Mercado San Miguel, Madrid

It gets dark pretty early during the cold months, by 6pm the sky is pitch black except for the neon and city bright lights shining everywhere, screaming for attention....but this is more evident in Hong Kong as compared to Madrid.

Somehow things in Madrid were done more subtly in view of the economy crisis and the huge demonstration by unhappy citizens. Even polices have their own demonstration to demand for higher wages. So u see even developed EU countries have their own lil problems so now reflect your own and be grateful.

Mercado San Miguel has been newly renovated so it's all glass and steel with the typical Spanish market feel. Hence it has become more touristy but locals still go there for lil bites and drinks. I am not too sure about locals shopping for produce there but it did sure looked fresh and yummy to me :)))

No trip to any country is complete without visiting their local markets...Right?? :))


Fresh produce from the deep sea....really fat octopus
I really like their octopus bcoz it's fat, creamie and sweet....definitely not chewy as u can imagine


The favourite stall has to be seafood coz both of us really lurve it and it's educational bcoz it is from the market that u learnt the local words for each and every item

Langoustine = cigala *remember our episode here in Seville trying to order cigala???
Razor Clam = Navajas
BIG Prawns = langoustine *don't ask me*
Shrimps = gambas


My dearie Cigala.....I will alwiz alwiz remember your name in Spanish now
in Malaysia, you can get frozen imported langoustine from Classic Fine Food. JS make awesome langoustine oil from them....yeah he just extracted the flavours for his oil to cook pasta/ just for fying vegetables...all the meticulous hardwork but it's really yummy...coz friends who don't eat vegetables ate the most just bcoz the oil used were langoustine oil.

If u ask me to cook for JS...I can't even differentiate all the types and sorts of oil he has in the pantry. To me oil is oil....>.<


then we saw Percebes.....
ugly aren't they???
We have seen Percebes so many times in our lives but never have the guts to try
*we have tried worse stuffs but never Percebes*

Widely consumed in Spain, it is a very very expensive snacks/delicacy
Euro 16 for 100g is about RM 64
per 100g mind you...

anyhow we did try some a few weeks later in Paris...not here in Spain
hahahahahahahhaha will blog about it soon to let u know how tasty it was hahahahhaa
and yes if you are still curious, u eat them RAW

favourite prawns...yup it's that red even before it's cooked.
Usually eaten raw on its own, it's the bestest and sweetest prawns on earth.


Really fresh and shining sardines
JS bought so many canned sardines home.....not just any canned sardines...Grand Cru premier sardines. I have yet to taste any coz I think he's saving them for another World War or prollie End of the World Saga. Where we'll enjoy Grand Cru sardines with Grand Cru wines. :P


All the produce were so fresh and beautifully merchandised


One of my fav shellfish has to be Razor Clams....oh yumsss!!!!
at this lil stall u can select wat u want...and they'll cook them on the spot for u....for those meant to be eaten fresh and raw, they do cleaning/prep service with slices of lemons at no extra charge.


so Monkey got these 2 to prepare some fresh yummy goodness from the sea
hehehehehehe

Fresh Sea Urchin......yummmmsssssssss

3 pieces for Euro 6 = RM 24
yes I know...cheap beyond words


HAMSSSSS
there's a few ham stalls here


all sorts of stuffed olives with anchovies, sun dried tomatoes and also sweet peppers
the size of their olives were like.....prunes???
really HUGE


more tapas everywhere....
the idea is to come here...get a glass of drinks from the bar and walk around the market...
selecting wat u wanna eat and pay as u go from stalls to stalls with ur drinks.

in the middle of the market, there's also a sitting area if u prefer to sit and eat. But to do it the local way means....balancing act between chomping ur food and ur drinks :)))

eggs over cooked sweet peppers and onions topped with flat leaf parsley
there's so much of food everywhere, we just didn't know where to start.

in the end I saw these!!!!!!!
WAHHHH I want!!!!

JS said...look at that Monkey Sorcerer face!!!!
so eppy :P >.< -_-"

Cripsy deep fried pork skin....just like pop corns
downed with a glass of Manzanilla, a spanish dry sherry

woi!!! didn't ur mother teach you not to be so rude, snapping pix of ppl enjoying their food
hehehehhehe

As u can see it's a very very clean, organised and simple market
which also spells really touristy
By far the best market in Spain that we have visited was La Boqueria Market in Barcelona
Read about it *here*

Mercado San Miguel
Plaza de San Miguel
28005 Madrid,
Spain.

Jose Maria Restaurant, Segovia

When u see a piglet like this outside a restaurant....it has got to be good hahahaahah.

Dinos the Great was hungry and started hunting for lunch around 11-ish in the morning...He asked a local and we were directed to this restaurant....the most famous restaurant in the entire city of Segovia..well not like it's a huge city anyway.

Situated right smack at the Plaza Mayor, the largest plaza at the city, it wasn't difficult to locate. Started in 1982 by Jose Maria Ruiz himself, it is a must visit whenever you are in Segovia.


the front facade of the restaurant....u cannot miss it..
however it looked small...but don't be fooled bcoz this restaurant can seat about 300 diners.


You will need to come here early....bcoz though it can seat 300 pax...the entire Segovia comes here. And all the tourists are here as well :P
Thinking it may be a tourist trap, we just walked in coz the smell of roast suckling piglet was too difficult to resist...


We were then ushered into a large comfortable dining hall...and past by a leg of ham...hehehehe
look at the marbling of fats...so so so yummy


using a special knife, it was then carefully cut as thin as paper for full enjoyment
aaaAAaaaaaa.....our favourite in Spain..can't live without it each day, even early in the morning we have that for breakfast :P


oh the napkin has got Jose Maria's name on it...
and it's linen :)))

ordering *or trying to* some food off its menu....in my super broken can die dot com Spanish

Thank goodness there's english in the menu but then the description does not reflect the actual thing so u just need to ask what was it and let them describe to you in perfect spanish while u scratching your head trying to figure out was that leeks or shallots he was saying....

Somehow French bread is still the best as compared to the Italians and Spaniards


Amuse bouche was then immediately served.
Prollie the looks on our face - We.Are.Hungry.

it looked so normal but actually very very appetizing!!!
the sweetness from local tomatoes, green peppers, onions and then topped with eggs.

It's sweet and sour from the acid of vinegar used.
Hidden in between those greens were pieces of squid and prawns.

No meal is complete without Vino :))))
heeeeeeee yes we are alcoholics :P At such restaurant u don't expect to find our kind of drinks but any good local produce is good enough. Never under estimate spanish wines and alwiz be open mind to try everything :))))

There's even emblem to all of its plates.....beautiful!!!
Apparently this restaurant received a bad from the Minister of Tourism of Spain...
wow!!!


We ordered a local starter of HUGE SWEET yummy Leeks grown locally, drizzled with vinaigrette made by the monks in the Monastery of Segovia...
wow how special was that :))))


local greens of zucchinis, asparagus and brinjals.....grilled and then served with local olive oil and sea salt...so simple and yet very very very yummy

This was a very good dish...highly recommended

I do not know what dish this was called but the description alone is gonna make u salivate...hehehe
thinly sliced "best ham in the world" which was the Iberico Bellota served on top of soft boiled eggs...oh my...eggs and ham is alwiz a good marriage..so as u dig in, just break the yolk and mop the plate up with your slices of hams.

then there's pieces of tender artichokes which was fried on the sides with crispy fried flat-leaf parsley. Really really good combo of earthiness and savourines.

Then the "bomb" came
our main course....u can nose it everywhere in the restaurant...
I know...:))) I'm a lucky gal!!!

Then the bigger "bomb" came.....Mr. Jose Maria Ruiz himself!!!!!
WAHHH we are sooooo lucky!!! He's gonna serve the piglet!!!
Decked in clean white chef shirt, he was wearing a few medals which I supposed must be some kind of honors/awards he has obtained from some really really important institution

In case if u are wondering, nope he did not break the plate
he cut it with such precision that each blow breaks the crispy skin, the soft juicy meat and all the way to its bones.

If you would like to compare these to our dearie El Cerdo in KL, Malaysia...
Please. Don't.
It's so different and so suckling yummy good
out of this world~~~

the skin is very very thin and cripsy, while the meat was so soft
I noticed there's no fat at all...so it's not something yucky as compared to-you-know-who
served with a clear juice from the pig itself...
no other sauce needed...can u believe it?

I have never enjoyed suckling pig this way - without the sauce..
It was really so so so damn good, u just need to eat it on its own.

See what I mean when I said there's no thick layer of fats???
everything was finger licking good right up to the bones.

Later we found out that Mr. Jose Maria Ruiz has his own farm rearing pigs to his high standards. His pigs eat barley, corn, rye and wheat to give it this delicate texture of meat and skin with good flavour.

Since we were so stuffed with all the yummy good local food...everything locally grown or organically reared, we can't possibly put anymore food into our mouth. So Dinos the Great suggested we will have local cheese.

Yes the local sheep cheese..
baaaaaa my innocent lambs and sheeps eating sheep cheese...how funny!!!

Monkey and her innocent lambs and sheeps with one sheep snapping this pic

U must be wondering why do I refer them as my innocent lambs and sheeps coz they'll just tag along Monkey wherever she goes...just like Mary and her lambs :))))) With no questions asked...they'll just followed innocently...even if I am bringing them to the chop-chop-house...hahahaha. Thank you for accompanying me to all the ridiculous and not so ridiculous places that I wanted to go :)))

Plaza Mayor overlooking the Cathedral of Segovia...This was actually taken outside the restaurant

then a really really super duper cute mini bus scooted by....

so folks..if you are traveling to Madrid..do make time to drop by at Segovia...
A day trip will do, afterall it's only 30 mins by the high speed train :))))

Jose Maria Restaurant
Cronista Lecea, 11
40001 Segovia,
Spain.
Tel: 92 146 1111, 92 146 6017
http://www.rtejosemaria.com/