La Venencia — reason enough for a night in Madrid

[Now back in Japan and it's getting harder by the day to keep those memories of Spain alive. Time to get some more posts up...]

We had just one reason for staying over in Madrid on our way through from Basque Country — La Venencia.

From the outside there is little to suggest that this old-fashioned bar in the narrow streets of the old town is anything special. And that is a big part of its allure...

The other draw — for us at any rate — is that it serves nothing but sherry.

That's all they have. There are five kinds to choose from: manzanilla; fino; amontillado; oloroso; and palo cortado. No PX. And most certainly no Harvey's Bristol Cream either.

Don't expect premium almacenista gourmet sherry either. It's all basic entry-level product — I've never asked which bodega(s) they actually get it from — and that's just fine by us.  You can order by the glass, the half bottle or the full bottle. But it all comes out of the barrels stacked on the racks behind the bar, decanted first into bottles which are only identifiable by the colour of the caps. And all those bottles on the shelves are just for show.

There are no fancy tapas either, just a few basic snacks to nibble on: firm green olives and wedges of manchego cheese...

giant anchovy fillets draped over bread...

And botarga — cured tuna roe sliced very thinly and served with lightly roasted almonds...

I love the way your bill is chalked on the counter in front of you, then totted up when you leave.

There's something very special about this place. Which is why we booked ourselves into the hotel right across the alley, so we would be in range to drop in there as soon as we arrived (we got in just before the afternoon siesta), so we could keep an eye on when it reopened; and so we could have a last nightcap there before turning in...

The official opening hours are 12-2 pm and from 6 till late. However those times seem to be fairly arbitrary. But the rest of the day, with the doors firmly shut, you'd walk down the street and never even give the place a second glance.