O’Pazo, Madrid’s seafaring anthem
As a rule, you have to trust the locals, who know their own city better than you do. A gastronomic let-go that occasionally leads to exceptional discoveries. This is how the restaurant O’Pazo proved to be an enchanting and intimate culinary interlude. You could walk past this discreet establishment a dozen times without paying the slightest attention. As soon as you enter, after walking down a long wooden corridor and past the refrigerated counter dedicated to seafood, you reach the main dining room, chicly and elegantly decorated but nevertheless deprived of natural light. Note: ask for a table in this same room to avoid the slightly darker back room.
Marine institution
Even if it doesn’t meet the criteria of a gourmet restaurant, O’Pazo remains a refined and distinguished establishment. In fact, proper attire is required. Despite a succinct wine list (even disappointing given the quality of the place), the food menu is worthy of the greatest marine institutions. We therefore avoid the temptation of an Iberian ham at the start of our meal, and make the wise decision to concentrate on the delicacies of the sea.
We start with a wonderful shrimp and mussel salad with sweet onions and a lightly lemony vinaigrette, and continue with clams à la marinière… an invitation to sauce your plate with a piece of bread. Then, following the recommendations of a benevolent maître d’hôtel, we succumb to the inevitable melting, crispy rice, caramelized in its pan, on which we place seafood –
