Vips is a chain of shop-restaurants in Spain. A long time ago they used to have OK food and great vanilla milkshakes, but in my experience all that was replaced by appalling service, mediocre plates and expensive menus that display prices without tax.
Where they still deliver is with good sales in new but dated art books and catalogues. For example, the beautiful catalogue of the “Manet en el Prado” exhibition of 2003 (I visited it with Regina on Dec 29) was for sale today at 16€ in the Vips of C/ Fuencarral.
For dinner I went with some high school friends to Albur, a great small restaurant in C/ Manuela Malasaña. They had one waiter for the whole place, so service was a bit on the slow side, but that’s my only complaint.
I’ve been to Albur a couple of times, and they consistently use good quality ingredients for traditional Spanish dishes with a whiff of chicness. Everything tastes nice, and the venue is lovely. Portions are generous (we couldn’t finish the last black pudding pot), and excellent value for money, considering Christmas dinner prices in Madrid. A two course meal ordering from the menu, plus appetisers, a couple of rounds of beer and dessert added up to 30€ per head.
A personal favourite is grilled secreto de cerdo (pork secret), a special cut of pork loin that butchers used to keep for themselves, and hence its name.
