Hielo Y Carbon (Madrid, SPAIN) ★★★☆☆

I really wanted to spend my last day of this trip in style. We were in the right place to do so as Madrid has as much to offer as any city in Spain but timing was way off. Last night, little nugget was still having a fever (it's my fault, likely I passed it to him) and he was still a little tired today. The fact that we arrived late in Madrid from Toledo also didn't help (slowed by Jelloman's shopping time in Retiro).

As much as I wanted to explore Madrid and its dining scene in a little more detail, I had to settle with Hielo Y Carbon, the contemporary Spanish restaurant on the first floor of our hotel cuz it was getting late. There was really nothing wrong with the modern chic Hielo Y Carbon but we've dined here during our 2018 stay as well and a change of scenery was much preferred.

Well, at least they have updated their menu so it's not the same items from a year ago.



Some welcome bites from the kitchen. These looked like fried Japanese gyoza with mushrooms and squid, topped with a bit of cheese. Not bad. Or perhaps I'm just hungry?



Burratina salad (16 Euros) - Fresh slice of tomato was topped with grilled pepper, aubergine and a large ball of burrata. This was surprisingly tasty. A great refreshing dish to kick off the meal with.



Charcoal octopus (22 Euros) - I thought we had this dish here last year as well but after checking my records again, obviously my memory didn't serve me correctly. The charcoal grilled octopus was really tender (though not smoky enough) so some fried yucca, sweet potato cream, chimichurri sauce and olive mayo already made this dish very interesting. 



When I think back, there were some great regrets from this trip. Madrid, Burgos and Toledo, we were staying right in the heart of the city but yet, we didn't spend enough time (if any) strolling around the action before we took off for the next destination. That was probably the only blemish from this otherwise remarkable trip. 

Gran Vía so close yet so far.....instead of walking around bustling Gran Vía, I will be spending the next few hours packing my bag. Hong Kong, here I come.

Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: €€€
Address: Calle Gran Vía, 31, 28013 Madrid, Spain
Closest Metro Station: Callao
Tel: +34 656-682470
Website: www.hieloycarbon.com
Opening Hours: 7:00am - 11:00pm daily