Vi Vian's Food Blog

Just beyond Plaza Mayor, out through Calle Mayor, Mercado San Miguel is an eye catcher.   Before the market, this square was where the San Miguel de los Octoes church stood. After being destroyed in a fire in the 19th century, Mercado San Miguel was constructed under the supervision of architect Alfonso Dubé y Díez. Alfonso was inspired by other European markets, especially Les Halles (Paris), and with that brought new ideas of hygiene (drainage systems) embedded in the wrought iron structures and huge glass window panes.  The mercado was opened on 13 May 1916. San Miguel suffers a downturn a few years after  opening due to improper maintenance. A group of private investors bought this place and restoration work began in 2003; following a multi-year restoration, now stands the glamorous market. Read the rest of this entry →

Discovering La Taberna feels like winning the lottery in the ‘food department’! Only five hours before our plane leaves Madrid and  knowing what the food will be like in the airport and on the plane, we decide to first fill our tummies before heading to the airport. We are ready to settle for a cup of coffee and sandwich, but a particular menu catches our eyes.

Read the rest of this entry →

When I told Jeremy that I was going to make bread for Saturday lunch, very politely he replied, “oh?” with a facial expression that showed him wondering wonders I was going to phase out of my bread baking obsession. For the past few weeks I have made a lot of bread from various recipes in search for the perfect oomph. Some were good, others were slightly edible and the rest… let’s not mention that I have bake before… Read the rest of this entry →

Brownies have a cake-like texture, except that they are denser and in my childhood visual memory, much flatter than a cake. In other words, a much denser chocolate cake  (oh, what a killer!). Everyone has their preferred brownie recipe, and I would not doubt if I was told that their’s is the best ever. Read the rest of this entry →

I love bread, especially freshly baked homemade bread; the aroma is divine and I find, very seducing. And by this, I mean being seduced by the bread. Naturally, I try to create this atmosphere in my very own kitchen. Unfortunately, I have not been very lucky with my attempts. There is always something wrong about it – yeast does not froth up, dough does not rise and as a result, the bread turns out too tough that it could break a hole through a brick wall (or be used to build one!). On the other hand, fortunately for me, my critics will go through an analytical series of questions and do the checklist of whether I did the right thing through each stage of the process.

Read the rest of this entry →