26/02/2008

Hello everyone. Winter makes me hungrier than usual. Wait that may give some people the wrong idea. Let's try something else. One of the great things about living immersed in a Mediterranean culture is having long lunches and chatting with friends. Better, right? More formal. Formal is a great word, it works in Spanish and in English. Maybe that's what I should write about, everything I know that can seem bilingual. Maybe next week, this week I want to talk about food. I have a specific culinary taste, and often people think that certain types of eating habits automatically exclude the festive sensual pleasure part of enjoying a meal, Spanish style. But it's not true. You can have a wonderfully macrobiotic sobremesa... For all those who think being a vegetarian in Spain is just down right depressing, here is a list of places you can check out that will make you think again:

Some time ago the newspaper El Mundo offered a list of the best vegetarian restaurants in Madrid. These are the ones that I have also held my stomach and murmured yummy in.

Artemisa. Around 25€. Metro: Sevilla. Run by Óscar Castro since 1990.
Their most popular dish is Farah Diba, made from mushrooms stuffed with paté, asparagus, aubergines and gouda cheese. This is probably the place with the most sophisticated macro-biotic dishes I've ever seen.

Ecocentro. Price around 20€. Metro: Rios Rosas/Cuatro Caminos. This is one of my favourites. At this restaurant you can enjoy tabuleh with pesto seasoning or baked tofus, the yummiest vegetarian lasagnas, and great soy desserts - they also have a shop where you can buy vegetarian products, a supermarket where you can get all those chemical free vegetables. The Ecocentro is also a center that offers all sorts of healthy living seminars. Check out their web site: www.ecocentro.es

La Galette. Prices from 20 €. Metro: Colón.
El Mundo says that it is "perfect for romantic, candlelit dinners". It's true, here you can enjoy vegetarian dishes, but also good steaks in case you are romancing a carnivorous... which is always lots of fun...The apple croquets are heaven.

La Isla del Tesoro. Prices around 20€. Metro: Bilbao. I love the decoration in this place, it creates a really warm soothing ambiance. The staff here are super nice, it really sets this restaurant apart from the rest. The complimentary garbanzos with alioli are always a big hit with newcomers. Boletus (mushroom) ravioli and sorbet of mojito (apparently a Cuban drink) are on offer.

Vegetarian Art. Price 20€. Metro: Ibiza. Designed to look like an enchanted wood, with gnomes and elves, Vegetarian Art offers dried fruit croquets, pastas and rices.

Finger licking good...

Join me next week, for a list of my favourite desserts, and where you can find them.