Madrid’s Chinese restaurants can sometimes feel all too similar: fried rice, dry dumplings, meat, and veggies. But dig down into the city’s Asian underbelly and you’ll start to find a burgeoning, geographically diverse, Chinese culinary scene – one on track to become Western Europe’s finest.
That’s why The Dudes are proud (and boy are we proud!) to announce a special, multi-article, Madrid segment: The C-Food Hunt.
Some hints about The C-Food Hunt (a “how to read”):
1- Chinese immigration en masse to Spain is relatively new. Many Chinese arrived and stayed because of Spain’s illegal immigrant pardon (2005), one of the country’s solutions to a crap economy.
2- There’s no Chinatown in Madrid, although some neighborhoods, like Usera, have higher concentrations of Chinese-owned shops and restaurants.
3- Don’t trust Tripadvisor and Yelp: many Spaniards rate restaurants on ambiance or order the wrong things.
4- Restaurants often have a separate menu in Chinese with different dishes and lower prices.
5- The Dudes will suggest particular dishes, in addition to restaurants, to facilitate your C-ulinary escapades.
Yue Lai
Calle de Hermosilla, 101, 28009 Madrid 626097064
Located by Goya metro in the upscale Salamanca neighborhood, Yue Lai has a relaxed, homey feel. Go past 9:30pm on a weekend and you’ll probably wait to be seated. But fret not, they take reservations!
Yue Lai is a hot pot establishment. What’s a hot pot? It’s a big, boiling pot of soup placed in the middle of the table. You then drop raw veggies, thinly sliced meat, and other delicious proteins into the bubbling broth until they are cooked!
It’s said that Mongol horsemen riding across Asia would use their shields to sear meat and their helmets to slurp soup. Like the Vikings, but on horseback, the Mongols were fearless in their pursuit of land and delicious food. By the 13th century, the Mongolian soup had quickly spread across China, which they invaded BTW.
Nowadays, hot pot has been entering the occidental millennial consciousness, and with good reason. It’s just what you young, adventurous, health-conscious readers are looking for. The ingredients -meat, fish, and veggies- are healthy and protein rich. Plus, the operation is DIY, so you’ll feel empowered by some gastro decision-making.
Many Asian countries have their own versions of hot pot, and even within countries there are regional variations. Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia call it steamboat (cute, I know), and in Japan it’s nabemono. Dare I say that the Swiss version is fondue? The self-cooking operation and the family style necessity give a hot pot its nomadic identity.
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| Noodles, mushrooms, tofu skins, fish balls, and green veggies pictured above |
What makes Yue Lai special?
-The Broth: with so many broth options and a classic blog-reader’s under-confidence, The Dudes suggest a combo of medium-spicy beef brisket broth and a non-spicy veggie broth. Yue Lai gives you a split cauldron.
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| A Dude drawing a shroom from the mild broth |
-The Fresh, Homemade Noodles: make sure to get a portion of the thick Chinese noodles, which cook in a minute and are not actually that thick.
-The Tofu: we know, gross, right? Wrong. Packed with protein, Yue Lai serves many types of tofu. For a treat, drop a portion of tofu skins into your spicy broth.
-Soup Dumplings: finally, the supple-skinned empanada you’ve been waiting for. Will you be able to pick it up without piercing the delicate exterior and letting the soup fall out?
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| Bathe the dumpling in sauce for 5 seconds before consuming |
The meal will cost around 10 Euros per person, but as more mouths participate, the price per pair of chopsticks decreases!
Dude Tip: Wash down the heat with a bottle of Chinese whiskey-wine, served warm and mixed with egg, for a bargain price of 5 euros per bottle. There’s no label in Spanish, just a Chinese character and the number 5, meaning 5-years aged. You’ll find it in the Drink section of the menu. For 10 euros you can try the seven-year aged whiskey.
As always, the Dudes welcome any tips and recommendations. Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter, or by email (holy.dudes.of.food@gmail.com). Stay tuned for the next C-Food Hunt post!
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