Page 79 - Travel + Leisure India & South Asia (January 2020)

Patatas bravas (fried potatoes dressed with paprika sauce
MUST EAT and parsley) are next. Pinchos come pierced and perched
IN MADRID
Jamón ibérico: on a slice of bread, and creamy croquetas, loaded with
Iberian ham, béchamel and cod, follow. Waiters dart from wine kegs,
served on bread, beer taps, and sangria decanters, to the tables. The chef
with chips. pulls off a solo act, flitting from one burner to another,
Bocadillo de
calamares: dishing out plates of finger food. The patrons, meanwhile,
Calamari sandwich sip on vermouth, house wine, sherry, and beer. If they
Orejas con patatas have any problems in their lives, they have clearly left
bravas: Stir-fried
pig ears with them outside the bar.
potatoes and Every evening is a party in Madrid. Cobbled streets in
paprika sauce the historical centre, wide avenues downtown, and tiny
Cocido madrileño:
A meat and taverns in the literary district—all come alive with cheerful
chickpea stew madrileños out for their daily quota of a drink or three. Pick
Tortilla con patatas: any place, and you find men and women jostling for a spot, A plate of gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp).
Thick Spanish precariously balancing glasses of wine and plates of tapas,
omelette with
potatoes, served waiting for a table or just standing by the window as they
with paprika sauce. smoke. But don’t let the crowds deter you. In Madrid, no fascinating, and sometimes intimidating,
FROM TOP: CRISTINA PEDRAZZINI/GETTYIMAGES; ALEX SEGRE/ALAMY
Pimientos de matter how full the bar, they’ll make space for you. preparations are tapas bars. Small and big,
Padrón: Fried green
peppers from the On a tapas crawl—guided or otherwise—there is just rich and modest, some of these bars date
Padrón region. one simple rule: keep going. The idea is to get to as back hundreds of years, others a few decades,
Gambas al ajillo: many places and have as many wines as you can. Tapas but all of them are undisputedly quirky.
Shrimp sautéed in
garlic and olive oil. comes as an added advantage. Born as a complimentary Colourful tiles depict butchers and vintners;
Champiñones a la accompaniment to wine in southern Spain, tapas are matador hats, bullheads, and old photos hang
plancha: Mushroom typically bite-sized snacks served at bars. Over the years, from the walls; vintage furniture creaks with
tossed in olive
oil, often served they have evolved from small canapés to large sharing age. In this sense, the tapas bars of Madrid
with shrimp. portions of finger food. In Madrid, especially, tapas are a lot like its food—a heady mélange of
Pulpa à feira: is an amalgamation of regional cuisines brought in tradition, history, culture, and flavour—you

Octopus fried with
potatoes sprinkled by people from across the country, from Basque to might take some time to get used to it, but
with paprika. Andalusia and Catalonia. Serving these interesting, you can never get over it.

Pinchos are a bar snack that usually come pierced (pinchar in Spanish)
and attached to a slice of bread.

GETTING THERE Hyatt Centric Gran Via
Air India (airindia.in) Madrid, located on the
offers daily direct famous Gran Vía, is a
flights from Delhi to modern hotel with chic
Madrid; other major and smart rooms that
Indian cities have easy overlook the 20 -
th
connections. Swiss, century boulevard.
Emirates, Qatar, Etihad, From `18,000 per
Turkish, and Lufthansa night; hyatt.com
offer short flights to
the Spanish capital. FOOD TOURS
Devour Madrid
STAY (madridfoodtour.com)
Hotel Wellington is offers various food and
one of Madrid’s most culture tours in and
loved stays. Located around Madrid. The
close to the city’s Evening Tapas and
famous El-Retiro Park, Wine Tasting Tour takes
it offers the exclusivity you to Madrid’s best
of the upmarket tapas bars with a
Salamanca District and chance to meet the
easy access to families that run them.
attractions like Museo The Tapas and
Nacional del Prado, Flamenco Tour lets you
Gran Vía, and the experience Madrid’s
Atocha station. From famous nightlife and
`15,000 per night; Spain’s trademark
hotel-wellington.com dance performance.

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