They say a change is as good as a rest and that’s exactly what I discovered on my visit to the recently opened Kamikaze. Located where Dray Martina used to be found, it’s now a tribute to all things awesome and Asian. So if like me, you can’t get enough of gyoza, and edamame is your everything, this is the locale for you.

Like all my favourite Friday night dinners we kicked off proceedings with a cocktail. A mix of gin, mango syrup and rose-flavoured tonic, it was downright delicious and packed a punch thanks to the additional cayenne pepper kick.

Our aperitivo came complete with a flaming dragon (I was told that I needed to squeeze his tummy three times for good luck) which I duly did even though I felt quite lucky at this point with my gluttonously gorgeous bowl of prawn crackers.

So onto the menu. Essentially there was nothing that I didn’t fancy, which meant that we ordered a lot – partly due to the excellent host that was Giuseppe who was able to tip us off regarding some of his faves.

We sampled spicy edamame (and these really did leave your tongue tingling), curried mussels, steak tartare on teeny, tiny tacos, gyoza (natch), chicken wings, spring rolls and just to really ensure that a loose-fitting dress has been a wise choice, a prawn Pad Thai. Everything was oooh and aaaah inducing and incredibly more-ish.

I had high hopes for the food, given that Kamikaze comes from the tour de force that is Grupo Larrumba and as such, the decor is second to none (we sat next to a Japanese cherry blossom tree that frankly I’d have liked to take home for my patio). There’s plenty of neon (perfect for Insta) and plate porn if like me, crockery is your 30-something fetish.

As we were wrapping up with our post-dinner coffees, a monkey appeared wielding a ghetto blaster with tunes blaring; leaving us in no doubt that Kamikaze is definitely a place to get your weekend party started.

Choc-a-bloc with pretty looking peeps, as equally easy on the eye as the food was, this was aesthetically pleasing Asian at its best. I recommend booking for a Friday or Saturday if you like your gyoza hot and your cocktails cold.

Kamikaze

• Website, Facebook
• Instagram: @kamikazemadrid
• Address: Calle Argensola 7
• Metro: Colon or Alonso Martínez
• Phone: 910810056

When I lived in London it was soooo easy not to have to cook (if you didn’t have the time, energy or inclination). First of all you had Mark’s and Spencer’s, purveyors of all things tasty and all available on the go – I take down all of their chicken and bacon sandwiches on brown upon my return to Blighty.

In addition to this, clean eating had really taken off and it required minimal effort to get something delivered (or picked up) that wasn’t a heart attack on a plate.

I’ve always struggled with the concept of convenient food in Spain, mainly because it seems to culturally evade them. Food isn’t meant to be ‘grabbed’ – and if you want to eat quickly and healthily it’s nigh on impossible.

This is why locales like The Circle Food are to be welcomed with a fanfare by people like me. Combining ease with eating well, it’s showing the clean eating movement is slowly gathering pace in the city.

Now I love tortilla and the like as much as the next person, but from time to time (usually post gym when even the thought of showering feels insurmountable) I want to grab and go. Look no further.

Embracing the trend of organic bowls, The Circle Food is the ideal place to pick up something nutritious (and delicious) or indeed, a place to eat in with a friend. As I veer towards fussiness in the food stakes, I built my own bowl – you pick your base, I opted for quinoa and wild red rice.

Next up you select your toppings and salsa as you please. It’s always a nice feeling for me to chase up a spin class with something containing the colour green. But it isn’t all virtuous – it’s actually really tasty, with the added bonus that you’re doing your bod some good.

They have a fixed menu should you wish to streamline the decision making process and just trust in their food pairings. Aside from savory stuff, there’s also breakfast on offer and Illy coffee which is always enough to get me through the door.

The space is light, bright and airy. A place to eat and co-work. Having thrown an opening bash last weekend and setting their stall out as being something that little bit different, The Circle Food is garnering attention for all the right reasons.

I’ll see you there, I’ll be the one in the post gym leggings ordering extra falafel.

The Circle Food

It’s a warm Sunday afternoon and like all other Madrileños, I make my way to my favorite brunch spot for a few drinks, laughs with friends and some of the best ceviche I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. I’ve been hoarding this brunch spot for months but this place is too good to not share.

Lascar, which means buddy or mate in French, opened in Conde Duque seven months ago. The restaurant first began in Barcelona when the owners, Rob and Peter, wanted to find a way to stay in Spain. At the time, opening a cold food restaurant was cheaper and easier than hot plates. So they settled on a cevicheria.

After a successful run up north, the Scot and Englishman set their sites on Madrid. Rob’s father is Malaysian, so the food has a bit of Southeast Asian influence, with of course a Spanish influence.

I suggest starting with their scallops that are baked in parmesan and are a heavenly bite of slightly crunchy cheese and a juicy bite of seafood.

If you fancy some British grub, their fish and chips are baked in a light and fluffy batter, giving the cod a buttery accent with a dash of cilantro cream dressing.

Of course their stable (and my favorite) is the range of ceviche dishes. The specialties vary by the week, from a classic lemony bowl of fresh fish to a spicier, tomato based ceviche.

As for the bar, you can’t go wrong with one of their pisco sours or specialty Peruvian cocktails.

With summer around the corner, Lascar is the perfect weekend brunch spot, with fresh seafood, cool bites and a sweet, tangy pisco.

By Moriah Costa

Lascar

• Facebook & Instagram @LASCARMAD
• Address: Calle de la Palma 69
• Metro: San Bernardo or Noviciado

Also check out:

• Best brunch on a budget in Madrid
• Brunch at Roll – Gotta roll with it
• Lady Madonna, because Sundays are made for brunching
• Plenti, a great new café and brunch spot in Las Letras

If it were a bestseller then authors of La Hummuseria have written another success story: Falafeleria. Simplicity and sabor are the keys and if, like me, you suffer from indecision and are overwhelmed by the sight of a long menu, then this is your place.

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There are three options to choose from. Each one is to be the contents of a delicious, home-baked pita. However, the main character of this tale has to be the falafel. I would love to tell you the ingredients but when I asked, I was told they were a highly guarded secret recipe, as with the hummus. Whatever it is, they’ve done it right.

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Oh and I almost forgot, they have a genius wrap holder for the table. All embarrassment spared if this is a first date destination. I’m heading back to try options two and three.

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Falafeleria

• Facebook
• Address: Calle Santa Barbera 4
• Metro: Tribunal or Chueca
• Open: Tuesday – Saturday 13h-23h30; Sunday 13h-18h

Also check out La Hummuseria!

Being a full time teacher means that I’m lucky enough to get some pretty major teacher perks, aka, a lot of holiday days – which let’s be real, is something that money can’t buy. So this week I found myself with a blissful 9 days off and aside from the on-going trauma that is ‘buying a house’ in Spain (that’s a whole other blog post that trust me no one wants to read) I basically found myself at a loose end.

The upside of this being that I had time to become a lady who lunches – so having managed to persuade a friend to extend her lunch break, I sought out somewhere tasty looking near her office that wouldn’t break the bank – my pennies are now being directed towards furniture sadly, and not food.

Fast forward to Grosso Napoletano, a lovely little Italian spot serving up some of the best pizzas in the city. Located on C/Santa Engracia, it’s neighbours with a whole host of hip and happening foodie outposts that are emerging weekly in Chamberi.

The beauty of Grosso Napoletano in my opinion was the simplicity of the menu – a few salads are on offer to share (we plumped for chicken and avo to get the tastebuds going) followed by diavola and a quattro formaggi pizzas respectively.

The cavernous wood burning oven cooked them to absolute perfection – the base was light but not doughy, the toppings charred but not burnt. I ate every last crumb and my friend took her leftovers back to work – much to the envy of her colleagues.

As the nervous energy that comes with the quest to becoming a homeowner appears to be burning some of my calorie intake, I plumped by a matcha tea tiramisu to round things off nicely. It was a quirky twist on an Italian classic and every bite as delicious as the pizza.

Pizza places are essentially ten a penny, but decent ones are not. Grosso serves up authentic Italian eats at prices that, let’s face it, are far more purse friendly than a return flight to Rome to sample the same.

So if you fancy living La Dolce Vita but the budget won’t stretch quite as far as Sardinia, Grosso Napoletano is no poor substitute. Both the service and the décor were spot on and if a simple lunch spot is what you’re after, then that’s what you’ll get. With two locations in the city (the other one on C/Hermosilla) it’s easy to grab a ‘pizza’ the action.

Photos from instagram @grosso_napoletano

Grosso Napoletano

• Website, Facebook, Instagram
• Address: Currently they have 8 locations
• Phone: 911 70 46 53

Minimalist, sleek and edgy. That’s the feeling I got when I first walked into Acid Cafe, a new coffee shop that opened its doors in Barrio de Las Letras just over a month ago.

A short walk away from the Reina Sofia, Acid Cafe is secluded, hidden down one of Madrid’s many cobblestoned roads. The only thing that signals it’s a coffee shop (besides the name) is the large coffee machine that can be viewed through its glass doors and walls.

Fede Graciano, the founder and main barista, greets you when you get in and will show you the selection of coffee they have available, letting you smell the aroma. Passionate about coffee, he describes coffee beans by citrus, fruit flavors or smoother, bodied textures.

The name itself comes from a coffee description – good coffee is often described by its acidity and sweetness. As a filtered coffee lover myself, it’s a name I can appreciate.

The cafe’s selection of food is seasonal and is meant to pair with its rotating selection of coffee from La Cabra, a roaster based in Aarhus, Denmark. Acid Cafe is the only shop in Madrid that offers the Nordic roaster and the quality of the filtered coffee is excellent.

The coffee menu isn’t extensive and offers an Americano, flat white, batch coffee and filtered coffee. If you don’t want coffee, they also have chai tea and kombucha.

Graciano said he wanted to create a place in Madrid that didn’t just sell good coffee with your typical hipster menu of avocado and toast or a croissant. The cafe’s winter menu includes a creative selection of winter veggies, such as the pumpkin with beans and paprika or the Labneh (a type of yogurt cheese) with roasted tomato and cauliflower.

Their pastries are also made in house, and I particularly enjoy their vegan cookies, although I’m far from being a vegan.

They also occasionally have live DJs on Sunday afternoons, which Graciano is hoping to make a weekly occurrence.

Stepping into Acid Cafe on a Sunday reminds me of my days in London, when I would go to the local café to get out of the rain. While there may be an excuse as often to escape from the rain, Acid Cafe offers an excellent option to refuel before heading back into the arid sun.

By Moriah Costa

Info

• Facebook, Instagram
• Address: Calle de la Verónica 9
• Metro: Antón Martín or Atocha

Sometimes you walk into a restaurant and you can just sense that somebody has put their heart and soul into it. That’s exactly how I felt last Tuesday evening when visiting Atlantik Corner for the first time. From the little details, to the big concept that envelops their entire menu, no aspect of the dining experience had been overlooked; no aspect deemed too trivial.

Atlantik Corner is a Portuguese restaurant, but with a twist. There’s no cliched chicken peri peri on offer here. This is fusion cooking at its best. Unbeknown to me, Portugal has strong historical links with Brazil (that part I knew) but I wasn’t aware of their ties with Africa and India. So with flavours from these foreign lands having been thrown into the mix, the result is a menu that can only be described as a masterclass in uniqueness.

In Madrid there are hundreds, if not thousands of things to do on any given weekend. Doing a quick Google search for live music, for example, will show you multiple Top Ten lists of the most well-known spots. However, you won’t find a live music venue more intimate than that of Living Room Concerts. It’s just like it sounds: concerts held in people’s living rooms and you’re invited.

Born in, yes, a living room, it was Nichole Hastings’ idea to bring emerging and little known artists and their original music into the spotlight. In nomadic spirit, LRC moves around Madrid to different pre-approved flats in all barrios spreading new independent music around the city to as many guests as the particular living room (and guest list) can hold.

LRC has even put down roots in one fixed location in Malasaña, a cultural community center called el Salón del Artista. On arrival, be prepared to be ushered in with a warm welcome from the owner of the flat and then find a seat so you can comfortably listen to the original music and stories behind the songs from, often bilingual, artists.

Once inside, it’s easy to see that the diverse crowd has arrived expecting to meet new people and listen to original music that they couldn’t hear anywhere else.

During any given concert you could hear independent Spanish artists singing in English or a multicultural group singing in some combination of languages. Because of this, the concerts feel inclusive and not limited to any particular group or musical taste.

If you’re in Madrid alone or with friends, LRC will sit you within feet of an independent artist and among members of the Living Room Concerts’ community in Madrid.

Info

• Follow LRC on Facebook & Instagram
• To attend, the reservations work on the honor system but you do have to sign up through their Facebook page or their MeetUp.com page.
• Price: The event has a very reasonable cover which can be turned into a “cover + open bar” for 3 euros more. Towards the end of the concert you can make a donation which goes right to the artists you’ve just met.
• Links to artists who’ve recently performed: Taiacore, BeMyFiasco, David Roma 

By Caitlin Mackenzie

They say that practicing an attitude of gratitude is the key to a calm and content life. I’m never quite sure who “they” are when I make reference to them in this sort of context. I guess what I’m trying to say is that gratitude continues to be a buzz word for 2018, along with self care and lagom. Trust me, look ‘em up.

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Gracias Padre

• Facebook, Website & Instagram: @gracias.padre
• Address: Calle de José Ortega y Gasset, 55
• Phone: 910 66 00 85
• Metro: Lista

We also had a lagarto ibérico (a special cut of Iberian pork) served on top of a rich, velvety layer of yuca purée with white truffle. If you’re into truffle, this is your dish.

We rounded off the savory part of our meal with the Sicilian-style Iberian burger that was topped with provolone cheese and grilled onions, and came with a side of homemade fries.

Feeling completely satisfied and not overly stuffed, we couldn’t have asked for a better pork-filled experience! That is, until dessert came.

The chocolate salami cake with ice cream was the perfect finish – don’t worry, the only nod to pork in this dish was the fun presentation. After devouring every bite, we slowly finished off the delicious bottle of red. I don’t remember what type of wine it was, but it came recommended by Alex as a house special that night. So just make sure to ask your server for a suggestion!

So pork fans, La Porcinería should definitely be on your list.

Info

• Instagram, Website, Facebook
• Address: C/ Lagasca 103, Madrid
• Metro: Núñez de Balboa
• Phone: 910 33 38 74