{"id":1317,"date":"2015-10-21T15:21:20","date_gmt":"2015-10-21T14:21:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/?p=1317"},"modified":"2015-11-19T09:17:40","modified_gmt":"2015-11-19T08:17:40","slug":"madrids-young-food-talent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/2015\/10\/21\/madrids-young-food-talent\/","title":{"rendered":"Madrid’s Young Food Talent"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Navaja\"

Navaja<\/p><\/div>\n

Madrid is fast securing its place as one of the world\u2019s gastronomic capitals<\/strong>. The Spanish capital has over 3,100 restaurants<\/strong>, a sprawling network of vibrant neighbourhood food markets, and a growing arsenal of Michelin stars under its belt.\u00a0 In case you missed the memo, last year five new restaurants were awarded stars for their exemplary efforts in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

However, Madrid\u2019s food culture<\/strong> is much more than its celebrity chefs, haute cuisine, and high-end eateries. Once you slice through the headline-grabbing fanfare, a new generation<\/strong> of talented youngsters is busy cultivating a grassroots scene that is not only delighting local diners but also paving their own way to future stardom. Come and meet some of the new talented kids on the block and pull up a chair to taste their culinary creations.<\/p>\n

Nakeima<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Calle Mel\u00e9ndez Vald\u00e9s 54<\/strong><\/p>\n

Metro: Arg\u00fcelles<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Nakeima\"

Nakeima<\/p><\/div>\n

This out-of-the-way fusion restaurant is brimming with Madrid\u2019s new generation of culinary maestros. Located a short walk from the Arg\u00fcelles metro station, the food is Iberian-Japanese fusion<\/strong> (think Spanish-flavoured nigiris, curries, and seafood) and the chefs and waiters hail from some of Spain\u2019s best restaurants. Gonzalo Garc\u00eda worked at Nikkei and Diverxo; Roberto Mart\u00ednez at Nikkei, Peru\u2019s Maido, Malabar, and Celler de Can Roca; Pablo at La Tasquita de Enfrente; Fernando at Kabuki and Sacha; while behind the bar, Viki once worked at London\u2019s Roka. The only sticking point is the strict no-reservations policy<\/strong>. There\u2019s a limited number of seats meaning devoted diners line up well before the doors open and a friendly staff member appears to jot down 20 names on the waiting list. If you want to make it onto that list you should arrive well before 1.30pm for lunch and 20.30 for dinner. If you\u2019re not an early bird and you fail to get this well-cooked worm, it always helps to have a Plan B, which is there are four more alternatives below\u2026<\/p>\n

Navaja<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Calle Valverde 42<\/strong><\/p>\n

Metro: Gran V\u00eda or Tribunal<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Navaja\"

Navaja<\/p><\/div>\n

Everyone seems to be talking about Navaja. Located in the colourful Malasa\u00f1a district<\/strong>, this small restaurant was opened just a few months ago by two gregarious Gallegos. Chef Alex \u00c1lvares from Orense and front-of-house extraordinaire Libia Veiga from Vigo joined forces to offer a relaxed and wholesome eatery that offers up colourfully concocted dishes of Galician-Peruvian fusion<\/strong>. \u00c1lvarez and Veiga like to deliver the plates to each table themselves, explaining the ingredients<\/strong> and cooking methods to adoring audiences. Be sure to try the navajas<\/em> (razor clams), tangy oysters, octopus and quinoa salad, and the particularly popular pork buns<\/strong>. It all seems to wash down rather well with pineapple and mandarin flavoured piscos<\/strong>, so be sure to ask the extra-friendly staff for a tipple.<\/p>\n

Bolero Meatballs<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Calle de las Conchas, 4<\/strong><\/p>\n

Metro: \u00d3pera<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Bolero

Bolero Meatballs<\/p><\/div>\n

This small streetfood-style posting<\/strong> can be found on an inner-city laneway, specialising in \u2013 you guessed it \u2013 meatballs. Russian-born Nina Lashchenova and second-generation Philippine May Nocon met each other via their respective food blogs, became friends, then room-mates, and now business partners; opening Bolero Meatballs 18 months ago. They may stem from very different backgrounds (May once worked at the aforementioned restaurant Nakeima while Nina is a former interpreter and audiovisual communications specialist) but they are united in their love for saucy and succulent meatballs<\/strong>. \u201cI probably hand roll about 300 balls every day,\u201d says May, admitting, \u201cif there\u2019s a day that I\u2019m not rolling meatballs, it feels oddly empty.\u201d Served as tapas<\/strong>, \u201craciones<\/em>\u201d, and in a bread roll<\/strong> (bocatas<\/em>), the meats and flavours vary; de la abuela <\/em>is veal with a traditional sauce, orientales<\/em> are asian flavoured with pork, chick & parm<\/em> are chicken and cheese, and there are vegan, extra spicy (bolero fireball<\/em>), and rotating specials too. The girls\u2019 relaxed, humourous attitude is present throughout the space; you just need to look up and read the tongue-in-cheek sign that says \u201cEat My Balls\u2026 and have fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

TriCiclo<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Calle Santa Mar\u00eda, 28<\/strong><\/p>\n

Metro: Anton Mart\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"TriCiclo\"

TriCiclo<\/p><\/div>\n

Another Asian fusion outing<\/strong>, TriCiclo was opened by three friends who joined forces after working in some very high-profile restaurants including David Mu\u00f1oz\u2019s DiverXo and Paco Morales\u2019 Senzone. The trio opted for a space in Madrid\u2019s burgeoning design district \u2018El Barrio de Las Letras<\/strong>\u2019 <\/em>to open their restaurant and have been whetting appetites with Spanish, Asian, and Latino flavours since 2013. The trio of young chefs Javier Mayor, Javier Goya, and David Alonso also opened T\u00e1ndem<\/strong>, a smaller, more experimental space, which is located a short walk down the same street. It opens for a late breakfast from 10.30am and allows these adventurous young chefs to hone their recipes and ideas in a more relaxed environment<\/strong>. Ongoing (and deserving) popularity means you should always book ahead with a quick phone call: +34 910 244 798.<\/p>\n

Hanso Caf\u00e9<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Calle Pez 20<\/strong><\/p>\n

Metro: Noviciado or Tribunal<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Hanso

Hanso Caf\u00e9<\/p><\/div>\n

The city\u2019s burgeoning coffee culture<\/strong> continues to expand and one of the latest specialty coffee haunts is Hanso Caf\u00e9 on Malsa\u00f1a\u2019s Calle Pez. Nicho Han opened his caf\u00e9 together with is pastry chef wife Eva Ying just a few weeks ago and despite its prime corner location, a sign advertising the shop\u2019s availability had gone mainly unanswered because it was written only in Mandarin. Chinese-born Han, who moved to Madrid when he was 14, snapped up the property, began renovating, and now serves freshly roasted coffee made by well-trained baristas while his wife supplies flavoured cakes<\/strong> such as matcha, sesame seed, red velvet and tiramisu. The name \u2018Hanso\u2019 means \u2018small house\u2019<\/strong> in Mandarin and Han is committed to making one of the city\u2019s best coffees. \u201cI first opened a caf\u00e9 in the Usera neighbourhood in 2011 but decided to move to the centre because the coffee culture is stronger here,\u201d he says while pouring a frothy cappuccino. \u201cAs far as coffee goes, Madrid has a big future ahead of it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Madrid is fast securing its place as one of the world\u2019s gastronomic capitals. The Spanish capital has over 3,100 restaurants, a sprawling network of vibrant neighbourhood food markets, and a growing arsenal of Michelin stars under its belt.\u00a0 In case you missed the memo, last year five new restaurants were awarded stars for their exemplary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":1326,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[194,177,195,114,32],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1317"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1317"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1317\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1329,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1317\/revisions\/1329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}