F.Scott Fitzgerald

Our first visit to Madrid started on a high with a Saturday night out at Hermosos y Malditos, one of the city’s most stylish restaurants at design hotel TÓTEM Madrid.

Located in well-heeled Salamanca, with Manolo Blahnik and Stella McCartney among its neighbours, Hermosos y Malditos attracts a cool crowd of locals and hotel guests and the vibe is buzzing yet relaxed, making it perfect for date night or catching up with friends.

Named after F.Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel The Beautiful and the Damned, the concept is clear. Feast on heavenly Mediterranean dishes in the restaurant and end the night decadently over potent drinks in the sultry cocktail bar.

The bright and airy restaurant is a real treat for interiors fans (thanks to Spanish design firm Better) with modern-retro wood tables, leafy plants and touches of pastels. We arrived when the restaurant opened at 8.30pm and had some time to get settled and peruse the menu, however if you want to live like a true Madrileño, head there after 9pm when it starts to get lively.

After ordering, we were presented with a basket of rustic freshly-baked bread accompanied by a punchy tomato, garlic and chilli butter and marinated olives. It was so tempting to enjoy slice after slice, but a little restraint was necessary when we saw the portion sizes of dishes coming out the kitchen.

We ordered shareable dishes and first up was a typical Spanish delicacy of Acorn-fed Iberico Ham Arturo Sanchez with toasts. The artisanal sliced cured ham had a deep, nutty and mature flavour and a silky texture with a good amount of marbling. It was a superior grade of Iberico ham and went perfectly with the crispy golden toasts and crushed fresh tomato.

A Big Burrata with sundried tomatoes was a lovely, fresh dish and it certainly was on the large side. The cool, creamy burrata had a soft, oozing centre and was accompanied by an uplifting sundried tomato and olive oil caponata – simple perfection.

I was in the mood for seafood, so for my main course I tried the Scallops and vegetable wok. This delicious Asian-style dish was healthy yet moreish and I was treated to no less than six scallops! I’ve eaten my fair share of scallop dishes around the world, but this dish definitely beat a record. They were really good too – plump and succulent, served with tasty stir-fried vegetable with a sweet sesame-soy sauce.

Steven’s Roast beef with mashed potatoes and spinach salad was another hit. This dish had a comforting home-cooked taste, like the kind you’d expect a Spanish grandmother to make. The paper-thin slices of rare roast beef were tender and doused in a tangy, meaty jus, while the mashed potato was velvety smooth, almost like a purée, and the lightly-dressed spinach salad added a touch of freshness.

By this point, we were feeling very full and in an uncharacteristic move, we actually SHARED a dessert! However, we made it a decadent one – Chocolate with white chocolate. The silky milk chocolate ganache topped with coarse sea salt was surrounded by cookie crumble and served with a jug of creamy white chocolate sauce. It really was an ideal end to a glorious meal.

We then headed through to the fabulous cocktail bar to finish the night with a creative drink. We both tried the most amazing Spiced Whisky Sour and chilled out to a cool soundtrack of remixes by DJ Joao Ribeiro.

The cocktail bar is also a great spot for light bar bites, tapas and sandwiches – quite a few hotel guests ate there throughout the evening.

Hermosos y Malditos is a fun and sophisticated place to spend a night out in Madrid. The food is magnificent, the staff are delightful and everything from the statement tableware to the music has been thoughtfully considered. It’s also open for breakfast, lunch and brunch on Sundays, so you can make it part of a Salamanca shopping trip or an elegant start to the day.

For more information and booking, visit: www.hermososymalditosmadrid.com

Chérie City was a guest of Hermosos y Malditos

Photos by Chérie City and Hermosos y Malditos

The Plaza is a New York landmark, immortalised in the pages of American history, literature and film since its opening in 1907. The Plaza has had some great moments – the tea garden was featured in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (The Beautiful and Damned was based on the author’s exploits at the hotel), Eartha Kitt played The Persian Room, The Beatles stayed during their first trip to the U.S and Truman Capote hosted his legendary Black & White Ball in the Grand Ballroom.

More recently, Sex and the City and Gossip Girl have played a part in maintaining The Plaza’s reputation as the most desirable place in the city to get married, enjoy afternoon tea or a glamorous cocktail hour. Of course, being located in New York’s most prestigious spot, overlooking Central Park and 5th Avenue, certainly helps.

We visited The Plaza for lunch at Palm Court, the renowned restaurant and focal point of the hotel. Entering the spectacular dining room feels like walking into a bygone era, with a stunning stained glass cupola, crystal chandeliers, marble pillars and elegant palms.

Palm Court is ever so civilised and romantic, however the atmosphere is refreshingly informal. The waiters are polite yet warm and friendly, making conversation as though it was an old family establishment.

Afternoon tea is a particular favourite at Palm Court, with four special teas available – The Classic, The New Yorker, Chocolate Tea and Eloise Tea (named after author Kay Thompson’s young character Eloise, who lived at The Plaza).

We ordered from the lunch menu by Executive Chef Willis Loughhead, which features classic American dishes and European brasserie favourites.

We both started with the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with grilled melon and whole grain mustard aioli ($21). The crab cake was meaty and plump, with crispy golden breadcrumbs on a bed of lamb’s lettuce and juicy grilled melon. The whole grain mustard aioli was potent and piquant and worked perfectly with all of the flavours.

For my main dish, I was tempted by the Braised Beef Short Rib Stroganoff with mixed mushrooms, Harrison Creek Farms grey shallots, wide egg noodles and Dijon ($30). The meat was tender and slow-cooked and fell off the bone. The Stroganoff sauce had a light yet creamy texture and absorbed the flavours of the meat and mushrooms.

The noodles resembled thin fusilli pasta rather than the long ribbons I was expecting, however they were light and tasty. I later found out that in America, the difference between pasta and noodles is whether a wheat or egg dough is used, even if they may look like pasta shapes.

Steven ordered the Beer Braised Barbecue Pork with fresh tomato salsa, avocado, pickled red onion, brioche and house-made potato chips ($22). The pulled pork was moist and well marinated and the fresh garnishes stopped it from being overly rich. The thick-cut house-made potato chips were crunchy, properly seasoned and full of flavour – a welcome change from fries.

My Hazelnut Napoleon with hazelnut meringue and milk chocolate Chantilly ($14) was an absolute delight! I loved the contrasting layers of wafer-thin chocolate, whipped Chantilly cream, dense chocolate ganache, nutty sponge and a decadent, crunchy praline base. Any fans of Nutella or gianduja won’t be able to resist this dessert.

Steven went with the classic French Apple Tarte Tatin with caramelised Granny Smith apples and vanilla ice cream ($14). This was a simple dessert done extremely well, with deeply caramelised soft apples on a flaky pastry base. Pastry Chef Jasmina Bojic certainly brought flair to the dessert course.

We finished with two large pots of fresh mint tea, accompanied by a platter of the most exquisite chocolate truffles. Hand-painted and vibrant, these luxurious white, milk and dark chocolates resembled little meteorites and were filled with interesting combinations. After three delicious courses, we had no room left, so our waiter kindly boxed them up for us to take away.

A popular alternative to the lunch menu and the afternoon tea is the Chef’s Table – a selection of seasonal soup, salads, grilled vegetables, charcuterie, seafood, meats and desserts ($36). This self-service selection at the centre of the room was beautifully-presented and there were plenty of dishes to choose from. This option makes dining at The Plaza more affordable, particularly for families.

Palm Court is a fabulous emblem of ‘old world’ New York and it was a real treat to have dined at The Plaza, in the footsteps of America’s great and good.

For more info, visit: www.fairmont.com/theplaza

Chérie City was a guest of The Plaza

For more New York dining ideas, read my reviews of:

Dinner at Hermosos y Malditos Madrid

Lunch at Palm Court at The Plaza New York