and spend 3 days exploring the city a bit more. We left home at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday afternoon and arrived at around 11:00 p.m. We stayed with Therese in La Moraleja, a very nice neighborhood a few kilometers outside Madrid.

On Friday morning, we took the car into town. We walked to the Gran Via and stumbled on the modern restaurant, Mercado de la Reina we sat at the marble-topped bar for some breakfast. The place was packed and the prices were very reasonable. We all had Lavazza cafes con leche with Pan con tomate (toasted bread with tomato puree and olive oil) and an excellent slice of tortilla. Afterwards, Therese and I walked to the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum while my husband, our son and the nanny took the Madrid vision tour.

The Thyssen-Bornemisza museum is in a lovely building on the Paseo del Prado very close to the Spain's equivalent to the Louvre, the Prado museum. The museum has an excellent permanent collection but since we didn't have enough time, we only went to the temporary exhibition "The Mirror and the Mask: Portraiture in the Age of Picasso" (running until the 20th of May). There were ten rooms of portraits exhibited from Picasso, Van Gogh and Gauguin to Schiele, Modigliani, Freud and Dali. We put off the museum's permanent collection for another visit. The museum also has a nice store and a a lovely restaurant with a large terrace.

From there, we met up with everyone else in Barrio Salamanca. We had planned to have lunch at a newish restaurant called Pan de Lujo but when we tried to make a reservation for Friday, we were told that there was nothing available. While walking along Jorge Juan to find a restaurant open for lunch before 2:00 p.m., we saw the modern, white facade of Pan de Lujo and decided to walk in and try our luck with a table. We were the first customers in and were told that we could choose whichever table we wanted near the front as the back area near the garden was already fully-booked.

We settled in a large table right beside the window and admired the modern interiors for at least twenty minutes before someone actually came up to the table to bring menus and take our drink order. In the meantime, clients started to arrive and the place began to fill up.

Drinks were brought along with side plates which remained empty. We didn't see the waiter again till he came with our orders half an hour later. Bread, which we imagined was their specialty because of the name Pan de Lujo (Luxury Bread) was never served until the main courses arrived. The bread basket was composed of an uninteresting selection of rolls and bagel-like bread that was bland and hard. We were never served the accompanying flavored olive oil that all the other tables had as well.

The menu at Pan de Lujo is supposedly modern Spanish fusion. Since we were not that hungry, we opted to have only main courses. The waitress warned us that since we didn't order any starters, we would have to wait for a long time (since when are clients punished for not being that hungry?). Therese chose grilled Chipirones (baby squid) with vegetables. Alex chose the goulash with caramelized onions. Jerome and Yoly were sharing the truffled Albondigas (meatballs) with tempura fries and I chose the Iberico burger with french fries which was highly recommended by the waitress.

The whole experience was such a disaster that I don't know where to start. Therese's main course had six baby squid on vegetables that were neither grilled nor caramelized. Alex's goulash was three pieces of brown meat on a black plate with raw onions scattered on the top. Jerome and Yoly's meatballs never arrived and instead they were also given a burger. The Iberian hamburger was dry and came with one large piece of wilted lettuce, a thin slice of tomato and raw potato sticks. There was also dollop of grain mustard and watery ketchup spread out on the plate as a garnish.

The restaurant interiors were amazing - great lighting, good use of space, modern furniture but everything else didn't make sense. Service was spotty or non-existent, the food was bland, presentation was uninteresting and the portions were pitiful. Prices were high (e.g. my hamburger was 18 euros - about 25 US$) and bread was charged at 1.80 euros or 2.50 US$ per person. It's standard practice in Spain to have a cover charge in restaurants for bread and butter (which I still don't understand) but in places like Pan de Lujo, I find it petty and unnecessary to levy a bread basket charge when the restaurant is a fine dining establishment and no main course is under the price of 16 euros.

It is also so disappointing to have read favorable reviews about a restaurant that doesn't understand what it's concept is and tries to pass off mediocre food as stylish. The place has a lot of potential if only they concentrated on getting the service and food up to standards instead of just banking on their wonderful interiors and chic crowd.

Dinner that evening was at Wagaboo in Diversia, La Moraleja's small commercial center of restaurants, a bowling alley and cinemas. We were meeting up with my brother-in-law, Juan and his family - a total of 6 adults and 5 children.

Wagaboo is a place that understands what a good restaurant should be - cool interiors, attentive service, excellent food quality and reasonable prices. Their specialty is fresh pasta and noodles and have several Oriental selections as well as Italian options. The glassed-in kitchen shows the chef making the noodles by hand and brings some of the action and noise of the kitchen into the dining area. The place was packed and the food was very good.

I've been to Wagaboo several times before and the food and service are consistently good. After our lunch fiasco, dinner in Wagaboo was a delicious relief. We finished off the evening with ice cream cones at Giangrossi - an Argentine ice cream bar where we had espressos and dulce de leche cones.

The next morning, we took it easy and did a bit of shopping and hanging out. We walked around the Moraleja town center and had a coffee at the terrace of Cafe Pino near the fountain while the children played all day at home.

Dinner Saturday evening at Hakkasan (Calle de la Estafeta 2, Plaza de la Fuente in La Moraleja +34 91 650 84 80) was my brother-in-law's treat. Named after the famous Michelin-starred London restaurant of Alan Yau, this Hakkasan recreates the modern interiors of it's namesake but deviates from it's Chinese menu.

This restaurant serves Oriental/Peruvian cuisine which explains the diverse menu selections from ceviche to sushi to stir-fries. The place was empty when we arrived at 9:15 and packed by the time we started to order at around 10:00 p.m. A few celebrities were in attendance along with many chic locals so the place is also excellent for people watching (apparently Posh and Becks who are La Moraleja residents are regulars here).

We started off with Pisco sour cocktails and were served an amuse bouche of crispy shrimp balls. Several appetizers were chosen and placed in the center for everyone to share. We had the dim sum selection, vegetable spring rolls, ceviche and an assorted sushi plate. Each one chose a different main course to follow - Therese had the sauteed scallops, Mirta the stir-fried chicken with Chinese mushrooms, Juan the crispy beef, Alex the shredded duck with vegetables and I chose a seared tuna tataki (cooked on the outside and raw inside) with spicy sweet sauce.

The food was good although not authentic Oriental and the service was very efficient. I thought the appetizers were much better than the main courses and a good option might be to make a meal of many different kinds of appetizers.

For a neighborhood restaurant, Hakkasan offers a modern hip atmosphere excellent for a get together with friends wanting a bit of city sophistication in La Moraleja. It will be interesting to return in the warmer months when their large terrace will be open as well. Espressos and desserts were at the nearby Giangrossi again.

Sunday morning was spent packing and getting ready to go. After lunch at Wagaboo, we set off at 3:00 p.m. and made it back in 5 hours. Dinner was takeaway from Terrazza Dual located on the Golden Mile. This restaurant is a casual Italian that also offers pizza to go. The superb toppings, mozarella di bufala and rucula among others and the extra thin crispy crust make this Marbella's best pizza. The perfect end to another gastronomic weekend spent with family and friends.

*photos from this post were taken from the restaurants websites and on the internet.