Restaurants Where Expats Go When They Yearn for Their Gastronomy
Where do expats go in Madrid when they feel nostalgia for their country? We have asked several expat managers of different nationalities and we have get a map with the best “national” restaurants in this city. A difficult challenge, since, once they taste the Spanish delights, they forget where they come from and search, among the wide network of Spanish restaurants, for their favorites. For those who have “morriña”, here are some options:
Portuguese cuisine
Jean-Louis Queimado, Vacheron Constantin Director in Spain
Jean-Louis also responds when he is called João-Luis, because he is of Portuguese origin. So if he is ever gripped by a gastronomic saudade, he goes to Tras-os-Montes, one of the few Portuguese restaurants in Madrid, where they cook cod (the star dish of Portugal) in 25 different ways. “The portions are filling, so you can spend 75 euros per person and get a very good wine from the Alentejo or the Douro, for example. It’s a bit hidden, it’s discreet and its facade contrasts with its interior, much more beautiful”, comments Queimado.
Brazilian cuisine
Paulo Areas, Creative General Director of Ogilvy
“The Brazilian cuisine is very diverse, a consequence of how big and multicultural Brazil is. However, there is something that all Brazilians agree on: meat”, says Areas. In Madrid there are many brazilian restaurants, with different qualities and specialized in rodizios (a meat buffet). But Paulo recommends Rubaiyat. “Even it is not specialized in rodizio, it offers one of the best meats in Madrid”.
French Cuisine
Stéphanie Aubry, Director of the Swiss watchmaker and jeweler Piaget in Spain.
The French Aubry, a foodie, chooses a food store, “Los Quesos de L’Amélie”; according to her, it offers one of the most appreciated products of the Gallic pantry: cheese. “They have an interesting variety from all over Europe and they mix all types of cheese. Truffled cheeses are delicious. The atmosphere is very relaxed and it’s always a good thing to end the day with a glass of wine and some cheese.”
Venezuelan cuisine
Guillermo Penso, CEO of Bodega Otazu and president of the Otazu Foundation.
The madrilian Velázquez 17 fuses Venezuelan and Mediterranean cuisine, and is the favorite restaurant of Penso, compatriot of the owners. He likes it so much, that in the Navarra winery he manages, he has created a specific label for the restaurant. “I love their tequeños (little fingers of cheese), they are like the ones used to be made at my home. It’s a family restaurant where the treatment is very close.”
See original Revista GQ Spain
