We wanted to enjoy together a gastronomic experience around good food once again. Our resumption of our activities in Madrid was done with the utmost enthusiasm.

Despite it being a weekend with a holiday on the Monday in the capital, we summoned Chaîne members and friends to our Bailliage’s 2022 ‘Season Start’ dinner on Friday, May 13 at the Mano de Santa Restaurant in Madrid.

Only open for a year, Mano de Santa is in the Salamanca district. With a wide range of wines the restaurant is a good meeting point for those who like good cuisine harmonized with quality wines, including a variety of cocktails.

Our menu consisted of the following dishes:

Starters: salad with prawns and a crispy shrimp tortilla, Idiazabal croquettes and pine nuts with quince cream, pickled mussels with orange and bergamot, ropa vieja* dumplings with broth and skewers of beef tenderloin with chili and basil.

[*Ed. Ropa vieja is a classic Spanish dish made of sautéed garbanzo beans and shredded meat. If you are new to Spanish cuisine or just want to understand more about certain dishes, you're in the right place. The words ropa vieja mean "old clothes" in Spanish!]

Mains: wok-cooked monkfish with coconut milk and spicy clams and 8-hour lamb shank with peanuts and sage.

Dessert: kaffir lime cheesecake with hazelnut crumble, followed by coffees and teas.

The surprise came with dessert gifted courtesy of May Rodríguez, from Vinos Jeromín. It consisted of a bottle of wine from this prestigious winery for everyone.

We are already preparing the next events both in Madrid and Barcelona. In the meantime, we raise our glasses and make a toast of “Vive la Chaîne!”

Abel González
Chargé de Missions