Taberna La Carmela
CUISINE
Set in a bustling side-street off Plaza de Canalejas, Taberna la Carmela offers traditional Spanish food and tapas. The old-style feel evolves into a modern Flamenco show at nighttime.
MY SCRAN CHOICE
We opted for some croquettes as a light start, before sharing two king-sized paellas.
STARTER
‘Jamón Ibérico Croquettes’
Creamy Croquettes with Ibérico Ham.
In light of trying out croquettes at Cambio de Tercio, I wanted to test the quality of the homegrown talent in Madrid. These were tasty in flavour, but lacked sufficient warmth and the presentation left a lot to be desired. I was slightly disappointed with their performance, especially as it is a local speciality, but maybe a different team could have met my expectations.
MAIN COURSES
‘Seafood Paella’
‘Chicken & Rabbit Valencian Paella’
I was particularly excited to tuck in to a hearty portion of paella, seeing as it was a Spanish delicacy. They were both very nice, although the Chicken & Rabbit Paella was a little burnt. You can see by my reaction to the seafood paella, we were happy as clams - it stood out above the rest.
THE REFRESHMENTS
‘The Oktoberfest’ & ‘Sangria’
The Oktoberfest was a hefty portion of beer, and perhaps too much to consume whilst managing the king-sized paella. It was better value for money, but perhaps a normal pint would have sufficed.
As for the sangria, it’s very refreshing and we all enjoyed sharing a glass each. It came out pricey though.
THE FEE
Standard pricing for a tasty paella in a busy area of Madrid.
THE REVIEW
Fresh from Real Madrid’s Champions League victory, I was excited to see whether their cuisine also had the winning formula. It felt appropriate to check out a restaurant with a real traditional Spanish feel, and the vibe was spot-on. It was perfect for people-watching and we could really soak in the atmosphere, but the food was, on the whole, tasty but lacking any real oomph. I would certainly recommend a visit if passing through Madrid’s centre but expectations should be tempered to not expect Luka Modric styled elegance. It certainly does the job…
Room for improvement?
Although the taste of the food was good, some more attention to detail on the presentation could have left the fans more satisfied. We did not visit the Flamenco show, which from the reviews, looks excellent, so perhaps the food is a side-show to the impressive dancing.
