African — By admin on January 31, 2009 at 1:00 am

Best Restaurants in Madrid: Baobab

For those people who are always on the lookout for a great food adventure to another part of the world Baobab is just your kind of place.

Specializing in Senegalese food, this is the exact kind of super authentic place people spend years trying to find. Situated in the heart of the Lavapies neighborhood known for its eclectic mix of people from around the globe, Baobab provides a little taste of home for some of the local residents. Upon entering you’ll find a bar with tables and a TV for viewing soccer matches much like any other in the city, however located off to the side is a small dining room producing an intoxicating aroma from the dishes being served inside. The key to this African cuisine is the combination of spices and herbs native to the region and their incorporation into otherwise commonplace dishes. The day I went their lunch special consisted of two options: meat or fish, due to the difficulties in translating from the African names to Spanish and back to English, I’m trying to keep it simple, however I believe they were called Chu (meat) and Tiebu-Dien (fish). I went with the meat, which came out swimming in a tomato based sauce and bursting with authentic home-cooked flavor. It was accompanied by a large side of white rice which seemed also like something I’d never tried before, it was more or less a short-grained jasmine rice, and was a nice surprise. Across the way most of the locals seemed to go with the fish option that looked delicious as well, it was a nice fillet of fried-fish, resting on a dark colored rice (maybe fried) and paired with some roasted peppers. All tables came with a pitcher of water and an African version of soy sauce. At 6€ per dish it is one of the best lunch deals you’ll find. In the evening the full menu is provided and consists of many more options.

While maybe not being for everyone, Baobab is a perfect option for those of you who love to experiment with different types of food.

Baobab

915 272 732

Calle de los Cabestreros 1

Metro: Lavapies or Tirso de Molina

To return to main page click here.