Hosting friends can  sometimes be stressful, but in city like Madrid, (especially in August when everyone is on vacation) one can find little treasures that makes it all worthwhile.....Tonight we stumbled upon Posada del Dragon and Antoñita  a fabulous little restaurant with a menu that includes a ceviche salad that was to die for, huevos revueltos that  beat Casa Lucio´s, tempura de Bacalao with Romescu sauce, grilled squid with asparagus and for dessert Mojito sorbet, etc. The restaurant is situated in Cava Baja 14, in the lively are of la Latina and is also a newly restored boutique hotel. The staff was really friendly and food  really delicious.

Bar Tómate

This ‘bar with kitchen’, from the owners of Hotel Omm in Barcelona, opened in the Chamberí neighbourhood of Madrid.Tómate – meaning ‘take’ – bases its menu on Mediterranean dishes, using fresh quality products, and grouped into distinct categories: Tómate any time, suggestions to ‘pick at’ any time of the day, such as the amazing fried artichokes, Bhutan potatoes or asparagus tempura with Romesco sauce; Tómate from the Wood-fired Oven, dishes as suggestive as whole and semi-sweet tomatoes, veal carpaccio baked with wild herbs, or fontina, rocket and black truffle pizza;Tómate Green light, a light combination consisting of pickled tomato, tuna and seawater with a watercress, chatka, apple and ginger salad; Tómate of the Week, amongst the dishes of the day a country soup on Wednesday and truffled cannelloni au gratin; and for those who want more traditional home cooking, a classic Tómate Grupo Tragaluz, such as roast beef with mushroom sauce. The Gin Tonic at the bar even made the wait for the table a pleasure.....

Bar Tomate. c/ Fernando El Santo, 26. Madrid. Tel.: 91 702 38 70