Andrea Chun

'me encanta, uno de mis favoritos'

I have had 4 wonderful meals here. I first found this place in January 2009 when visiting Madrid. I just went again last night. The menu constantly changes - as a menu should when it is driven by the chef's desire to only serve what is fresh and in season. I think the chef has upped his game since 2 years ago. In some ways, I am sorry (there is no longer any Cava by the glass and I cannot as easily afford to go) that the restaurant has improved. But my meal last night was exquisitely prepared and served. The restaurant is small - only 6 tables and 1 person working the floor - so go early, don't expect the tables to turn over and don't expect to order whatever was recommended to you or any one particular dish. Also, expect to pay about 50 euro for an appetizer and main course. The level of the food, wine and service would easily merit a Michelin star, or 2, if it were in California.

'me encanta, uno de mis favoritos'

Best meal we had in Seville. After despairing of finding food that was actually good, our final meal in Seville was actually delicious - and so much cheaper than the other places. Be warned though, it will be crowded and expect to wait. Grab a drink and a small tapa and you will be rewarded for your patience.

'me gusta'

Finally a lovely green salad - the "super green". It has edamame, broccoli, avocado, asparagus and mesculin lettuces with a light vinaigrette. I also had the pear and jamon pizza. It was okay. More like a flatbread than a pizza, but I appreciated the thought of combining the cheese and jamon with pear (and a bit of sage?). I would go back for the salad. The ambiance was nice and the service was quite good. My waitress wasn't the best but the other wait-staff more than made up for her. For example, I ordered a dish that was on the chalkboard. Rather than tell me it wasn't available, my waitress brought another dish! When I got the attention of a nearby waitress, she immediately told me the dish I ordered wasn't available, took away the dish substituted by my waitress, brought me a menu and made sure I wasn't charged for the mix-up. She didn't push off the problem to my waitress. I appreciate that level of service. It shows the management cares.

'me encanta, uno de mis favoritos'

Chocolate con churros or porras (a thicker churro, like the Mexican churros) are wonderful. The hot chocolate is deep and rich. The churros come to your table still hot from the fryer and taste just right - not too sweet, not too bland. The porras are fresh and perfect for dipping. You can find a table without fighting the crowds and the service is friendly and efficient. I look forward to returning.

A disappointment. After reading the good reviews, I was expecting a better meal and a better experience. I ordered the chicken stewed with almonds, which tasted like mediocre chicken korma and was unevenly heated throughout. My husband ordered the duck with orange sauce, which was more like duck jerky in marmalade. Then to really top off our disappointment, we were each charged a 1.20 euro "utensil fee" ("cubierto") I have heard of corkage fees and being charged for bread, but a "utensil fee"? I thought nice restaurants, like Corral del Agua pretend to be were supposed to supply utensils as part of the service. AVOID this overrated tourist trap.

Be Careful

I rented the apartment "Opera II" over the internet. Contrary to the photos, Opera II is not a one bedroom apartment - something the website is carefully quiet about. And, contrary to the desription, there is no bathtub in the bathroom. But the lack of a bathtub is minor compared to the lack of a bedroom. The photos lead one to believe that Opera II has a seperate bedroom. Instead, there is a square column in the middle of the studio and open Ikea shelving between the column and wall that seperates the bed from the sofa and tv. The open shelving does not provide privacy, for light or sound. This is not evident from the photos, nor does the apartment description let you know that Opera II is a studio.
It was also a dirty studio. Perhaps the maid thought that she should not spend much time cleaning the apartment because we would be moving in two days to another apartment in the same building, "Opera V", or because we arrived early to drop our bags off then left the apartment for several hours to give her time to clean. Whatever the reason, the apartment was not clean when we returned to take possession of it. I had asked the maid to mop the floors and air out the smell of smoke. She did neither, so I had to. There were black muddy shoe prints all across the floor. The bathroom was full of hair from the previous tenants as well as old toothpaste on the counter and something brown and gunky. Even the mirror was dirty. Fortunately, there was a strong bathroom solvent cleanser under the kitchen sink that I used liberally. It took 2 hours to clean the apartment. Later the management was going to charge me for 2 cleaning service charges (one for Opera II and one for Opera V). When I objected, the management tried to charge me for one and a half cleaning service charges. They did concede and only charge me for one cleaning charge after I explained the state of uncleanliness in Opera II.
Additionally, the management was not very professional, especially in comparison to the management of the apartment I rented in Paris. The apartment I rented in Paris came equiped with a binder full of helpful information - nearby restaurants, pharmacies, and other services. Plus, questions to the management were knowlegably answered. These apartments come without any assistance from the management. For example, eventhough the apartments claim to have internet access, they do not provide it. There are router boxes in both apartments, but you need to know the password or WEB code in order to access the internet. The management does not know this information and instead directed us to figure it out ourselves from the router box. And, of course, the information was not provided on the router box. Another example was a request to the management if they knew of any cheap car parks near the apartment. We were told by the manager in charge that he doesn't drive so he doesn't know any. Similarly, a question to the management regarding renting a cell phone or getting a prepaid cell phone for our stay was met with ignorance. These were our only requests for assistance beyond getting access to Opera II, and later Opera V.
There were several possitive points. When I expressed my grave dissapointment with the fact that Opera II was not a one bedroom as it appears to be from the website, the management worked with us to get us into Opera V, which was a one bedroom, as soon as it became available. When we moved into Opera V, it was clean. And the management did say that it was not acceptable to them that Opera II was delivered to us dirty. Both Opera II and Opera V are nicely decorated and appointed, and wonderfully located.

Andrea Chun lo descubrió en enero de 2009

Must Visit Museum

Add Museo del Jamon to the Prado, the Reina Sofia and the Thyssen-Bornemisza as museums you must visit. Actually, the Museo del Jamon has wonderful bocadillos and is a great place to stop to pick up food for a picnic or to have a quick bite. The upstairs, formal dining room is beautiful and full of Madrilleno ladies of a distinguished age and impeccably coifed, taking a full lunch. However, the prix fixe lunch should be avoided because the second course is inedible, eventhough the first course paella is lovely. It is definitely worth the wait to eat in the upstairs dining room, even if you just choose to eat a bocadillo. But, it is better to order plates of jamon and queso that are served with nice, crusty bread, a paella to share and some ice cold cerveza...
I recommend Museo del Jamon.

Clueless

I made our reservation based on reviews I had read. We had been eating heavy meals and were ready for something a bit lighter and different. I was worried when we arrived to find that there were absolutely no other customers in the restaurant. I wanted to keep walking and not show up for our reservation. I should have followed my instinct. The food was unacceptable. I had to return my fish as it made me gag, but I was still charged for it until I contested the bill. We were also served a soft, herb bread that had been sliced several hours before and was therefore dry and stale. We did not request the bread but were charged for it, per person. There was only one person working the front of the restaurant and he just seemed as clueless and unprofessional as the food. I do not recommend Cornucopia.

Go for Steak

I had the steak, which was well seasoned and served on a sizzling hot plate, still cooking, and utterly delicious. My husband had the merluza, which was acceptable. Of course, Casa Paco is known for its steak and not its fish... It also has a great atmosphere, very "old Madrid." The service was very good. Shockingly, our waiter was a young Asian guy - very rare to see Asians integrated in Madrid. I highly recommend Casa Paco.

Great Old Restaurant

Surprisingly good in every way. I was afraid that this restauant would be resting on its laurels due to its popularity in tourist guides and its great age. I should not have worried. The food and wine and service were good. We had assorted appetizers, the partrige with fava beans and the roast chicken, and one other dish which was delicious but I've forgotten the name. The waiters were great - professional and very, very kind to the children. I highly recommend Casa Ciriaco.