I love walking around markets when I’m abroad, but I particularly enjoy it when they also serve ready-to-eat food instead of just selling the raw ingredients (like the Tuesday market in the Condesa).
You know that you are eating produce direct from the market and there is always a great buzz and atmosphere in a market, whatever the time of day.
When I discovered that the Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid is open until late at night, we headed over there on our first night in the city as we didn’t want a full meal but definitely wanted a taste of what the local tapas and produce was all about.
The market is definitely a hit with tourists, but there were also many locals in there on a Friday evening, enjoying a glass of wine and some small plates of food.
We started off with a mixed plate of olives, as well as a couple of more expensive speciality ones stuffed with anchovies. I’ve never really been an olive lover, ever since I first popped one in my mouth in a hotel bar when I was younger and quickly spat it out due to the bitter taste. Since then, I have avoided them like the plague, but in the last couple of years have found myself increasingly eating them on pizzas and in other dishes when they have been served to me. I guess it’s true that your tastebuds never really stop evolving.
These olives were the creamiest and juicest olives I’ve ever had the good fortune to try. They were plump and fleshy, with no bitter aftertaste at all.
Next we headed over to a bar selling small tapas and opted for a curried beef spring roll, duck and salmon bread slices. It was all very tasty, but it wasn’t the best tapas I’ve ever had. Maybe it had something to do with it being last thing at night, or maybe it was our choices. Either way, it served its purpose.
I marvelled over the rows of desserts and nuts on the way out, but knew that I wanted to save room for churros and chocolate.
We made our way to Chocolateria San Gines, reportedly one of the oldest churrerias in the city. We ordered six churros and one cup of chocolate to share.
The churros were thin and crispy yet light. If there’s one thing I hate it’s doughy, heavy churros. They would perhaps have benefited from being dusted in a little sugar, but the thick, rich chocolate made up for it. One cup was definitely enough if you are only wanting to dip your churros rather than drink it straight. At well past 1am we finished up our dessert and headed back to our apartment. When in Rome and all that…..
Big thanks to Flipkey for hosting us during our time in Madrid.
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