Madrid No Frills

03/11/2025

Mazón has finally resigned. A year too late, but at least he’s gone. The question that lingers is not just why now, but what took him so long?

For twelve long months, Mazón has staggered on like a political ghost haunting a grieving nation. His party, the Partido Popular, never forced him out. Instead, they stood by him every step of the way, offering loyalty just to save their own names, long after it became clear his position was untenable. And so, when Mazón announced his resignation today, he was allowed to do it on his own terms – framed not as disgrace, but as an act of dignity. It was anything but.

For twelve long months, Mazón has staggered on like a political ghost haunting a grieving nation. His party, the Partido Popular, never forced him out. Instead, they stood by him every step of the way, offering loyalty just to save their own names, long after it became clear his position was untena...

29/10/2025

It will be one year tonight since the floods that devastated southern Valencia, a night when 229 people lost their lives. I still remember the smell of the mud, the mountains of lost belongings, garage doors swollen and twisted by rivers passing through quiet streets.

I’m also still in awe of the human energy that followed: volunteers from allover Spain and beyond working like factory machines for months to clear the mud, pausing only for a quick bocata eaten standing up because there was nowhere to sit.

They hauled mud from sunrise til night with torches strapped to their foreheads. Then, after a full day clearing debris, they marched on foot from the flood zones to the city centre where I witnessed the most furious, grief-fuelled protest I’ve ever seen.

Just 26% of the €2.36 billion allocated to the Valencian government has been used so far, and most of this was already in action in February when I revisited Paiporta. It was ghostly quiet as volunteers had gone – it was now the turn of the Valencian government to crack on with the more heavy duty recovery tasks such as the metro line.

One year since the floods, it seems little more progress has been made. But what hasn't changed at all is that the person who delayed the emergency alert by four hours – because he was supposedly having lunch with a journalist – is not facing criminal charges. More than that, he is still in power.

The fact that Carlos Mazón has dodged the deadliest scandal in Spain’s recent memory raises hard questions about the political structures we live under, about how something so grave can slip through the cracks of accountability.

To see a leader accused of such blatant negligence still clinging to office, protected by the immunity that comes with his position, is a national disgrace. He knows, as many suspect, that the moment he stops being president of the Valencian government, the courts will be waiting, and so will we.

14/10/2025

𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝘂𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗱 ❤️‍🔥

Hello dosa, idly, vadai, sambar, coconut chutney and more! 😍

Unlike the more widely known cuisine of North India, which is famous for its rich, creamy curries, tandoor-baked naan, and hearty meat dishes, South Indian food is lighter and spicier. The region’s tropical climate and coastal geography shape its flavours: black pepper, curry leaves, mustard seeds, coconut, and tangy elements like tamarind form the aromatic base of many dishes, creating a profile that’s both vibrant and earthy. It is also vegetarian by default.

Finally, after years of longing for those delicate flavours and white-hot levels of spice, I’m thrilled to say that Madrid now has not one but three remarkable South Indian restaurants! Each serves honest, deeply authentic food. They vary in price, spice, and style, but all play a vital role in offering Madrileñxs – both born and adopted – a taste of the lesser-known half of India.

👉🏾 Read the full story: https://elpais.com/gastronomia/2025-10-13/la-autentica-cocina-del-sur-de-la-india-debuta-por-fin-en-madrid.html

13/10/2025

Young Latinx dancers from Juventud San Simón dazzled their way through the streets of Madrid yesterday ✨

A beautiful performance, as always, behind the 12 de Octubre protest.

05/10/2025

Yesterday, Spain saw a historic protest in support of Palestine 🇵🇸 🙌🏾

01/10/2025

Each year, in the shadows of the nation-wide parade of the Spanish military, indigenous communities come together in Madrid to celebrate the parts of their culture and history that were never erased during the colonisation of their people and lands.

21/09/2025

Cervecería del Río, the home of that iconic yolk hole burger bun with the cut out bread on a stick, enjoying being on a pedestrianised road for the first time in its life.

The council is in the (slow) process of pedestrianising small parts of Usera, and it's giving the barrio such a different vibe. But of course, pedestrianisation is an institutional form of speculation. De-car a street without regulating property prices and rents automatically rise.

Let's hope this no-frills bar isn't on a rental contract 🤞🏾

📷 #2 from Google Maps.

17/09/2025

Official data may still be underestimating the climate crisis, because the temperatures we’re shown on the news aren’t always the ones we actually feel.

Anyone living in Madrid knows this. We feel it in the burning pavements, the sauna-like metro stations and the sun-baked bus stops. And then suddenly, we step into Retiro Park and feel the drop, like a wall of cool, humid relief. The central park of Madrid also happens to be the location of one of the city’s three official temperature sensors, in the corner of the coolest, shadiest part of the city.

Spain was one of many European countries hit by record-breaking heat this summer. For three straight weeks in August, temperatures across the Iberian Peninsula soared past 40°C, with no relief after dark. Nights stayed above 26°C, a clear sign of the Urban Heat Island effect, where asphalt and con...

15/09/2025

🇵🇸 Yesterday, pro-Palestinian protesters successfully forced the cancellation of the final stage of the Vuelta a España, where an Israeli team had been competing.

After weeks of coordinated disruption attempts across Spain, tens of thousands of demonstrators descended on Madrid, blockading the route using their bodies and fencing barriers. Riot police responded with tear gas, which you can see in this photo, and multiple clashes broke out between protesters and authorities.

Finally, organisers halted the race before its planned finish, and the customary podium ceremony was scrapped. In a surprising reaction, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez publicly expressed regret but also apparent support for those demonstrating in support of Palestine:

“First and foremost, our recognition and absolute respect for the athletes, but also our admiration for the Spanish people who mobilise for just causes like that of Palestine.”

Spain is one of the few EU nations to have officially recognised Israel's war in Gaza as genocide, and the coalition governing party Sumar has been very vocal about this, with key members even participating in the protest yesterday.

Spain has already made strong diplomatic moves: recognising a Palestinian state in May 2024, introducing measures against Israeli military exports, and now, offering political legitimacy to public dissent, which is quite a move.

For Palestinian advocacy, this is a significant win. It is a demonstration that public pressure really can influence the government.

📸 (IG)

13/09/2025

💃🏾 Not quite over the summer fiestas? Head to the barrio of Villa de Vallecas this weekend for the Fiestas de la Virgen de la Torre! They're walking distance from the metro and cercanías, and there are decent night buses back into the city 🦉🚌

12/09/2025

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗽 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 🗺️ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗡𝗙 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Welcome to 14 no-frills restaurants representing the Iberian Peninsula's South Asian diaspora, plus my 5 top Madrid Spice Stops & who catered my 40th birthday! Yes I just turned 40 💃🏾✨

My dad taught me that flavour is everything: “You don’t taste the shape, you taste the food." That simple mantra shaped my entire relationship with eating. I carry it with me not only when I cook but also whenever I sit down for a restaurant meal. I don’t crave perfectly plated dishes or elegant presentation – quite the opposite. For me, the best food is honest, unpretentious, and thrown together without fuss, o sea, with no frills whatsoever.

Download my brand-new map for Patreon supporters featuring Madrid, but also Barcelona and Lisbon! And read in detail about five of my favourite no-frills Madrid Spice Stops spanning South India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, including one wildcard location and a secret 'Tiffin Wallah' 🚲 who is a star South Indian chef in-the-making and you heard it here first! 😍

Plus complete access to over 100 subscribers-only posts! 👉🏾 www.patreon.com/posts/mnf-spice-trail-77180618