LA BRUNILDA Tapas Bar is one unassuming place located near the famous bullring in Sevilla. The exact address is Calle Galera 5, and it's worth the trip for sure! We ordered quite a number of tapas here and was dazzled by each serving. Perfect portions, superb plating, and everything tastes divine. The Mushroom Risotto is the best I've tried anywhere. Absolutely delicious! The taste is so simple with just about the right proportion of saltiness to it. The Idiazabal cheese does the trick all the time! This duck confit sitting on a bed of peas, spiced and creamed carrots and pistachios is both playful and savory. You can't go wrong ordering this one. Scallops with creamed cauliflowers with sliced sausages and herring roe? Why ever not? The plating as you can see is 5 stars. And it tastes as good as it looks. Foie Gras always hits the spot. Having it served with pears cooked in red wine and spiced bread is the bomb! Forgive all these exclamation marks but I am writing exactly how I feel. The gustatory delight is truly one exclamation point. It almost sounds out of place to be ordering tuna tataki here. But I've read good reviews about this dish and while I'm not a big fan of couscous, we ordered it and we weren't disappointed. I only wish there were more veggies on this dish. The sweet potatoes flavored and creamed with Idiazabal cheese and pistachios proved to be a big hit with us. Especially when paired with grilled Iberian pork shoulder. How can something this good cost less than 5€? In fact all the food items above are priced at only 4.50€ to 4.80€ except for the Foie Gras which costs 5.50€. The grilled octopus with veggies and soy mayo came after several mouth-watering tapas but excited us just the same. It's still grilled pulpo with a modern twist. Yum. I am not sure what this is. We ordered the Tapas for the day and got this delicious dish. Who cares what it is when everything that touched our lips here is muy sabroso? And we were certainly not leaving without a proper dessert! We had a sliver of each and thus left La Brunilda smiling from ear to ear. I cannot recommend this place enough. I would go back and order the same dishes, plus more, in a heartbeat! One final advice. Come early. They open at 1pm but it's best to be at their doorstep a good half hour before then. Buen Provecho!
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If the Chef sports a Mohawk do, expect a wild ride with his gourmet offerings. David Munoz ' 3 Michelin star DiverXO may be fully-booked for many months but there's StreetXO, his more casual and budget-friendly restaurant at the top floor of El Corte Ingles in Calle Serrano, Madrid. The last time I was here, I made sure to order the Grilled Bone Marrow with Churros. Yes, the combination sounds weird. But punkish David Muñoz runs an eclectic menu fusing old and new, east and west, traditional and novel. We watched as row upon row of bone marrow were grilling as we enjoyed our appetizers and cerveza. Smoked and served with shizo ponzu sauce, those razor clams tasted divine. I wasn't so sold on the Skate Ribs with Indonesian Sambal sauce, but my friends were. The second time I tried StreetXO, I made sure to again order the Pekinese Dumplings made with crunchy pig's ears and strawberry hoisin sauce. This dish which looks like artwork is a winner, all the time. Prawns, shiitake mushrooms, coconut cream, drowned in Singapore Laksa. . The waiter served it without the soup which he pours right on the table for diners to see. Very dramatic. Trust Muñoz never to run out of such flair with food presentations. The Korean Lasagna is truly a fusion of Galician beef plated with wontons , marinated tomatoes and shiitake mushrooms. The overall taste is as confusing as the ingredients that went into the dish but overall, it's good. The Club Sandwich was earlier recommended to me on my first visit here, so I made sure my friend ordered the steamed samdwich with ricotta cheese and an assortment of oriental sauces and topped with quail eggs. We were likewise delighted with our order of Iberian panchetta served with greens to wrap it with. Yum! The spinach dish was to my liking, like those before it. I guess dining ANYWHERE truly requires an OPEN MIND for one to enjoy what the resto offers. Chef Muñoz is truly creative and talented and his StreetXO crew appears so well-trained. Watching them, especially from the bar, is an experience in itself. In Madrid, you have a choice of going traditional or modern. By traditional, I am thinking callos, cocido, tortilla, huevos rotos, patatas bravas, and many other Spanish dishes that simply never go out of style. By modern, I am thinking of the same traditional cuisine but with a modern twist. La Gabinoteca is the go-to-place in this department. La Gabinoteca's claim to fame is "El Potito", a dish encased in a mason jar that is best sniffed, mixed and then spooned. Made of potatoes, egg and truffle, this dish is not for sharing. Be warned! It is sooo good that sharing it with a friend may put the friendship at risk. I kid you not. Have one jar enjoyed by each person, and preserve the relationship. This is NOT to say it's the only good thing to be had here. We likewise tried the navajas or razor clams, another favorite, and the scallops or vieiras. The dishes are savoury and playfully plated. Muy impresionante! The first time we dined here, we likewise tried the salmorejo, taco pato and the langostinos. All are good, but not as outstanding as the scallops and razor clams. The fried artichokes are kind of forgettable, so with the croquetas, but not exactly mediocre. If you happen to be in Madrid and feel you're done with the traditional favorites, try La Gabinoteca. Even if you drop in just to try the El Potito, it would have been worth the trip! The prices are quite reasonable. And the ambience is very hip. Friday nights here should be fun, especially around the bar. Check it out -- Calle Fernández de la Hoz, 53. Amazing food. Amazing place.
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