AVE – Luxe Train Travel

I almost forgot to post about the AVE and how it’s our favorite way to travel to Madrid.  Quick, easy and super comfortable, its’ a pleasure to travel by train especially in these times of airport stress and flight delays.  It takes a mere 2.5 hours by fast train from Malaga to Madrid and you arrive right smack in the center of town at Atocha station.  The ride is quick and if you take either Preferente (Business) or Club (First), complimentary WiFi and refreshments are included in the fare.  There is already an AVE from Malaga to Barcelona (via Zaragoza) and another one to Sevilla very soon.  We choose train travel over air travel any day and hopefully, it will soon be possible to hop on a fast train to get around most of Europe.

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?

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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.

Feed Me Now

I just received my Amazon order yesterday evening. Along with two Booker prize nominations (AS Byatt and Sarah Waters) plus the winner, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, I also bought two foodie books – David Leibovitz’s The Sweet Life and Bill Granger’s newest cookbook Feed Me Now.  It’s been a long time since I’ve actually sat down and read through a whole cookbook from cover to cover.  This is going to be a classic and will now be on my “favorite cookbook shelf” for its’ simple recipes and realistic preparation and easy-to-find ingredients.  I can’t wait to get back from Madrid and try the recipes out.

Recipes from a Jardin Potager

Now that the summer is over, I’ve replanted my mini jardin potager (kitchen garden) which I often use to add some freshness to our food.  Right now, I have eight small pots of herbs:  chives for omelettes fines herbes or added onto boiled new potatoes with melted butter; cilantro for Asian dishes like steamed fish; parsley for sauteed potatoes or in a bolognese sauce; basil for tomato sauce or just on a salad of sliced tomatoes; rosemary for lemon roast chicken; thyme for grilled lamb chops and mint for Vietnamese nems or to add in a pot of green tea.  I also have a red chili plant (bird’s eye chili) in a larger pot on the terrace to add to Thai curries and spicy stir-fries.  There are so many ways to jazz up a dish just with fresh herbs and having a few pots on a shady window sill or in a small corner of your garden is an easyway to add some interesting flavors to your home cooking.

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.

LA PAPPARDELLA SUL MARE

It was an early evening mid-week and we decided to go for a quick dinner somewhere nearby.  Since it was still not quite autumn, we took advantage of one of the last days of warm weather and wanted to eat outdoors so we ended up at La Pappardella Sul Mare in Laguna Village.   We had been to this restaurant a few times during the summer when it stayed bright till late.  The other day, we arrived before eight just in time to watch the sun set on the horizon and have an early dinner.  We all wanted something simple to start and shared a pizza bread (thin-crust pizza topped with tomato sauce and garlic) and a tomato mozzarella salad.  I prefer pizza without cheese so this type of tomato-pizza-bread is what I always order – it’s actually a pizza margherita without the cheese.

To follow, we all had pasta – gnocchi Sorrentina (with tomato and mozzarella sauce), spaghetti bolognese, spaghetti aglio, oglio e peperoncino con gamberoni (with prawns in garlic, chili and olive oil) and my all-time favorite spaghetti alle vongole (clams in white wine, garlic and olive oil).  All were al dente and quite good.  It started to get chilly so after finishing our dinner we went straight home.

La Pappardella is a nice option in this part of town and an ideal place for an al fresco lunch but get ready for the usual steep prices that come with having a table outdoors overlooking the Mediterranean.  The view is amazing but it doesn’t come cheap – at least the food is good.

Baby’s first birthday

There are many firsts in life and probably the most fun is a first birthday.  Our daughter just turned one and we celebrated yesterday afternoon with a mini-party at home.  A few of her brother’s friends came by after school for some snacks and cake – delicious pink frosted (of course) vanilla and chocolate cupcakes from Cake Marbella along with a fantastic cherry, tomato, spinach and Feta cheese quiche for the mums.

While we chatted away on the terrace, the boys tired themselves out playing football in the garden.  Soon after, the birthday girl blew out her candle (with dad’s help), opened her lovely presents and despite the commotion, managed not to shed any tears.  Here’s to many, many more years and many, many more firsts!

Coffee mornings

Since the cafe scene in Marbella is spread out along the coast, we end up going to the same ones over and over again and forget that hidden away in some of the areas west of Marbella and Puerto Banus are several places great for a mid-morning al fresco coffee – alone, with a toddler or with other tot-toting mums.  Here are a few of my favorite places to do just that:

Laguna Village has two cafes – the Spanish Star Cafe near Flamant and the new-ish Terra Sana Express on the Purobeach side.  Both have outdoor seating, serve coffees and light breakfasts and are ideal for a quick mid-morning snack before going to the beach for the kids to run around. (*Best for coffee mornings with other mums)

Another place that is right beside the beach in Costalita is the Villa Padierna Raquet Club where there are half a dozen Padel courts, two tennis courts and a nice little restaurant which serves sandwiches and grilled food.  Best of all for those with children is a play area and a mini football pitch within the racquet club surrounded by gardens with lots of shady areas to park the stroller. Open daily from 10 to 6 during the winter and 10 till late in the summer.  (*Best for a quiet chat with a friend while the kids run around)

Just by the Mercadona in Bel-Air is the Viveros del Valle garden center where there is a Child’s Play wooden play set with a climbing wall, swings and a slide right beside a little cafe so you can have a coffee while the children have fun next door. (*Best for a quick break)


All places I’ve listed have free parking, easy access and are open daily.