The Chains in Spain

at café y té  in the plaza mayor

It's fun to try new restaurants, but sometimes I'm in a hurry and just want something I can count on. There are three chains over here I frequent: Café y Té, where you can get, um, coffee and tea, Rodilla (knee), home of the flat, triangular sandwich, and 100 Montaditos, tiny baguette sandwich land.

Café y Té is Tweedle N's favourite. We had breakfast there often during their visit - the breakfast menu deals are great! Fresh orange juice, coffee, and toast with olive oil and grated tomato, or maybe a giant smoothie. There's one in the Plaza Mayor in Madrid - perfect for people watching.

For lunch, we'd go off to Rodilla. Think tea sandwiches, only larger, filled with blended ingredients. My favourite fillings are cheese and walnut and turkey and apple. They've also got really nice Mediterranean salad boxes stuffed with olives, cheese, peppery arugula, and roasted red peppers. You can get takeaway here, handy when you throw a party or have an impromptu picnic.

Last stop, 100 Montaditos, where everything's a euro on Sundays and Wednesdays, including beer! The best thing about this place is the bread - tiny freshly baked baguettes. It's something I haven't seen anywhere else. There are, surprise, surprise, 100 kinds of sandwiches here. I like tuna with olive oil, Tweedle E and Tweedle N couldn't get over the tiny hot dog one.