Spain, Madrid: Casa Mingo - Spanish food throughout the years

It's quite obvious that HT couple is crazy about Spain.  And it's our favorite foodie place in Europe as of date!

 

This time, we visited Casa Mingo, the oldest cider house in Madrid.  I'll be honest that we're not really fans of ciders but this place has more to offer so it's worth a visit.

 

When we, HT couple and our indian friends, got to the place there was a long queue.  As foodies, any queue is worth waiting for.  Well, that was what we're hoping for but since this place started 1888 (casamingo.es) and is still up and running by now...we took the chance.

 

We waited for about 30 minutes and got a table for four.

 

Here's our recommendation on what you must get:

Pollo Asado (Roasted Chicken) - 10.50 euros (table) - they have lower price (~8 euros) if taken in the bar (standing) or take away - the difference in price is quite common in Spain and Italy among others.

 

Chorizo a la Sidra (Chorizo cooked in cider) - ~ 3 euros (mesa)

 

Sidra Avilesina - ~ 6 euros for a bottle.  We tried two ciders but we like this one better. 

 

 

 

We got some desserts - which were pre-packed so we're not sure if they got them from the supermarket. Nevertheless, they were good. I can't remember which is which but we got the arroz con leche and the flan (which is Philippines' national dessert - i would say - thanks to the Spanish influence) - ranges from ~3-5 euros

 

Our foodie friends did a good research and planned this food trip in Madrid really well.  On another day we went back to Casa Mingo but this time, we went to the upper part of the restaurant.  Take note that the only way to get there is to walk outside the restaurant and look on the left where you see stairs.  It's totally separated but if you get lost, feel free to ask the waiters - but make sure to learn the key words in Spanish so you'll be directed to the right way.

 

This place doesn't serve anything other than the Cocido Madrileño (Madrid Stew) ~15 euros (it was on the high side and we did ask if we can share, but we didn't know if they said no or they didn't understand us). 

 

 We didn't know what to expect and finally the first dish came. We got a bowl of soup with noodles (it was like watery misua) but it was tasty. I read that the soup is the broth of where the meat and chickpeas were boiled. And they're willing to give another serving if your tummy is asking for more.

We were waiting for the meat and veggies to arrive having the thought that it should be eaten at the same time with the soup.  After noticing the waiter was checking on us if we have finished our bowls, we assumed that it would be served thereafter.

 

 And yes, we got this plate consisting of chick peas, chorizo, pork fats, bone marrow, potatoes, carrots and a bed of stewed cabbage. Not your usual type of stew, but it is...here in Madrid . We did ask for more chorizo and each of us got a small piece extra.

 



 

We got this dumpling on the side but I didn't figure out what it's made of. I've read online that after the soup this is usually served before the big plate. 

 

It was a nice food experience to have this type of lunch that Madrileños would have for a hearty lunch.  I'm not a fan but reading online recipes on how they do it at home, did give me a better impression.

 

Spain, Madrid: La Gabinoteca : Modern Tapas

Another trip to Madrid!  The last time HT couple was here, HT wife had a bad experience of pickpocketing.  But we still keep on coming back.  Why?  Because of their food!  Tapas are must- haves in Spain.  And you can get it practically in any corners of Spain (check out our other Spain posts).  

 

This time, we went somewhere with frills.  Yes, not your ordinary tapas place.

 

The moment we entered La Gabinoteca, we were just amazed on how homey yet modern the place is. 

the tables and chairs are simple but quirky

And with the food...their tapas ranges from 4-10 euros.  And just checked out how the small bites are served.  Innovative!

We got greedy and got these for starters.

Tortilla con brandada de Bacalao (~5 euros) -  tortilla comes usually flat - basically like an omelette.  But in La Gabinoteca, you get the tortilla in a glass with cod and a spoon!  Just love how each of the individual flavors of cream, egg, cod came together everytime you scoop a spoonful of the tortilla from this glass.

Alcachofas Fritas (~7 euros) - Fried artichokes with jamon served in a tin can or small trash can.  I love artichokes and...deep-fried, just delicious!

El Potito (Egg, Potatoes and Truffle) (~6 euros) - their specialty as i've seen this small bottle on every table.  This is somehow similar to the tortilla but in my opinion is more tasty.  It can be overwhelming so I suggest to get only this or the tortilla...not both.

Taco Pato (~6 euros) - one of my favorites.  Duck meat flakes - fried till crisp but still juicy and served in a taco. Smart isn't it?

Carrillera de ternera como las hace NINO (~7 euros) -  veal cheeks braised in red wine - how it's cooked by one of the owners named NINO.  It was tender and delicate in taste.

Mini Escalope 'ARMANDO' (~7 euros) - their version of schnitzel and it's not a mini.  I would say this was nothing special.  It was also served very oily.

 

Overall, we love the place, the food, the vibe.  The crowd is more young professionals therefore, it's not rowdy at all.  If you're in Madrid, make sure to visit this place for that dining experience that doesn't cost a fortune.

 

Our friends who were with us made reservation.  It was full and I remember kitchen only opens at 8 pm (not sure if it still is). 

 

La Gabinoteca

Calle Fernandez de la Hoz 53 Madrid 28003

Copenhagen, Denmark: The Royal Cafe

Copenhagen is like my 2nd home in Europe :).  Thanks to the cool dutch friends of HT couple who has been living in Denmark, it was easy to feel at home in this country.

With our visits in Copenhagen, we always stuff ourselves with ristet polse...check out the previous post.

This time, after stuffing ourselves with polse (hotdogs), we decided to get cozy in this lovely cafe (beside the shop...The Royal Copenhagen) i.e. 

I got myself a glass of hot chocolate (50dkk~7 euros) ...to warm myself after walking around the cold and misty Copenhagen

The chocolate was creamy and not overwhelming.  It's one of the best hot chocolates i ever had. 

Cortado (35 dkk ~5 euro) - after HT hubbie's first sip, he just blurted out "this is how a good coffee should be".  I am aware how particular HT hubbie is with his coffee.  To be able to say such compliment, says a lot on the quality of the coffee and how Cortado was done perfectly in Denmark even if it's more famous in Spain and Portugal.  (Cortado - espresso with a small amount of milk).  He hates it when some cafés drown their coffee with milk (whether you order a latte or cappuccino).

if tapas are for the spaniards, Smørrebrød (open-faced sandwich) is for the danish.  This smaller version of smørrebrød, known as Smushi is the specialty of this cafe.  Only 6 selections, we decided to get 3 of them (it was quite expensive 130 dkk ~17 euro for 3).  Indulging into each of them explained the price...the quality of the ingredients used were superb! 

Røget Ål med Æggestand og Purløg (Smoked Eel with Egg stand & Chives) - we loved the combination of the smoked eel and the egg which the latter was nicely cooked.  Topped with cherry tomato and black raspberry, we get the best of everything in this smushi.

Mørbradbøf med Svampe a la creme (Fillet of Pork with Mushroom a la creme)  - carnivorous HT couple, this is a must among the 6 choices.  The pork was nicely cooked but was a little bit bland.  Until we realized that the mushroom a la creme was very tasty and delicious and should be eaten together with the pork.  I loved how such combinations worked unexpectedly.

Juleksinke m/ Cornichonner og Grønkål(Christmas Ham w/ Cornichons and Kale) - from the name itself, it must be a limited edition smushi, so we decided to get it for this yuletide season.  I like the colors that were put into this sandwich.  The cornichons (pickled cucumbers) were mixed with cream cheese and layered the ham in between.  The cream was quite overpowering that you can't taste the ham anymore.  Nevertheless, it was still a delightful smushi.

The setting is so cute that it's worth to be posted. :)

Wouldn't you love to stay for a few hours, having a cup of chocolate or coffee with your girlfriends?

or get cozy with your hubby or wifey in this sofa...:) (Taking pictures of food is becoming an "in" thing not only for asians :D )

So don't miss this entrance when in Copenhagen.

The Royal Cafe

(beside The Royal Copenhagen shop)

Amagertorv 6  1160 København

Denmark

Spain, Barcelona Part 1: Must-eat, must-do, must-eat!

Yes, HT couple is back blogging and we also went back to Spain after a year!  If you remember our moments in Madrid, you know that we heart Spain *love*.  This time, we set foot to Barcelona which is the capital of the Catalonia region.

Just like Madrid, the food scene in Barcelona is huge. In every step, you can see a restaurant, cafe or shop drawing you to go in or grab something.

Spain is known for its small bites/tapas. 

Barcelona is known for its pintxos(pinchos) which is a staple in Basque region that is near to Barcelona. 

What are pintxos(pinchos)?

Pinchos as per babelfish are "thorns" in Spanish which signifies the toothpick.  These are tapas placed on small bread and stuck with a toothpick to hold them all together.  I've read in http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/, that when taking pinchos, hold the bread and support the toothpick with your forefinger as you don't want to create a mess when picking it up.

Usually pinchos have a common price.  The sticks are used to count how many pinchos you have upon payment.  A friend of mine told me to behave and advise me not to throw the sticks on the floor (*bummer, she knows me well*)  :D)

a wide variety of pinchos

We were looking around how many pinchos the locals were having.  That night, on average, they had 2 or 3 sticks per person.  HT couple had 12 (*wuhoo) :).  Yes, we were hungry and thanks to the self-service, they just made it easy for us to grab as much as we can.

This taberna charges 1.80 euro per pincho and is near the Picasso Museum (street~carrer montcada)

Barcelona facing the Mediterrenean Sea is known for its seafood.

Friends of ours were able to get tips from a local on where to get good Catalan dishes with decent prices.

Arroz Bomba (Rice bomb) - a soupy paella starter.  Yes, it was pretty big to start with.  But i was satisfied that I ordered this.  (Ht hubbie had the same :D)  It was my first time to try out a paella this watery but i was surprised how delicious and tasteful it was.

For main course, I got kokochas.  This traditonal basque dish was inherited by Barcelona having basque as a neighboring region.  Kokochas is made of cod pieces and clams (at least in the version I had).  The cod is gelatinous because it's taken from the chin part of the cod (which i think is their cheeks already) and the clams were just so fresh and its sweetness and juiciness were inexplicable.  The clear sauce is salty and I think with the main ingredients, this was just cooked with oil and garlic(any maybe with white wine).  It was amazing how such simple ingredients bring out a great taste of the sauce and of the meat.

It was nice that they show it to me first how it was cooked, and transferred it to a plate. :)

HT hubbie's main dish - scallops wrapped in bacon.  Since there were only 3 pieces of scallops, I just let hubby enjoyed every piece of it.  He described the scallops as perfectly cooked, juicy and delicious!  Even without the bacon, the scallops were very tasty.  And the bacon just made this dish more than perfect.

this is not part of the normal menu and was their special dish for the night.  Callos which is spanish dish and also a filipino dish (we inherited it from our spaniard ancestors) is a stew of meat and ox tripe (stomach lining).  What was amazing in this dish is that there were more tripe slices than meat which in our version is the other way around.  This was an order of a friend but i was lucky to get a taste of it.  This has more intense taste and quite oily due to the abudance of tripe.  It goes well with garlic rice which my filipino friends were amazed that it was available in the restaurant.  (Filipinos eat garlic rice usually for breakfast and having it for lunch or dinner is just great).

Fonda restaurant resides in Hotel España.  This is in one of the small streets intersecting the famous La Rambla.  (street ~ carrer de Sant Pau) and in the Barri Gothic area.  The starters cost between 8-16 euros and the main courses are between 12-20 euros. 

Outside the hotel, they recognized Filipino's national hero, Jose Rizal.  He stayed in the said hotel during his stay in Barcelona during the late 1800's. 

You wonder why would Barcelona do such thing?  Yes, there is a significant number of Filipinos who lives in Barcelona. In the same street, is where most Filipino immigrants lived.  They called this street
"filipinized" .

Filipinos have a special bond among the spaniards, after all, the spanish colonization left traces of their culture, their language  and most especially their love for food to Filipinos like me. :)

More Barcelona post...coming up!

Netherlands, Apeldoorn: Pizzeria Sardegna

HT wife is fortunate that she can work from home at her own discretion.  She tries to go to the office at least twice or thrice a week.

You might ask the question, why would she bother going to the office if she can work from home the whole week?  Aside from saying 'hallo' or 'hoi' to my colleagues, there is a very important reason to go...(definitely not the canteen)

That is...a good pizzeria situated near our office!  For foodies, i'm sure your would agree this is worth the travel and giving up few hours of sleep. :)

HT wife and HT hubbie are pizza monsters!  We've been eating here for months now and finally, we're sharing our happiness with you.

check out the 2 angels behind the brick oven look-a-like kitchen

Pizzeria Sardegna is the only pizzeria we've been more than once for almost 1 1/2 years living in the Netherlands.  We've tried a few places in Utrecht but so far nowhere has touched our hearts as much as this place did. 

The place is very casual but they made sure that it still exudes that dining charm that the dutchies love!

Now, i'm featuring the star of all our pizza nights. 

Pizza tarantina - Looks can be deceiving.  The bolognese sauce with minced meat and the tasteful parmesan are the only ingredients on it.  But once we sink our teeth on a slice, we were brought to paradise.  There's something with the bolognese sauce that we can't explain.  It was heaven! 

now, how can you resist such pizza...(*drooling*)

Pizza Grandiosa - ironically from our first pizza, this has EVERYTHING on it!  From bell pepper slices, mushrooms, asparagus, artichokes...this pizza sounded healthy...until we read the meat selection...ham, salami and bacon!!  Every carnivore like me will have a big grin reading this.  This pizza had been accompanying us for our several pizza nights and it never failed me.  This time, I asked for zonder uien (no onions) and i'm loving it even more!

check out the abundant meat, meat, meat!!! (*happy*)

HT couple might not be actively sharing our hobby lately but we're still the same old HT couple who still loves to eat, eat and eat.

Ta ta!  Now heating up the left over pizza from last night!

HT Couple will be back in the travel scene.  Watch out for our food journey...only here...The Hungry-trotting Couple goes...Anywhere!

Tot zo!  (See you!)

Pizzeria Sardegna

Van Kinsbergenstraat 7 7311 BL

Apeldoorn Nederland

60+ pizza selection

10 euro - 12 euro for a big plate

Bambini (small sizes) are available

Utrecht: Theehuis Rhijnauwen Pannenkoeken

When the weather cooperates during the weekend, "de Nederlanders" including HT couple would take advantage of the sun's big smile.  We decided to shed off a few calories by cycling into the forest.  And this is one of the things I love in my 3rd home...being close to nature. 

It's been awhile since we've done this so we got lost.  It was like unending path.  We just kept on following the light which was visible at the end...and little did we know that our so-called shedding off a few calories activity will help us gain...

MORE...:D

We didn't let the opportunity passed by, so we immediately parked our bikes and started walking towards this theehuis (teahouse) at Fort Rhijnauwen.

This pannenkoeken (pancakes) place is pretty popular here in Utrecht.  They don't only occupy the house but if you walk further, you can get tables outdoor.  It was a very busy day, but with the wide area, it's quite easy to secure a place.  Over the weekend, it's popular to families with small kids.  Pancakes and kids...what can be the best combination? 

I love these chill-out chairs when you just want to have a drink and small bite overlooking the river and just letting the time passes by.

And after getting our table, it's eating time...guess what we got? :)

Pancakes of course!  Dutch are proud of their pancakes.  They used their creativeness to make a simple dish into something exquisite.  Both sweet and savory pancakes are available.

I went Dutch-Italian and ordered their Pancake Fortissimo.  This plate was pretty healthy as the pancake was not oily at all.  The generous amount of salad, tomatoes, pastrami and goat cheese with honey made this as full meal.  I love the dressing but it ain't a pancake without the pancake syrup so I used quite a good amount of it (besides, the syrup here in the Netherlands has this natural taste...I can't explain it in words, so you have to try it :D)

HT hubbie's choice was Reus van Rhijnauwen.  I knew that this would be his meal as this is what he likes in his pizza...numerous ham and bacon with cheese and lots of onions. :)  They were very generous with their meat.

I got half of each pancakes and they were both lip-smacking.  It was heavy as well in the tummy. 

Both full and lazy,  it was nice seeing animals around and watching them instead of snoozing into our seats.  These donkeys were not scared from people at all. 

Goats and pigs are on the other side.  HT hubbie gave his hand to the goat and he got a very welcoming lick.

And it's time to hit the forest again and get back to our purpose of shedding calories.  I guess, next time we have to take a long detour as this kind of place is difficult to resist. 

Price Summary

Pancakes vary between 9-15 euro.

Gluten free are available upon request :)

Theehuis Rhijnauwen

Rhijnauwenselaan 16

Bunnik

(they're open 7x a week)