Bocadillos are life. Probz ate one a day when I was in Valencia in the 90s 
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The sommelier is Alberto, doña Juliaâs son. If youâre not too full, for dessert (flan de queso) you might want to take on a small platter of quesos asturianos, then burn it all off with a brisk 30-minute walk back to Plaza Alonso MartĂnez.
Doña Julia BombĂn (80 years old), has been cooking for 55 years and swears that sheâll never retire.
Sheâs a Madrid icon.
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Wow, is that how small the restaurant is?? Only 4 tables? Looks fantastic.
Saturday night is pizza night!!
Another fabulous pie from Pizza Pronto, Madrid. I took it back to the hotel to eat on the terrace because I wasnât in the mood to be around people, look at people, listen to people etc etc
I was the first person to order, and within minutes, there was a queue behind me.Itâs a small joint, so thereâs always people hovering around you and I just wasnât in the mood.
Got the pepperoni with fior de latte, San Marzano tomatoes, pecorino and albacha
Hoofed it back to my room in world record time, and the pizza was still warm. It probably would have photographed better there, but who cares.
Delicious, excellent char on the crust and bottom, top notch ingredients = 10/10.
Beautiful, slightly chilled evening here tonight.
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After a few days of eating Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner out, we get a bit of people fatigue as well.
Its fun and fruitful to shop a local supermarket or outdoor market and grab some items not readily available back home plus a bottle (or three) of drinkable wine. Add some ready to eat pre-cooked food, and just kick back in the hotel room.
Eating and drinking in relaxed comfort, we enjoy our in-room meals quite often.
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Yep, Iâm not really that misanthropic most of the time, but 6(wonderful ) days in Malaga which was swarming with people, kinda makes me appreciate my own company . Iâm lucky to have this great terrace where I can just chill out and enjoy the weather and scenery.
This is the view from my first night in Madrid 12 days ago, Iâm back in the same hotel, in the same room
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That pie is perfection.
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Grabbed a quick bit at the bar at Casa Orellana as soon as they opened, every table was booked solid according to the online reservations.
Ice cold Victoria doble to whet my appetite.
They brought out a small plate of delicious rice which pork(?) and peppers. Nice kick to it.
Small portion of torrenzo, OMG so good. Not sure why I havenât ordered these before
âŹ6.50Next up was Mollete de Pringa(kinda like a Spanish panini), ground meats and spices âŹ8 and patatas fritas âŹ5(if you make it sound sexy, you can charge more
Not much open on Sundays and this is very close to the hotel so it was a no brainer.Good stuff
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Ah, yes the Sunday-without reservation dilemma.
Nearly impossible but you managed nicely.
Iâm at the Ritz with reservations but not for Dacostaâs
Michelin-starred Deessa but for something far more humble⊠today is the last day for Madrid Hotel Tapa Tour, a signature gourmet tapa and a cava for a mere 12 euros, taken under the shade at El JardĂn del Ritz.
Sunday lunch is the day here for serving the complimentary arroz en paella tapa with oneâs drink order. You lucked out!
Next time if you find yourself in Madrid on a Sunday, let me know and Iâll post my cheat sheet.
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Sounds excellent! Enjoy
Dinner at Los Asturianos was an interesting experience for sure.
I had the hotel make me a reservation for 8:30, they open at 8pm, was a bit worried about the reso because there was no confirmation email but I hoofed it over there in no time flat.
I had done some recon earlier in the day, so I knew what to look for. Got there around 8:25 and it was completely empty
. No problem, thereâs no way I could have made a later reservation as I have an early flight to catch tomorrow.Anywho, on to the food
Super Bock beer and some sort of tasty cured sausage.
I needed some greens so I ordered the Ensalada berros y anchoas and some sort of crumbled cheese (cabrales?) Very tasty and fresh, but I probably shouldnât have ordered it considering what was coming next
Fabada Asturiana, absolutely delicious, with some chunks of pork meat and a couple of pieces of sausage. Very reminiscent of the bean soup/stew my mom used to make, but without the meats.
Did my best, but couldnât finish it, left about a quarter of it. Too bad they donât offer half portions for losers like me.
No room for coffee and dessert, which was a shame, and no reason to stick around so I was in and out of there in about 45 minutes.Food and service were excellent, the lack of other customers gave it zero ambience , but thatâs my fault for going so early.
A true old school mom and pop joint that would be better for a couple of people to share dishes.
Glad I went and got the chance to experience it.
Mrs Julia , the matriarch, was there, but I donât think her son was.
They were either pissed that I was there so early, or they were killing them selves laughing at the gringo that made reservations for an empty restaurant
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Back in the day when restaurants didnât even open until 9 pm, I had an early flight the next morning and reserved at 9 at El LandĂł. They were quite amused that a Spanish-speaker would reserve at such an early hour (duh, didnât I know???) I had to explain about the flight.
Well, they didnât want me sitting alone so they sat me down at the staffâs table with the staff while they were having their pre-dinner service meal. Needless to say, I got good service! But the restaurant didnât start to fill up until after 10.
Once, also long ago, husband and I were at a Basque Asador, came in at just before 10 and it was still totally deserted. People started filling the place up at 11.
Too bad you missed the atmosphere and the flan de queso, but youâre right, it would be better for a couple to be able to share those huge dishes and go later.
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It was most excellent, the lack of atmosphere and dessert was no oneâs fault but my own
And wouldnât you know, my flight has been delayed by 4 hours, so maybe a later reso could have been possible 
.
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No laughing or judging plz
Air Canada gave me âŹ30 worth of vouchers to spend at âselect restaurants â , and this is what I chose
Wopper, fries and a large Coke took care of one of the âŹ15 vouchers, the other one was spent on 4 bottles of water and a couple of pastries
âLimited restaurantsâ didnât give me much of a selection, but I think I did
.I wonder if I could/should have asked for better compensation from A/C, but I figured âŹ30 was pretty good.
And King Dabiz looking down his nose at us plebes with such disgust.
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I was going to suggest that you go to Dabiz Muñozâs new place in Barajas, the Hungry Club in T4S, but I remembered youâre flying Air Canada whose flights depart from T1. Well, at least you ended your trip with a new King Dabiz Muñoz culinary creation.
No judgement at all.
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I canât afford his prices!! I just had the Wopper combo and it was just fine I would never spend my money on airport food or water, so the vouchers really came in handy.
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Well, thatâs a wrap folks. 2 fantastic weeks here in beautiful Spain 
. Not sure if or when Iâll be back but thanks for coming along for the ride 
Special thanks to @Maribel and everyone else who helped make my trip a smashing success
Hasta que nos volvamos a encontrar!
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Looking forward to your next Spain adventure!
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Maybe Japan next year, Spain will have to wait a bit 
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I also remember, around 15 years ago, making restaurant reservations in Madrid for 11.30 PM because of this!! And then we would be having media raciones at a nearby tapas place to our hotel around 7PM. No idea what we did between 7 and 11 PM lol.
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