Restaurante Sagaretxe, Madrid

This splendid restaurant & pintxos bar is at Calle Eloy Gonzalo 26, just down from Iglesia metro. On a recce the previous Saturday, whereas the front room by the bar had been crowded with loudly socialising locals, the seated area at the rear was empty; so we went back on Friday. Same story in front, but now the back room was full of a birthday party singing Cumpleanos Feliz (does the whole world use the same tune?) - we squeezed in somehow. Some of us got terribly in the way of the serving staff, who were heroically polite.

For ten of us we had two large plates of mixed pintxos, the easiest option given the noise and our limited linguistic ability, and all the ones I ate were excellent. Even the blue-cheese-flavoured cream cheese ones, although I wish I'd known it was blue cheese first. The crab ones were especially yum. And the pork loin ones. This worked out at €3.50 per person for about 2-3 whole pintxos each (we cut them up into smaller bits). I shared a bottle of crisp lemony albarino with someone who 'forgot' to split the reasonable cost of €18.50.

The restaurant menu looked yum too but no chance of anything from there until Spanish dinner time. I would definitely return; a nice place, but next time I'll pick a quieter night or go with someone who speaks decent Spanish.

The Downside of Top Down

Didn't it sound a good idea? Ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise in squeezy bottles, upside down so you can get the last dollop out.

Except that you can't.

Imagine the bottle as an armless torso standing on its head, wearing a hat the same width as its shoulders. The gloop settles down at the sides, where the shoulders are, but it won't come out of the comparatively narrow neck; and even if you take the cap/hat off, the neck is too small to get a spoon in. If you shake it hard it broadcasts gobbets of gloop, most of which don't land on your sandwich.

Grrrr. Back to ordinary bottles for me, and the wedging of same between heavier items to hold them upside down when nearly empty.

Whoop de do

At last, after much backing and filling, Dinah dips a toe into the blogpool. Huzzah!


To follow: reviews of restaurants, bars and greasy spoons by me, and books, films, other stuff by anyone who wanders into the building. I may even post a picture of the eponymous hippo.


You lucky, lucky people.