Lao Tou Restaurant Usera

Authentic Zhejiang style 浙菜 restaurant in Madrid

Lao Tou Restaurant 老头浙菜饭店: Zhejiang style 浙菜 cooking in the heart of Madrid’s Chinatown Usera

Seabass Stew in Lao Tou Restaurant 老头浙菜饭店

One of the most popular restaurants in Madrid’s Chinatown in the neighbourhood of Usera, Lao Tou, is an homage to the cuisine of Zhejiang 浙菜, known as Zhècài. Zhejiang is the birth place of the majority of the Chinese community living in Madrid (and Spain).

Salt and Pepper deep fried Prawns *Lao Tou Restaurant 老头浙菜饭店*

Not only is Lao Tou popular with the Chinese residents in Madrid, it is also increasingly frequented by curious Madrileños and Chinese tourists visiting the capital.

Sauteed Chinese greens *Lao Tou Restaurant 老头浙菜饭店*

What makes the restaurant special?

Firstly, the ambience: Lao Tou is boisterous, noisy and chaotic. The combination of Chinese and Spanish having a good time means that noise decibels go through the roof. Added to the animated conversations of the clientele is the clanging and banging made by the to-ing and fro-ing of the waiters as they bring a constant stream of dishes and drinks from the kitchen and bar. And to cap it all, there is the hiss of the wok and the sound of metal hitting metal as the chefs stir the food in the woks with their spatulas.

**Cold Fish Cake 鱼饼** *in slices (Pastel de Pescado)* *Lao Tou Restaurant 老头浙菜饭店*

Then there is the food. Anyone following our blog will know that we love spicy food and our favourite Chinese cuisine comes from Sichuan and Hunan, called Chuāncài 川菜 and Xiāngcài 湘菜 respectively. Zhejiang Cuisine is very different. Rather than using a lot of spice, the aim of Zhejiang cooking is to concentrate on the natural flavours of the ingredients, using only a few spices to enhance the taste. Not much oil is used and the flavours are fresh.

**Razor fish 蛏子** (navajas) *Lao Tou Restaurant 老头浙菜饭店*

Most of the Chinese community in Madrid come from Qingtian, a town close to the huge, commercial city of Wenzhou in the south of Zhejiang Province. As this area is near the border with Fujian Province, there is a lot of influence from Fujian Cuisine 闽菜, known as Mǐncài. 闽菜. Mǐncài uses a lot of seafood and fish and that is what makes Lao Tou such a great restaurant.

Fresh Spanish seafood, cooked in 浙菜; Zhècài /闽菜; Mǐncài style makes for a real treat. Great fish: seabass and turbot. Wonderful shellfish: clams, razor fish and cockles, to name just a few. For carnivores there is also a huge selection of offal, cold and hot, as well as chicken, duck and pork specialities.

The Dishes:

Here are some of the cold dishes we started with.

**Wa wa cai 娃娃菜** (Verdura adobada, *Lao Tou Restaurant 老头浙菜饭店* )

Wa wa cai 娃娃菜 (Verdura adobada, Spanish translation): a cold dish of pickled cabbage hearts, slightly salty with a tinge of sweetness and a crunchy texture. I’d never had it before and neither had I heard of it, but it’s delicious!

As it’s not on the menu, you have to point to it in the glass cabinet between the bar and the kitchen.

Cold Fish Cake 鱼饼 in slices (Pastel de Pescado): tasty slices of cold fish with garlic and ginger, accompanied by a light soy sauce. It has a great texture too!

**Cold dried and roasted fish 黄鱼** (secado de pescado) *Lao Tou Restaurant 老头浙菜饭店*

Cold dried and roasted fish 黄鱼 (secado de pescado): a really tasty fish that comes off the bone easily.

**Pickled Turnip 萝卜条** *Lao Tou Restaurant 老头浙菜饭店*

Pickled Turnip 萝卜条 (nabo encurtido) : similar to the pickled cabbage hearts; crunchy and delicious.

**Jellyfish salad 海蛰头** (ensalada de medusa) *Lao Tou Restaurant 老头浙菜饭店*

Jellyfish salad 海蛰头 (ensalada de medusa): a generous portion and excellent taste . However, the jellyfish could have been more tender and less chewy. This is usually one of our favourite Chinese cold starters, but this one was a little disappointing.

Cucumber salad 凉拌黄黄瓜 (ensalada de pepino)，*Lao Tou Restaurant 老头浙菜饭店*

The other classic cold dishes on the menu include cucumber salad, tofu with black eggs (one hundred, or one thousand year old eggs) and fried shrimps with fresh coriander, among others. For adventurous meat eaters there are duck’s feet 鸭爪, tongues 鸭舌 or a whole head 鸭头 and veal tripe 牛百叶.

Mains:

**Clams 蛤蜊** (almejas) *Lao Tou Restaurant 老头浙菜饭店*

The star dish of Lao Tou seems to be steamed fish head (I think it is hake). We haven’t tried it yet. Nearly everybody else in the restaurant was ordering it, but Margie isn’t so keen on fish head, so we went for other options.

The razor fish 蛏子 (navajas) and clams 蛤蜊 (almejas) were fresh and tender and delicately cooked in soy sauce with spring onions and ginger. Most importantly, there was no sand in the razor fish.

However, the cockles 蚶 (berberechos) cooked in Shaoxing wine (Huangjiu 黄酒) were the icing on the cake: fresh, succulent and imbibed with the flavor of the wine.

**Cockles 蚶** (berberechos) *Lao Tou Restaurant 老头浙菜饭店*

We also had a huge, mildly spicy pot of fresh seabass鲈鱼 (lubina), which was beautifully presented. The slices of fish were very tender and almost boneless; it could have been a bit spicier for our liking, but – as I said – that’s not really what Zhejiang style’s about. The restaurant does a similar dish with congealed blood.

Don’t miss out on the salt and pepper deep fried prawns 椒盐虾: great texture and great taste!

Finally, there is a good selection of vegetables as well. I’d recommend the sautéed Mange Tout 荷兰豆 and if you are feeling adventurous, give the Chinese Yucca 山药 a chance, or the Jiao Bai (Sun) 茭白(笋), a type of crispy water bamboo.

**Jiao Bai (Sun) 茭白(笋)** *Lao Tou Restaurant 老头浙菜饭店*

They also do Okra Qiū kuí 秋葵 Chinese style, in a thick, sticky sauce。

All in all, Lao Tou comes highly recommended. At the weekend you may well have to wait at the bar before you get one of the coveted tables.

Three Little Pigs Dumpling Restaurant Madrid

Three little Pigs Dumpling Restaurant / Los tres Cerditos: Paseo de las delicias 73， Madrid

三只小猪饺子店

Mixed Prawn and Veggie Dumplings THREE LITTLE PIGS RESTAURANT / LOS TRES CERDITOS: PASEO DE LAS DELICIAS 73， MADRID

Three Little Pigs Dumpling Restaurant Madrid makes some of the best Chinese dumplings in Madrid. Jiaozi or Chinese Dumplings (empanadillas in Spanish) have been popular in Madrid for a number of years, but finding the real McCoy, as you would in the old days in Beijing’s Hutongs, has been more of a struggle.

Making ian Bing 煎饼 / Chinese Pancake — *Jian Bing* 煎饼 */ Chinese Pancake THREE LITTLE PIGS RESTAURANT / LOS TRES CERDITOS: PASEO DE LAS DELICIAS 73， MADRID*

The opening of the Three Little Pigs Dumpling Restaurant 三只小猪饺子店 (Tres Cerditos in Spanish) has remedied the situation sensationally and especially for vegetarians.

Prawn Dumpling THREE LITTLE PIGS RESTAURANT / LOS TRES CERDITOS: PASEO DE LAS DELICIAS 73， MADRID

The tiny restaurant does three types of dumplings: meat, prawn and vegetable. The dumpling dough, using wheat flour, is color coded; bluish for seafood, green for vegetarian and orangey for meat. You can have them grilled ( a la plancha) or steamed / boiled (hervido).

Prawn and Vege dumplings — Prawn and vege dumplings THREE LITTLE PIGS RESTAURANT / LOS TRES CERDITOS: PASEO DE LAS DELICIAS 73， MADRID

The prawn dumplings are simply delicious, while meat eaters rave about the veal or pork dumplings. My only gripe is that the homemade chili sauce is not spicy enough for my spoilt taste buds. However, there is Thai Seracha sauce on hand.

Meat and Vege dumplings Tres cerditos — Meat and veggie dumplings THREE LITTLE PIGS RESTAURANT / LOS TRES CERDITOS: PASEO DE LAS DELICIAS 73， MADRID

The vegetarian dumplings have an original filling of carrots, onions, leeks and herbs (fresh coriander). Not only is the combination wonderfully eye pleasing, but it is also unbelievably tasty.

Vege Dumpling — Beautiful veggie dumpling THREE LITTLE PIGS RESTAURANT / LOS TRES CERDITOS: PASEO DE LAS DELICIAS 73， MADRID

Next on the menu are Jian Bing 煎饼 or Chinese Pancakes. These Tianjin style filled pancakes with vegetables only, or with chicken / beef and vegetables are enormous, delicious, cheap and filling. They are also one of my favourite beakfasts when I am in Beijing.

Jian Bing 煎饼 / Chinese Pancake — Jian Bing 煎饼 Stuffed Egg Pancake THREE LITTLE PIGS RESTAURANT / LOS TRES CERDITOS: PASEO DE LAS DELICIAS 73， MADRID

The pancakes are made on a hot metal grill and you can watch the staff preparing them right in front of you. First the dough is spread onto the hot plate and then an egg is added.

Making jian Bing 煎饼 / Chinese Pancake — THREE LITTLE PIGS RESTAURANT / LOS TRES CERDITOS: PASEO DE LAS DELICIAS 73， MADRID

The process of making the pancakes looks simple but the number of different ingredients and various stages is quite mind-boggling. I imagine it is a case of practice makes perfect if you want to learn how to do it. However, I’d recommend leaving the task to the experts at the restaurant.

Hand-Made Noodles THREE LITTLE PIGS RESTAURANT / LOS TRES CERDITOS: PASEO DE LAS DELICIAS 73， MADRID

Other dishes: Also on the menu are hand-made noodles. The noodles are cold and come with a scrumptious hoisin style Cantonese sauce and are accompanied with an assortment of vegetables.

Everything THREE LITTLE PIGS RESTAURANT / LOS TRES CERDITO — All the dishes THREE LITTLE PIGS RESTAURANT / LOS TRES CERDITOS: PASEO DE LAS DELICIAS 73， MADRID

Rice flour is used to make the delicate and mouth-watering wantons (meat only). All the wanton wrappers are hand-made in the restaurant.

Cooking at THREE LITTLE PIGS RESTAURANT / LOS TRES CERDITO — Working in the Kitchen THREE LITTLE PIGS RESTAURANT / LOS TRES CERDITOS: PASEO DE LAS DELICIAS 73， MADRID

The kitchen is open for all to see and kept incredible clean. The owner is from Zhejiang 浙江省, but the dumpling makers are from the home of dumplings, Shandong 山东省 province and further north in Dandong 丹东 Liaoning province 辽宁省.

Cooking THREE LITTLE PIGS RESTAURANT / LOS TRES CERDITO — The Kitchen THREE LITTLE PIGS RESTAURANT / LOS TRES CERDITOS: PASEO DE LAS DELICIAS 73， MADRID

The menu below is in Spanish only. If you are visiting the Museo de Ferrocarril ( the Railway Museum in Madrid), then a visit to the Three Little Pigs Dumpling Restaurant is a must! Just walk long the attractive street Tomás Bretón to get there. There is another Tres Cerditos restaurant in the neighbourhood of Manuel Becerra.

The Barrio (Neighbourhood)

Delicias

Just off the Atocha station and the magnificent Reina Sofia musem, home to Dali’s Guernica, is the attractive, but little visited neighborhood of Delicias.

Delicias was the first neighborhood where we lived when we came to Madrid. Back then, 1993, it was a traditional working class neighborhood (or barrio castizo) and slightly seedy due to its closeness to Atocha station. Over the years, it has become a melting pot for immigrants from all over the world, but particularly from Latin America.

Menu THREE LITTLE PIGS RESTAURANT / LOS TRES CERDITOS: PASEO DE LAS DELICIAS 73， MADRID

This change you can see everywhere on the streets, on the faces of the passers-by as well as in the restaurants. Delicas now caters to all tastes. If you want to eat Ethiopian, there is an Ethiopian restaurant: Habesha . Want to try Korean? There is a great Korean place: Go Hyang Mat. Fancy Cuban food? Head for the fantastic Havana Blues.

Making Chinese Pancake — Making Jian Bing 煎饼 ( Photo by Marcel) THREE LITTLE PIGS RESTAURANT / LOS TRES CERDITOS: PASEO DE LAS DELICIAS 73， MADRID

Chinese food had gone somewhat under the radar in this neighbourhood, but this has now changed with the opening of the Three Little Pigs restaurant.

Making Jian Bing Chinese Pancake — *Making Jian Bing 煎饼 ( Photo by Marcel) THREE LITTLE PIGS RESTAURANT / LOS TRES CERDITOS: PASEO DE LAS DELICIAS 73， MADRID*

Authentic Sichuan Food in Madrid

Sabor Sichuan 川百味 (Taste of Szechuan)

New Name: 川辣香都 The Sichuan Capital of Fragrance and Spice

Calle Gabino Jimeno 6: Usera, Madrid

Authentic Sichuan Food in Madrid: Do you like Spicy Food?

Authentic Sichuan Food in Madrid. Madrid is a fabulous city for eating out. For the adventurous, boundless opportunities for exciting dining exist all over the city. However, those who crave spicy food, and I mean really spicy food, are often disappointed by the dearth of options.

Authentic Sichuan Food in Madrid 川北凉粉 spicy mung bean noodles — 川北凉粉 spicy mung bean noodles *Sabor Sichuan 川百味*

Some Peruvian restaurants make brave attempts to keep up their spicy tradition, but most succumb to the whims of their autochthonous diners by watering down the kick. Kitchen 154, a mecca for spicy food in the market of Vallehermoso, does a pretty good job. Cruel, there own chili brand, is pretty fiery .

四川凉面，cold Sichuan noodles *Sabor Sichuan 川百味*

This after all is the country were the giant Tabasco Sauce company has almost given up the ghost. Sales in Spain are about its worst in Europe. Spanish tolerance of hot spice or chili is pretty low.

Thank heavens for ~~Sabor Sichuan (Taste of Szechuan)~~ 川辣香都 The Sichuan Capital of Fragrance and Spice . This small little restaurant in the barrio of Usera , south of the River Manzanares, and in the heart of Madrid’s China town is a godsend. It has recently changed owners and name, but the food is just as good as before.

If you have ever been to Sichuan or Chongqing and continue to crave that lip burning and tongue numbing Mala 麻辣 spice then Sabor Sichuan is Continue reading “Authentic Sichuan Food in Madrid”

Taihu Brewing comes to Madrid

Taihu Brewing 臺虎精釀 comes to Madrid

The quiet and attractive barrio of Pacifico just outside the historic center of Madrid may not the place you’d expect to find one of the most exotic beers from Taiwan’s famous Taihu Brewery. But just step inside the amazing and cozy beer shop, Espuma, (C/. Juan de Urbieta 13, Local 16, 28007, MADRID, Metro L1 y L6 Pacífico y L1 Menéndez Pelayo.), and you’ll find yourself immersed in the world of craft beers.

The owners are real experts on craft beer and brewing and have started to make their own delicious beer Witoria. Apart from the many delicious beers for sale in bottles and, increasingly, in attractive tins, they always have two beers on tap for customers to try.

Taihu Smoked Plum Lichtenhainer臺虎烏梅

On this particular day when I visited Espuma, they had on tap Taihu Smoked Plum Lichtenhainer 臺虎烏梅. It’s a beer that doesn’t leave anyone indifferent: you’ll either love it, or find it downright weird! For me, it was weird on the first sip; then love on the second one.

Pulling a pint of Taihu Smoked Plum beer in Espuma

It’s the use of these smoked plums that gives the Taihu Smoked Plum Lichtenhainer 臺虎烏梅 a smoky fruitiness that no other beer can match; furthermore, it has a refreshing sour tartness that quenches any thirst, even when it is 35º outside. I hope the barrel, the only one they have in the shop, won’t run out too soon!

The flavor of sour plums, smoked or sweet, is one of my favorite flavors from China and Taiwan. These sour plums, together with rock sugar and other ingredients like sweet osmanthus, are used to make a refreshing cold drink known as Suanmeitang 酸梅汤 often sold in street markets. Even though it is called a soup in Chinese, it is actually a drink. Besides refreshing, Suanmeitang is also believed to be good for your health, as it improves digestion and may inhibit the buildup of lactic acid.

Espuma came across the beer at the Founders Madrid Beer & Music Fest in the Patio of Conde Duque Madrid where Taihu Brewing had a stand. Intrigued by the unusual flavor, they decided to purchase a barrel and take it to their shop.

About this Beer:

Here are some professional reviews of the beer from ratebeer.com:

(Click here for Spanish version)

A Taiwanese twist on the German classic. The 40% Cherry wood smoked malt and 40% malted wheat lend smoke heft and body to the palate. We quick sour with a house culture, kefir-derived lacto blend down to 3.2 for a robust tartness. The Taiwanese smoked plum adds a deep fruity/smoky balance on the nose and a refreshing grassiness on the finish, complex but crushable.

The type of beer used in the Smoked Sour Plum is the Lichtenhainer. This description comes from www.beeradvocate.com:

“Lichtenhainer is also a pale beer brewed from lightly smoked malt, though only barley malt is used. The approximately 8º Plato wort is very lightly hopped and only boiled very briefly and exposed to either a spontaneously appearing or deliberately started lactic acid bacteria infection that gives the beer its weakly sour taste. The mostly young beer, which isn’t expected to be clear, is usually served from a barrel.”

Combining both smoky and sour tastes in one beer is unusual—but not unique. At least not in the past: In the first half of the 19th century, Berliner Weisse was also brewed with smoked malt”.

About the Brewery: Taihu Brewing (臺虎精釀):

The Taihu Brewery is Taiwan’s number one craft beer brewery. It has 5 five founders, three Taiwanese and two Americans. Due to Taiwanese laws forbidding brewing inside the capital, brewing takes place in an industrial area outside Taipei. However, the company has a number of taprooms at prime locations throughout the city to satisfy the demands of its thirsty customers (see below).

Taihu’s head brewer is Winnie Hsu, the lady responsible for “putting the tiger in Taihu beers”. She studied brewing beer in Atlanta and Phoenix in the USA and later in Germany where she perfected her technique. Click here for an interesting interview with Taihu’s head brewer.

Apart from the amazing variety of beers, which include IPAs under the name Hop Lanterns, and a host of experimental beers including one made with Kumquat oranges, Kumquat Kölsch (金桔科隆), Taihu Brewery has also developed a Coffee IPA (blond) that uses Coffee from Kenya. This IPA is exclusively sold in Starbucks Reserve location in Shanghai.

The attractive logo below uses the two characters that make up Taihu 臺虎. Tai 臺 is for Taiwan and Hu 虎 is for tiger.

Another thing that really makes Taihu’s beers stand out are the incredible designs of the labels on the tins, created by the Taiwanese artist Yao Ruizhong（姚瑞中). Each can represents a different Taiwanese landmark. Take a look below.

The red of Wuling Maple Farm, Taichung (台中武陵): ‘Mai Xiang’ (麥鄉), or Taihu Bright Ale‘:

The blue of Si Shou Moutain, Taipei (台北四兽山): ‘Taihu IPA (臺虎IPA)’:

The purple of Beinan, Taitung (台東卑南): ‘Xiao Mai’(臺虎小麥), or Taihu Weisse’:

and the green of Guanziling Hotspring, Taichung (台中關子嶺): ‘Kumquat Kölsch (金桔科隆)’:

Where to try Taihu beers in Taiwan:

You can find Taihu Tap Rooms at least 5 locations in Taipei and one in Taichung. The Tap rooms, Chuoyinshi 啜飲室 literally meaning sipping rooms, have a bewildering selection of beers on their chalkboard. Interesting snacks accompany the beers. If only they had been there in 1997 when I studied Chinese in Taipei!

For a short time while the barrel lasts you can also come to Espuma.

Espuma (C/. Juan de Urbieta 13, Local 16, 28007, MADRID, Metro L1 y L6 Pacífico y L1 Menéndez Pelayo.)

Aprender Chino en la Universidad Complutense Madrid 2022

Aprender Chino

en la Universidad Complutense Madrid 2022

Pueblo de ChiKan donde rodaron el Grandmaster

Hay un Nuevo Curso de Chino en la Universidad Complutense Madrid

2º cuatrimestre de chino “Práctica de las destrezas orales”. Matricula:2022.

Para más informacion haz clic en el anuncio:

2º cuatrimestre de chino "Práctica de las destrezas orales". Nivel mínimo requerido A1.2. Matricula: 20/01-12/02. Horario V 11:00 - 15:30. — 2º cuatrimestre de chino “Práctica de las destrezas orales”.

Cursos de Chino del CSIM: 14 Oct 2013 a 31 Mayo en la Universidad Complutense Madrid

Cursos de chino en Madrid / Chinese Language Courses in Madrid 2013 /2014

Universidad Complutense Madrid /Learn Chinese in the Complutense University in Madrid

Hc-Chinese-500 — Cursos de Chino en la Universidad Complutense Madrid (CSIM)

Curso de chino mandarin en Madrid 2013/2014

Como todos los años el CSIM (Centro Superior de Idioma Modernas) te ofrecen cursos de chino en la Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Las fechas son del 14 de octobre 2013 hasta el 31 de mayo 2014: 3 horas semanales. Todo/as los profesores son licenciadas y con ampliar experiencia en impartir clases de chino. Para mas informacion clic haz clic en este enlace: http://pendientedemigracion.ucm.es/info/idiomas/cursos/generales.htm

Cursos de Chino en la Universidad Complutense De Madrid (CSIM ) Julio 2011

The-Lost-World of the Maling Gorge — Garganta de Maling, Provincia de Guizhou, China

Este año ofrecemos cursos del idioma Chino de 60 horas en el la Universidad Complutense de Madrid organizados por el Centro Superior de Idiomas Modernas (CSIM).

: Cursos-de-Chino 2011 CSIM

Para matricularse online y más información haz clic aquí: http://www.ucm.es/info/idiomas/index.htm

Mujer de la etnia Miao, Langde Shan, Guizhou

Teléfono 91 394 6481 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 91 394 6481 end_of_the_skype_highlighting /8404 / 8405: Todos los días 9.00 a 14.00/ o Miércoles 9.00 a 18.00.

Beijing Time 北京时间

Hola China in Madrid: Beijing Time 北京时间(18 December to 21 of March)

Beijing Time 北京时间 is the title of an exhibition that is currently being held at the Matadero (Paseo de la Chopera 14), a centre dedicated to contemporary creative arts in Madrid. The exhibition has been organised by Casa Asia.

Meaning of BEIJING TIME

The title refers to the fact that the whole of the vast territory that makes up China, is run according to whatever time it is in the capital; regardless of the inconvenience this causes in the far-flung border regions. For instance, when it’s 9am in Beijing, it’s only 6 am in Xinjiang. Depending on the political stance you take, Beijing Time can be seen as a symbol of unity, or the government’s attempt to impose this unity.

A second reading of the exhibition’s title refers to the increasingly prominent position of Beijing/China on the world stage, whether in a

HolaChina wishes everybody a happy Year of the Tiger from Madrid.

Chinese New Year in Madrid

Last week, the Chinese community in Madrid celebrated the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Tiger, right in the centre of the city. The parade started in the emblematic Puerta del Sol (where we live), and finished in Plaza de España, passing the Royal Palace on the way.

Each year the parade seems to increase in size, both in the number of participants and spectators. In years gone by, the celebration was limited to the charismatic neighbourhood of Lavapiés, where many Chinese have their wholesale businesses. These days, the narrow, hilly streets of Lavapiés have become too small for the growing celebration.

The parade included all the usual dancing dragons, lions and people dressed in folkloric costumes. Martial arts displays, mostly performed by Continue reading “HolaChina wishes everybody a happy Year of the Tiger from Madrid.”

Category: China in Madrid