Oh Délice Bistrot Ostreria - Madrid
"Los Thomas", Oh Délice Bistrot Ostreria - Mercado de la Paz, Madrid, Barrio de Salamanca
I have been going to the Mercado de La Paz in Madrid’s barrio de Salamanca for about the past 3 years after renting an “apartmento” nearby. It’s a wonderful market full of fresh produce, fishmongers, butchers and plenty of restaurants and eateries. After doing my shopping and gathering all of my ingredients I like to stop somewhere to have a glass of wine and perhaps a small bite. Somehow I always managed to find a spot at the bar at the Oh Délice Bistrot Ostreria.
Manolo, unveiling the “ostras ahumadas con madera de limonero” - oysters smoked with lemon wood
This is where over time I grew to know Manolo, Tony and Hatcho who run the operation with such grace and efficiency; watching them work is like a ballet. I’m happy to say that I now call them my very good friends and we have a lot of fun hanging out, telling jokes and sharing stories. Manolo is the proprietor/manager, Tony is mostly front of house and Hatcho is the main chef. However, all of their roles overlap as needed. Hatcho may pour a glass of wine for a customer while his rice is bubbling away on the stove, and meanwhile Manolo is cutting up cheese for a fondue order and Tony is busily shucking the gorgeous oysters flown in from Normandy. It’s beautiful to watch.
I always speak English with Tony as he likes to practice his language skills. I can say without a doubt Tony is the only Spaniard I know who speaks English so fluently and with such ease. He has an extraordinary command of the language and all of the slang, pop culture, jokes etc. He often explains things to me that I did not know or fully understand!
One day we were talking and he told me he always puts my name down on the bill as Thomas. I said, why? He said it’s a silly Spanish joke - Qué tomas? What will you have? So from that time on the three of them became known as “Los Thomas” and they will all respond accordingly to that name if asked.
Hatcho, on the other hand, does not speak English. He is from Bulgaria and has lived in Madrid for over 30 years. I developed a list for him (Hatcho’s List) that is ongoing and I am slowly teaching him useful phrases for the service business as well as some jokey sayings such as “Another day, another dollar.”
It’s a very special place to hang out and I highly recommend that you stop in next time you are in Spain and say hi for me (depending on the time of year you may find me there!). While I mainly eat the oysters (they have several very interesting preparations, including a gin tonic “spherification”) the place offers a full menu of beautiful dishes with daily specials. Considering the size of the kitchen—a fryer, 4 electric burners, a flattop and small oven—it’s remarkable what they are able to do. Here are a few memorable dishes:
Sardinia ahumada (smoked sardine)
Pulpo a la plancha (grilled octopus)
Mejillones al vapor con salsa de tomate (steamed Galician mussels with tomato sauce)
Arroz con pulpo y setas (rice with octopus & mushrooms)
Una ostra con ponzu (oyster with ponzu sauce)
Pescado San Pedro con patatas y boniato - John Dory with sweet & yellow potatoes
Ostreria la Delice is open Monday - Friday from 11am until 8pm and Saturdays from 11am until 4pm. Address: Cl. de Ayala, 28, Salamanca, 28001 Madrid, Spain (inside the Mercado de la Paz). +34 9 102 935 70. info@ohdelicebistrot.es.
It’s a cool place to hang out and I’ve made more than a few friends while sitting at the bar!
Saludos desde Madrid,
James