Restaurants

Surtopia in excelsis

~ sharquillo ~ 4 Comments

An absolutely cracking lunch today in Surtopia where the food seems to be getting better and better, and the list of sherries (and even more manzanillas) has always been amazing.

My fellow trencherman and host, Chicho (a Jerezano in body, soul and inclination) started with a glass of Inocente and I an 11540 with some delicious marinated sardines and Almerian tomatoes – absolutely magnificent stuff.

We then had one of the best tuna tartare I have ever had – with a lovely combination of mustard and (sherry) brandy – with this little gem of a manzanilla: the appropriately named Alegria, by Williams & Humbert.

The pairing was good but not magic – more an excellent wine and an excellent dish than an excellent combination. The wine is excellent though – light and aromatic, integrated and balanced, a really enjoyable glass by any standards.

We then ploughed on with more tuna – a confit of tuna in “manteca colorao” (literally coloured lard with an andalucian accent – but much nicer than it sounds). Again, a fantastic dish – probably the best of its kind I have had, meaty in texture and flavours. We had it with La Maruja, again an excellent nutty, sea-air laden manzanilla, although for my money not quite as aromatic and lively as the Alegria.


All in all a magnificent lunch with a great deal of laughter, some excellent manzanillas and some quite outstanding food.

La Bota de Palo Cortado 52

~ sharquillo ~ 8 Comments

An absolutely inspired pairing in Mugaritz last night. Here you have a head of garlic roasted with lamb juices –  you squeeze the teeth out onto a toast with parsley and then in she goes.


The dish itself is just as tasty as it sounds – absolutely delicious – and the savoury, nutty palo cortado by Equipo Navazos not only stands up for itself but is in perfect harmony.  Guillermo Cruz – the sommelier at Mugaritz – is a genius and this is evidence.

 

 

The Goyas 

~ sharquillo ~ 8 Comments

   
End of week treat at Taberna Verdejo. 

This place seems to be the watering hole of choice for winemakers passing through Madrid – don’t think I have ever been here without meeting someone or other and today was no different. Jose Mas, of Mas Asturias, up in Bierzo. Fortunately I have some of his wine, but it was not sherry so we move on.

On to the “La Goya” – a special edition manzanilla which I find extremely elegant. Pale in colour and very floral in the nose – really expresses the chamomile it is named for – the salinity  is integrated and it has all the vegetable, yeasty bread flavour you would expect. Hits the spot and sets me up for lunch.

Then, with some Navajas, the Goya XL – it calls itself a manzanilla reposada and it has been brewing up for gone 10 years. As often happens, it is darker in colour but slightly quieter on the nose – same aromas, maybe a bit more salt and iodine but definitely sweet herbal tea. On the palate it is definitely more intense – plenty of yeasty power to balance the salinity. And it goes on, and on, and on, keeping its shape pretty well.

And on we go, to the mackerel escabeche, with the Monteagudo Amontillado – also from Delgado Zuleta. To be honest, I have messed up this pairing – the mackerel is delicious, the monty too,  but they are at odds. One (zee fishh) is vinegary and sweet, the other mellow and dry. My bad.

Next up is a salad of sweetbreads and carabinieros and just take a look at this.  

Again, though, the pairing is not great by me – the sweetbreads would be pigs in muck with the monty, but the salad calls out for acid and freshness. (For this dish I would probably go champagne – and it deserves it.)
And now my esteemed colleague from Bierzo has started plying me with his wares so wish me luck. 

 

Manzanilla 11540

~ sharquillo ~ 2 Comments

 

On a visit to Surtopia and despite their having no fewer than 19 manzanillas y finos por copa, the star of the show is this, the 11540 – a special bottling for the house. It is a very smooth, well integrated manzanilla – more fruit than hay bales, very pleasant rich mouthfeel and very nicely integrated salinity. Was absolutely cracking with this tortillita de camarones. 

 

Monteagudo Amontillado at Taberna Verdejo

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A lovely mellow amontillado Monteagudo (Delgado Zulueta) seen here with the remnants of white asparagus and smokey mayonaise with which it matched beautifully.

In fact this was only the second of three sherries of a great lunch in one of Madrid’s top sherry venues: Taberna Verdejo.

We started with a Sanchez Romate Fino Perdido and fried piparras, then this amontillado/asparagus combo, then a Gobernador Oloroso with sweetbreads with spring onions and a stew of callos, pata y morro to finish.

Lovely wines, first class food and great pairings if I say so myself. You just can’t beat an old fino with green peppers and asparagus, the amontillado was caramel mellow and could cope with both asparagus and sweetbread and the oloroso with the callos – just a sure fire winner. Curiously, these callos are less spicy and more meaty than the average and the oloroso accompanied them all the way – such a versatile wine.

As an added bonus I bumped into Antonio Barbadillo of Sacristia AB fame.

Gobernador with Callos in La Chula

~ sharquillo ~ 3 Comments

Again, my blogging skills let me down – you will just have to imagine there are some callos on that plate. (In fact for non madrileños it may be worth, given the total absence of photographic evidence, clarifying that here we are talking Madrid’s typical offal stew: chunks of a cow’s stomach, cheek and feet accompanied by chorizo sausage and morcilla blood pudding, cooked very slowly with paprika, tomato, spices and garlic. The fat and gelatin of the tripe and bits and pieces combines with the other flavours to make one of the most hedonistic of stews, and the spice of the paprika lifts it onto another level.)

In any event, with the Gobernador oloroso they  were superb. The spicey heat of the callos and the acidic, alcohol heat of the wine seem perfect together, and the fine, dry flavours of the wine are a perfect foil to the fatty, sticky flavours of the tripe. In fact it is one of those magic pairings that seems to make both legs longer – the oloroso seems to bring out flavours of the callos and vice versa. Really great stuff which I recommend trying any time you can.

 

Fernando de Castilla Antique Palo Cortado at Taberna Verdejo

~ sharquillo ~ 1 Comment

Another superb spot for sherry lovers (and everyone else, frankly). 

Just look at this for a selection of sherries.

 

And if that is too much choice do not worry – the marvellous Marian will recommend some exceptional sherries to go with the brilliant food.

With white asparagus, artichokes and fried piparra peppers I had some full bodied Arroyuelo fino en rama and then, with a fantastic sirloin, this Fernando de Castilla Palo Cortado (bottle is empty due to consumption)

  
You will not be surprised to learn that I utterly forgot to take pictures of the food but only because I was too busy eating it.