15 February 2010 - Madrid

Woke up and opened our balcony doors ready to say good morning to sunny Madrid............and it's snowing!!! SNOWING!! how dare it SNOW in Madrid. However this didn't put us off as we headed out for breakfast. This time we were heading to Cafe el Espejo on Les Ricolettes. It won cafe of the year in 1999. Confusing menu, well not so much confusing but written in Spanish. Didn't quite know what we ordered when we opted for jamon queso y huevo but we were very pleased with what arrived. Sort of French toast with ham and cheese in the middle and a poached egg, all sandwiched together. Very yummy. Obviously couldn't resist some apple pie and another lovely cup of coffee. Food was good but the waiter looked like he got out the wrong side of the bed this morning, only managing a smile as we left the place!!

The snow has turned to rain/sleet but off we headed in search of the big El Corte Ingles. We passed an interesting stone monument.



At least the pigeons liked it as a shelter from the bad weather.





And then we arrived at El Corte Ingles. Wanted to look for some boots for myself but they were all very expensive and didn't really inspire me to want to actually spend that amount of money on them. I would get a better deal back home. The euro exchange rate is really punishing. Amber however had better luck in the toy department and spent some of her holiday money in there.



Lunch was going to be simple so we found a lovely looking deli called the Embassy Madrid deli. Could have spent a fortune in this particular eatery. All the food was just immaculately prepared. Picked out a few tasty treats for lunch. They look nice eh?



A quick visit to the Starbucks across from the hotel and our lunch was ready to tuck in to. And it was rather delicious.

Despite it still raining I thought that it shouldn't stop us heading out to explore further and for dinner at a restaurant I spotted in one of the guides. But not before swinging past a shop and picking up an umbrella for 3 euros. Umbrella at the ready and we started to head up to Bar Tomate, our dinner destination for tonight.

Bar Tomate has such a lovely feel about it. Modern yet at the same time with old fashioned pine tables and a selection of food items on display shelves. This picture is where we sat.



Reminded me a bit of a cafe in Geneva where rather than separate tables there are one or two large pine tables where different groups of diners sit at the same table. Very relaxing and a nice atmosphere. Food was fab too. We settled on tapas of thin slices of Iberian jamon, artichoke tempura [fab!!] croquettes ceps [mushroom balls], sliced potatoes and cheese pimento. All very delicious and beautifully presented in slanty bowls and square platters. It's the sort of place you could linger in for ages.

Back to the hostel but not before stopping in at a nearby cafe called Cafe R where we had a coffee and a GIANT cake. Yes, it was GIANT!!!