Botin Restaurant, Madrid

The Botín restaurant dates from 1725, when the ground floor of what was previously a small inn (since the late 16th century) was reformed and around the same time a log-fired, cast-iron oven installed. This type of oven is typical of Castillian restaurants, where roasts of all types (meats, fowl) are the mainstay of Castillian cuisine. The restaurant has 4 floors and is located in Cuchilleros street, a short walk from Plaza Mayor. Surprisingly (or perhaps not), they've also opened a restaurant in Miami - 2101 Coral Way, tel. (305)-856-6030.

We had reserved a table for 22.00h earlier the same day, but I would recommend making a reservation a couple of days before if possible since Botín fills up every single day of the week. As soon as you enter the restaurant, you realise that more than 75% of the clientele are tourists. Botín figures in every known guide to Madrid and it's a stop-off point for most tourists, but this shouldn't put you off, since the food makes no concessions to the visitors - it's standard Spanish cuisine of the type to be found all over Castille, and the setting deserves at least one visit.

You enter on the ground floor and are shown to 1 of several dining rooms. We ate downstairs in the "bodega" or old wine cellars. Main courses in Spanish restaurants can be very spartan where vegetables are concerned and Botín is no exception. This is just the way it goes- the Spanish tend to separate their vegetables and serve them up as starters.

My wife, Anabel, ordered sauteéd artichoke hearts and I had a plate of green beans, both dishes served with small chunks of Spanish cured ham and sprinkled with olive oil. The portions were large, very large and we discovered that this was a comforting trend throughout the meal. In fact, it justifies the price somewhat, since Botín is more expensive than similar establishments.

For the main course Anabel ordered grilled fillet mignon with mushrooms, Botín style, and I had roast suckling pig - their speciality - with roast potatoes. The fillet steak came in two huge pieces and covered with the mushrooms and sauce. Anabel said the meat was tender and tasty, if a little salty. My suckling pig was incredible - the meat was really tender and covered in what we call "crackling" in the north of England - the crisp, roasted skin which cracks when cut and tastes simply delicious. Again, the portion was more than enough. We washed all of this down with a bottle of red house wine - adequate, but connosieurs will need to ask for the wine list - and a jug of water.

For desert, Anabel had an incredibly thick slice of pineapple soaked in sherry and I went for the lemon sorbet. Our coffee - "cortados" - finished off the proceedings. Final bill 75 euros. Throughout the meal the service was brisk, and a little impersonal, probably because there were so many people to attend to.

In general I could say the following ... that it was well worth the visit, but I would probably not repeat. I had wanted to go to Botín for a long time and I am glad I made the effort. However, I have also been to similar restaurants like Casa Lucio and Posada de la Villa and I would definitely go back to those, but not Botín. I think this is mainly because of the overly tourist atmosphere. I would, however, recommend anybody to go just once for the experience. The food and service are good and even with all the tourists, this is still a typically Spanish restaurant where Spaniards DO go (the King and well known politians are known to dine here from time to time).

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