1 & 2. The interior
of Amazónico
restaurant- A dish of frog’s
legs with mango
and habanero
chilli sauce at
Amazónico.
Facing page:
Langoustine, pork
cheek and mussel
nigiri at Javier
Aranda’s La Cabra
are people who are passionate about the food, rather than
10 years ago when it was big businesses who didn’t really
give a damn.”
A strong South American influence runs right through
Madrid’s new food scene. At Brazilian-inspired restaurant
Amazónico, in the upmarket neighbourhood of Salamanca,
that idea is taken to an extreme. The adventurous menu
includes frog’s legs to dip in mango and habanero sauce,
while their twist on the piña colada – christened the
Amazonicolada and made with Havana Club rum, grilled
Amazonian pineapple and coconut cream – is perhaps
more universally appealing. Cocktails are served at a bar
tucked beneath hanging green foliage, giving the impression
you’ve stumbled across it in a jungle clearing.
Such imaginative venues are all part of Madrid’s outpouring
of creative spirit. Platea, a gourmet food hall on the Plaza
de Colón, was used as a theatre and then a cinema before
taking on its current multi-tiered form, offering a variety
of Spanish tapas, international cuisines and cocktails.
The modernised indoor space is ringed with stripes of bright
light that can change colour, imbuing the interior with both
old-school glamour and something a little futuristic.
The sense that new and exciting developments are afoot in12378 August 2019