Expat with Kids in Paris: Platea - the real food experience

August 29, 2015

Platea - the real food experience

I am no foodie but I will happily follow my friends who are to indulge in some yummy delicacies. A few months back I had visited the much acclaimed Eataly in Milano and was quite disappointed by the "factory-feeling" that hit me while I was being "processed" through the rounds. Don't get me wrong the food was good but the atmosphere was hectic and you could hardly understand what your table companion was saying the noise was so overwhelming.

Mamita Cubana's call to check out Platea, a gourmet food hall in Madrid did not fall on deaf ears. It is located in a former cinema and the architect Lázaro Rosa-Violán clearly did his best to keep the theatre atmosphere mixing it with authentic Spanish decor and presented in a sleek look drawing inspiration from the 1940s and ’50s. Sculptural wood walls curve into a canopy for the ground-floor bar, while red leather banquettes in the balcony restaurants give a nod to the stage curtain.

Mexican, Peruvian, Italian, and various Asian cuisines are offered as well as restaurateurs Paco Roncero, Pepe Solla and Marcos Morán who have six Michelin stars between them. The theater-turned-food spectacle covering over 6000m2 makes it possibly the most interesting eatery in Europe.

Eataly might have high quality food but Platea clearly completes the foodie experience by offering sight, taste, smell and sound along with outstanding food. Just think: tapas taken to its logical extreme.