Viena Capellanes (Madrid, SPAIN) ★★★☆☆

I didn't recall running into so many pastry shops when I was in Barcelona last time around so I thought the Spaniards don't exactly have sweet tooth like we Asians do. But boy, was I wrong.



I lost track on how many pastry shops I stopped by since early this morning but trust me, there were a lot of them. This one called Viena Capellanes, we decided to give it a bit more time.



Look at all these colorful pastries. Cheesecake, three-chocolate cake, chocolate brownie...



I love the fact that they have a coffee bar right in front of the counter too, just like they always do in Italy for a quick sip of coffee.



But of course, I was looking for more than just a cup of coffee. Based on what I've had so far this morning (nothing, nil, null, zilch.....), I think I can easily take down a couple of these.



We finally sat down and I got the chance to read through their pastry menu. It turned out that Francisco Somoza, Executive pastry chef of Viena Capellanes has won quite a number of awards including Best Master craftsman pastry of Spain (2007), Best Master craftsman pastry of Madrid (1997, 2007) and Winner of Spanish Chocolate Master (2011). Looked like we made the right call coming in here.



Passion y mango (€3.50) - Possibly a new creation since it's not printed on the menu?



Silky mango mousse with a hint of passion fruit on top of a crunchy short biscuit. Not too bad.



Spanish palmeiras (€1.65) - There're different ways we call these, elephant ears, butterfly crackers (蝴蝶酥) but it tasted pretty much the same (in any country). This one came with white chocolate icing so a tad sweet even for the sweet toothed.



What I like most about this branch of Viena Capellanes is their tea salon in the basement level. While this doesn't bode well for the servers (to carry food and drinks around), it's an amazing place to spend a quiet morning with a cup of coffee in one hand and a slice of sweetness in another.



There are more than a dozen branches of Viena Capellanes around Madrid so if you're lucky enough, you will run into one accidentally without looking at the map.







Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: €€€
Address: Calle de Bordadores, 9, 28013 Madrid, Spain
Closest Metro Station: Ópera
Tel: +34 915-595397
Website: www.vienacapellanes.com