food haven

Hello kids! This week is going to be a short one from me. I'll be in the Spanish capital from this Thursday till Monday next week with our fellow mixologist Paolo and Toru to sample the local specialities. So, lots of cerveza and vermouth till the wee hours of the morning and of course tapas, Mercado de San Miguel, bring it on! So, in anticipation of the drinking sessions, I'll be adding extra measures of cocktail recipes and drinking dens with the usual dose of Architecture (Spanish this time).

Mercado de San Miguel is a Spanish market for foodies. The whole market is privately owned and recently gone through a massive refurbishment. The market is almost 100 years old but a group of investors lead by Montserrat Valle has preserved the original iron structure of the early 20th century. Turning this once dilapidated market and purchasing former store-holders license costs €20m. Honestly, it reminds me of London's Borough Market but much better. As you would expect from a 'gourmet' market, the 33 market stalls are undeniably pricey. But hey, the food is good! It is unique in Madrid because it provides 'degustación' menu. This ready-to-eat food is popular amongst Madrid's masses although there are 40-odd other neighbourhood markets around. The extensive choice of drinking places doesn't go amiss either.

The site was once occupied by a church, San Miguel de Octo but was badly damaged by fire in 1790. Although it was repaired, the state headed by King Joseph Bonaparte decided to tear it down completely in 1809. He had this idea of opening up spaces within the city and this new public square became an open-air market for 128 drawers and 88 stalls. The rows upon rows of perishables in wooden crates were seen as un-hygienic by city planners in the mid 19th century. It wasn't until 1836 that an architect called Joaquín Henri designed a covered market. This shift in approach resulted in several covered markets in Madrid. Mercado de San Miguel was built in 1916 by supervising Architect Alfonso Díez Dubé following the style of The Halles de Paris. The whole structure is covered in cast iron with decks, modern drainage, crest ceramic crown cover but glazing was installed much later in its life.

Cocktail Recipe #1
FiFi Juice - Add vodka & honey into a shaker with lots of ice & shake. Pour into a cocktail glass and add lemonade

Worth noting:
La Casa del Bacalao, Mercado de San Miguel - Try out the cod is all its guises. Yum!
Delic, Costanilla de San Andrés 14 - Try the simple cocktails here. Not as proficient for the complex mixes.
Café Belén, Calle Belén 5 - Very chilled out atmosphere for coffee, teas and cocktails!

The weekend has been a mix of joy, anger & despair. Joy - to be able to catch up with good friends. Anger - to be mugged in the fucking street by gangbangers! Despair - to deal with repercussions of hollow suspicions. Well, it could have been worse. It was better for me to be mugged than leaving the Brunette to go home by herself.

No good deed has ever gone unpunished. So true!