My first stop is the Café Bar Universal, a little place next to the Iglesia San Salvador, where several young couples sit canoodling over chilled sangria. The dark wood interior sports a collection of black and white photographs, a slightly tacky reproduction of the Venus de Milo, and a misshapen patrician bust (Caligula?). The young waiter has a tickle in his throat and takes my order through a series of suppressed coughs: chipirones a la plancha (grilled squid) and a pastel de berenjenas (aubergene ‘cake’ – which tasted a lot better than it sounds). And a glass of fino, of course.
Having taken the edge off my appetite, I am in no mood to jostle the crowds to get to the Antigua Bodeguita del Salvador and the Bodeguita los Soportales, so I cross the Plaza del Salvador instead.
Rounding a corner to leave the hubbub of voices behind me, I find the Bar Europa, with its black-and-white tiled floor and pretty azulejos. As luck would have it, they also happen to serve award-winning tapas. I opt for the quesadilla “los Balanchares” gratinada sobre manzana granny smith (grilled cheese on apple interestingly done, which won the premio major tapa innovadora 2005) and the croquetas de jamón ibérico (Iberian ham croquettes, which won the premio major tapa tradiciónal 2007). Both didn't disappoint.
To round off the evening, I stop by the Bar Gran Tino on the Plaza Alfalfa. It’s a basic little place, but I like the slightly tubby chap with the charmingly crooked smile on the sign outside. Was this Tino? Apparently not – ‘tino’ was actually the ‘torino’ or wine cask next to him. Ho-hum! I order an atún con tomate (tuna and tomatoes) and some espinacas con garbanzos (spinach and chick peas). Hay caracoles, said another sign with a smiling snail on it. And, since I haven’t had snails for a very long time, I order some for old time's sake – together with more fino to wash them down.
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