I meant to do a lot of walking today. Feeling obsessed to sweat off a bit after the chills yesterday. Need to get back on the groove. But just a half hour into the drill, I was longing for a cup of cafe cortado. So, I promptly got into Mercado Provenzal along Calle Bravo Murillo, 26 in Madrid.

Too cold this morning for a walk but I won't let that ruin my plans. So a toast to go with the brew seemed like a good idea. Con tomate, of course. No mantequilla for me.

Cortado was good 👍☕️ and I've grown to like tomate on my pan. Just enough energy for a couple more hours of walking before sitting down to a proper lunch later.

La cuenta? The bill floored me. 1 euro for my coffee and toast? Soooo cheap-o. Half a euro for my cortado? Wow. Not bad. Not bad at all. I ❤️ desayunos in 🇪🇸

After an afternoon spent in Museo Thyssen, I walked to a corner to wait for my bus home. Then I remembered this restaurant with fancy Spanish decor (thanks again, Jaime) consisting of manton de manila (spanish shawl) and paineta (fancy hair comb/pin).

I was too full to order a meal (Museo Thyssen has a good café) so I headed for the bar. The aroma of hot chocolate wafted in the air, so I promptly ordered a cup.

And a tiny slice of a cheesecake which I devoured in an instant. And I thought I wasn't hungry. Sweets do that to you. They confuse your brain cells and make you feel deprived if you don't give in to your gustatory whims.

But let's go back to the decor. Those painettas look so lovely, ei? I couldn't take a photo of the manton spread out and hanging by a window because there were diners there.

A pity. But maybe next time I'd have lunch by that window and have a good photo of the lively decor from that side. Now, off to catch my bus!

Just off the corner from our Madrid nest is a panaderia. Like many desayuno places here in Madrid, most breakfasts here fetch under 3 euros which already includes tea or coffee or hot choco plus a bocadillo of your choice.

It can get crowded here along Calle Reina Victoria very near the Glorieta de Cuatro Caminos, but for a quickie brekkie it would do.

I think I can whip up a better-looking and better-tasting bocadillo or open sandwich or pintxo, but they serve it warm and crunchy plus the coffee's not bad.

You may want to check out my other desayuno discoveries here. For more details and photos on my food and other discoveries in Madrid (and elsewhere), do check out my lifeisacelebration site. Buen provecho!

http://marilil.wordpress.com

Was back a 2nd time. The chicken empanada is goooooodddddd!

One of many desayuno discoveries here in Madrid. Helped along by tips from friends here, I searched for this breakfast place along Calle Fernando de Catolico just off Calle San Bernardo.

I came in first and from 10-11 am, claimed the place exclusively. My cafe cortado was freshly brewed and my tostada con pulgita de brie y tomate came en pronto just as i warmed my seat in a cutesy corner.

It's amazing how this seemingly quiet place can transform itself into a vibrant music bar at night. I can imagine the crowds filling up the inside chambers of The Toast while music fills the entire place.

For more details and photos on my food and other discoveries in Madrid (and elsewhere), do check out my lifeisacelebration site. Buen provecho!

http://marilil.wordpress.com

Been coming here often enough but the long lines put me off. NOT THIS TIME. I brought with me a ton of patience to endure the queue and finally get my hands on those tapas!

Tables are taken but i had my eyes on the bar. A rioja (en vaso?), a couple of croquetas de bacalao and an empanadita. One bite on the croqueta and I regret I didn't order more. :-(

The bacalao is pillow soft. The empanada tasted like it was cooked just a couple of minutes ago. Well they sure looked busy while I was there, and some had to wait for their orders as many bought para llevar.

Despite the waiting in line, the messy floors, the not-so-friendly old waiters, and the rioja in a shooter glass, you bet I'm willing to stand in line again to let those croquetas and empanaditas touch my lips again.

Casa Labra is just right behind El Corte Ingles in Calle Tetuan near Puerta del Sol.

For more food and travel finds, do check out my lifeisacelebration site.

http://marilil.wordpress.com

I took note of this place when we passed it and Jaime mentioned that they serve the best patatas bravas. Ding Ding Ding! Such trivia ranks high in my list!

So when he suggested we check out the place before calling it a night, there were no arguments! The place was packed with locals and we were lucky to find a table.

The locals all ordered the patatas bravas and orejas de cerdo without exception. I was sure to get a good deal when served with a plate of each.

Same patented sauce on the potatoes and pig's ears. Yes, you read that one right. Orejas de cerdo. Read: ears of a (not so lucky) pig.

A bit spicy. Just a little kick, poured on a plate of truly HOT, just-cooked potatoes. The orejas remind me of our local sisig, except that the ears are in strips.

From our table I have a clear view of the "steaming kitchen". Boy, they sure are busy here. Obviously, this place is a favorite of locals. Yum!

If you want a very authentic Madrileño dining experience, try one of the branches of this chain of tapas resto. We tried the branch in Calle de Espoz y Mina, 13 just off Puerta del Sol. Or just ask any Madrileño. I bet they know where the nearest branch is.

If you're searching for the best coffee in the city, THIS. IS. IT.

The place looks nearly non-descript. Like it's NOT ready to let in customers. Or maybe, like a confident hombre, it doesn't feel the need to be flashy.... knowing it doesn't have to prove anything to anyone.

Almost bare, the chairs don't match. A stool. A bench. A lone sofa. And a corner where one serves himself water and helps himself with sugar.

Sin azucar sabe mejor. I drank my cafe cortado without sugar after reading the sign. The best coffee indeed. And yes, the alfajores is divine.

Toma Cafe gets 5 stars from YELP. And I couldn't agree more. This tiny cafe can be found along Calle Palma just off Calle San Bernardo.

For more food and travel finds, do check out lifeisacelebration site.

http://marilil.wordpress.com

Desde 1942. Since 1942. So they must know what they're doing. Thanks to Jaime, I had a wonderful cocido madrileño in this place just a block away from our Madrid nest.

Cocido Madrileño. This very traditional chickpea-based stew is a complete meal by itself. Best shared unless you have a very very big appetite. Starts with a soup made from the broth of all those meat ingredients with some noodles added in.

The flavors from all that pork belly, chicken, chorizo, morcilla, beef shank, ham bone, best complement the garbanzos or chick peas, potatoes, carrots, turnips and cabbage.

You can start by digging into that bone marrow to spread on your bread. Sprinkled with some salt, it's both sinful and heavenly.

You can request for a 2nd bowl of the savoury tomato sauce to slather all over your cocido. Just yummy. After the soup you may start with the vegetables, and then the meat. But it's fine to eat them together, topped with tomato sauce.

Don't be shy to have the leftovers wrapped para llevar. They make good ropa vieja by just stirring in more garlic and onions, then mixing in the tomato sauce a la our very own pochero.

La Gran Tasca can be found in Santa Engracia, 161. Tel #s 91 534 46 34 . The red line to Rios Rosas or Cuatro Caminos bring you just a block away.

For more details and photos on my food and other discoveries in Madrid (and elsewhere), do check out my lifeisacelebration site. Buen provecho!

http://marilil.wordpress.com

When I chanced upon Mercado de San Miguel near Plaza Mayor when I last visited Madrid, I went back again and again for my tinto de verano, croquetas and boquerones. Such a lovely place!

Each time though, the place is packed with locals and tourists alike. Fat chance you'd claim a stool or a decent space to enjoy your tapas y vino. So when Pinoy historian and Rizal enthusiast Jaime Marco brought me to Mercado de San Anton, I was more than delighted!

One of Madrid's oldest mercados, you'd find it in the gay (?) neighborhood of Chueca. Here you'd have a wide range of choices for your quezos, jamon, mushrooms and other deli products. One suspects the place is pricier as it is trendier, but OMG how could I have missed it in previous trips!

Jaime and I sat down for our 'desayuno'. If you mean to just limit yourself to a cup of cafe con leche or cortado -- as I initially intended -- I'd bet my bottom euro you won't resist for long -- as I did.

This traditional mercado with a modern, trendy twist can be found in Calle Figueroa, 24 in the Chueca neighborhood. Once there, don't fail to try the Anchoas del Cantabrico. If you like anchovies, you'd enjoy this muy fino variety. Que sabroso! Muchas gracias, Jaime.

Oops. And I'm back way too soon. :-) so here's another tip. Try the bacalao al pilpil and foie de bacalao con un vaso de sidra. Heaven. Oh, have I said that already?

For more details and photos on my food and other discoveries in Madrid (and elsewhere), do check out my lifeisacelebration site. Buen provecho!

http://marilil.wordpress.com

I don't know what HD stands for. Couldn't be the name of the street (Calle Guzman el Bueno) just off Calle San Bernardo, so I'm assuming it's the owner's initials. :-)

It certainly doesn't look much from the outside but I'm glad I stepped in for my cappuccino con caramel naturale and my molleta con tomate. I was tipped the molleta here is good and tomate is a typical Spanish desayuno.

I do like the vibe inside. I can imagine the crowd when this breakfast place turns into a pub or bar later in the day. Maybe I should try going back another time.

For more details and photos on my food and other discoveries in Madrid (and elsewhere), do check out my lifeisacelebration site. Buen provecho!

http://marilil.wordpress.com