When Mende woke up, we met at Taberna la Carmencita for dinner. I had also had breakfast at Taberna la Carmencita, but it was so good, I wanted to show Mende the place too.
We had a complimentary duck liver pate to start with, accompanied by fried squid, meatballs and ensaladilla rusa, which Taberna la Carmencita calls Ensalada Imperial. Tomatoes, tomatoes, the ensalada imperial/ensaladilla rusa was fabulous.
As the name suggests, Ensaladilla rusa is actually a Russian dish, but for more than a century, it has also been an integrated and very popular part of Spanish cuisine. The usual ingredients are eggs tuna, mayonnaise and potatoes, but some recipes also have carrots and green peas. It’s one of my absolute favorite tapas.
Fried squid is always a safe bet, and I have nothing bad to say about the serving we had at Taberna La Carmencita. Crispy, piping hot, and great with a glass of beer. We also had meatballs, but they didn’t manage to leave an impression, neither in a good nor a bad way.
Somehow we managed to talk ourselves into dessert, even though we were both quite full, and in came the prettiest slice of chocolate cake. It was surprisingly delicious from what you would expect to have at a tapas restaurant and I’m happy that we ordered it.
Taberna La Carmencita, Calle de la Libertad, 16, 28004 Madrid
