Asturianos, Madrid, 3/27/15

Asturiano’s exterior
Asturiano’s exterior

Talk about a “hole in the wall” – this is it! There were 4 tables in the front room and a some bar seats. I later found they had another room down the hall that squeezed in another 8 tables and all were full. Not on the tourist path but you couldn’t have found a friendlier and helpful staff. Dona Julia started the place with her husband in the mid-sixties. Her sons run the wine and service part and she still cooks the food in a kitchen the size of a closet.

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While you’re looking over the menu they bring you a plate of delicious chorizo and blood sausages to snack on.  A very reasonable wine list is available. We basically picked the items the waiter suggested were their all stars and we didn’t go wrong with one of them. The cockles fresh and delicately seasoned and the house bread was crusty and doughy and perfect to mop up the heavily garliced sauce. The sardines were also tasty with a lovely tomato sauce to mix with them. The bean soup was sparked with bits of ham and sausage and the beans were huge but as velvety as a well cooked bean should be. Again the bread was a handy companion to get all of that flavorful broth. The beef cheeks were fork tender and tasty but even splitting portions the generosity of the servings catches up with you. However there’s always room for dessert and so glad of that. The chocolate mousse comes with olive oil floating on top and the waiter stirs it vigorously for a good minute to emulsify the dish. The resulting texture was heavenly and the little chunks of salt mixed in were a perfect match for the rich creamy chocolate. The taste and texture goodness were matched by the fresh cheese flan. As smooth and creamy and rich as you could dream of. A real winner here!

placemat
placemat
Welcome plate of chorizo, sausages and bread sticks
Welcome plate of chorizo, sausages and bread sticks
hallway leading to kitchen and second dining room
hallway leading to kitchen and second dining room
The chef, Dona Julia
The chef, Dona Julia
wine front
wine front
wine back
wine back
Cockles with garlic, olive oil and parsley
Cockles with garlic, olive oil and parsley
close up
close up
Cider marinated sardines with basil oil and tomato concasse
Cider marinated sardines with basil oil and tomato concasse
bread
bread
Asturian bean stew
Asturian bean stew
showing the size of the bean
showing the size of the bean
Stewed beef cheeks and fried potaoes
Stewed beef cheeks and fried potaoes
Chocolate mousse with olive oil, black pepper and Maldon salt
Chocolate mousse with olive oil, black pepper and Maldon salt
Fresh cheese flan
Fresh cheese flan

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