DAVID MUÑOZ, CHEF REVELATION WITH DIVERXO RSTAURANT

Since David Muñoz (Madrid, 1980) opened with his girlfriend Angela Montero a small restaurant in Madrid Tetuán district in April 2007 (though recently has moved to NH Eurobuilding Hotel, in Padre Damián street), he has had a great career, which has been recently awarded with the 3rd Michelin star for DiverXO restaurant, due to an outstanding creativity, which fills the kitchen with aromas, flavours and delicate textures.

chilly crab

Korean spaghetti bolognese

sandwich Club

Ganori sea urchin with mountain caviar

At 33 David Muñoz has become the chef of the year. Criticism has rendered to the chefs and their feet. And his big "secret" is "originality". Someone said of him that he paints food on the plates as Bansky paints the walls in the streets.

David Muñoz represents a risky bet cuisine that fuses motley recipes laden with cultural references. But the chef and owner of DiverXO also embodies the incipient inexperienced entrepreneur, overtaken by events, overworked and uneconomical view. "As a chef, I would do things I could not as a businessman", the young chef sums up.

In its first week of life, DiverXO filled with family and friends. With their savings obtained from the sale of his flat,  Muñoz newly arrived with her partner working in London, opened this small restaurante, after nine months of work and billions of problems. They were even about to give up.

But within a month DiverXO began to fill and build up a long waiting list. Muñoz had the merit to edit the original fusion cuisine, when this formula seemed reviled by the strange mix of the coolest restaurants. He describes his culinary formula as “powerful flavors and with gypsy-oriental influences".

With a team of 9 people, David and Angela lead the everyday DiverXO. They serve an average of between 18 and 20 clients per service, between 36 and 40 a day, which let them reach the point to cover expenses. He said in an interview that to go on holiday to China last year he had to request a loan that will pay for months.

DiverXO also represents the restaurant that defies crisis. In recent months, for dinner on the weekend, you had to book with no less than four months in advance. Today is full, but he does not forget their own economic clouds.

Muñoz says that in DiverXO everyone has to feel free and at ease, that is why in the restaurante pigs have wings and the cook wear a crest.

Prince Philip and Princess Letizia celebrated their
last wedding anniversary at DiverXO

And if you have not tried the food in DiverXO because you can not make a booking for months, don’t despair because David Muñoz is also the creator of StreetXO, a fun bar that has a room at Gourmet Experience of El Corte Ingles Plaza del Callao department store. His team of 28 people are all “mileuristas” (people whose salary is not higher than 1000 euros), including himself and his wife. It is not uncommon to see him there cooking on Sunday and Monday.

The formula will replicate in this spring of 2014 in the heart of London 's Mayfair, where it will open a new StreetXO in May. In 2015 another in New York will be opened and another one in Singapore in 2016.

With three Michelin stars and a National Gastronomy Award, he has also being named the new "image" of Madrid over this year, in major tourist events in the world, such as tourism fairs in London, New York or Berlin.

The Michelin guide says that if a restaurant has 3 stars it is because it  has to deserve a trip and I'm sure DiverXO deserve more than that trip ( although personally I have not had a chance yet to check it by a simple matter of money! ) .

"If you have a dream you have to chase it. 

If you want it, you can do it".

Fuentes:

www.expansion.com

www.elmundo.es/cultura

www.cincodias.com

www.abc.es/madrid

www.mujerhoy.com

RUTH LORENZO WILL REPRESENT SPAIN AT THE 2014 EUROVISION SONG CONTEST

In a national final consisting of five artists, the Spanish public and the jury elected to send Ruth Lorenzo to Copenhagen with the song “Dancing in the Rain”, a nice and dramatic ballad, sung both in Spanish and English.

Ruth Lorenzo Pascual, better known as Ruth Lorenzo, was born on November 10, 1982 in Murcia, a south-eastern region of Spain. At a very young age she became a fan of the musical Annie and although she had no idea of what the words meant she would sing along to the songs in English. When she was six years old she discovered music by Montserrat Caballé, a Catalan opera singer, and after her mother bought her an album by Caballé, Lorenzo began to sing opera, imitating Caballé's vocals until she was pitch perfect. 

At the age of 12, Lorenzo's family moved to America and this was the first time she had the opportunity to be involved in music at school. After much encouragement from her teachers, Lorenzo was entered into competitions and played lead roles in musical productions such as "The Phantom of the Opera" and "My Fair Lady".

When Lorenzo turned 16 the family returned to Spain and although having had singing lessons by this time, she had to cancel these lessons due to family financial difficulty and as a result Lorenzo gave up on her dream of becoming a recording artist.

When Lorenzo was 19 she joined a rock band, which was a challenge for her as she had only sung opera music. In 2002, she auditioned for the second series of Operación Triunfo, the Spanish version of  Star Academy, where she was rejected in the first rounds of auditions. She also made a big decision to quit her job in her family's business in order to pursue her dreams once again, but after three years of touring around Spain the group decided to split up. Ruth landed a contract at Polaris World where as well as performing, she worked as a PR consultant.

In 2008, Lorenzo auditioned for the fifth series of The X Factor in front of judges Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh. There, she impressed the judges with her performing such as “A natural woman”, “True colors”, “Take my breath away”, “I just can’t stop loving you”, “Knockin’on Heavens Door”, “Purple rain” and “Always”.

Lorenzo performed at gigs across the UK and Ireland in December 2008 and January 2009, and at the Spirit of Northern Ireland Awards.

She has worked with Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler, Carlos Santana and Danii Minogue, for whom she had been writing several songs as “Because you are beautiful”. And also has written songs for the Spanish group Auryn.

And finally, last January she was selected as one of the five candidates to represent Spain at the 2014 Eurovision song contest on 10^th May, after rejecting the proposal to represent the United Kingdom. The song “Dancing in the rain” was released on February 18 and quickly it became number one on iTunes Spain. 

Now we will have to wait for the Eurovision contest to take place in Copenhaguen and to wish Ruth all the best luck for this young woman whose favourite Disney character is The little Seamaid, not because she is looking for love but because she is looking for freedom.

HAPPY ROYAL CHRISTMAS!

On Monday, the Spanish Royal House has posted on its website "Christmas with the Royal Family" welcoming holidays to the Spanish. 

Two days after the previous year, they have followed the same pattern as in 2012: it only appears congratulations of the Prince and Princess of Asturias and the Infanta Leonor and Sofia, who signs the card with their parents. No sign of Elena and her children, Froilan and Victoria Federica Infanta, who sent separately as they did last year, or the family Urdangarin, still in his Swiss retreat.

With a picture with his daughters, the Prince and Princess have chosen again by congratulating Christmas holidays in a very personal way with a snapshot on the Prado Museum with the exhibition Velázquez and the family of  Felipe IV, inaugurated on October 7th in the Reina Sofia Museum. It has as background a portrait of the Infanta Margarita, painted by the Spanish painter Diego Velázquez (1599-1660).

This time King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia wanted to congratulate the holidays with a very traditional Chritsmas, a reproduction of Adoration of the Shepherds by Jacopo Bassano, part of the Royal Collection of the National Museum of the Prado.

If you want to see the Royal Christmas congratulations of previous years, click on these links:

Royal Christmas Cards 2011

Royal Christmas Cards 2010

Source:

www.vanitatis.com

BANKSY GRAFFITIES DECORATE THE NEW ANTONIO BANDERAS HOUSE

It is very well known the passion for the art of Antonio Banderas, who is not only reduced to his work as an actor but extends to other fields, such as painting or photography, a passion that the artist has brought to light in several exhibitions such as the recent "Women in gold" by portraying the female figure through its objective and for which he had to the Spanish actress Paz Vega as muse.

And now Antonio Banderas and his wife Melanie Griffith have decided to radically change their new New York exclusive penthouse of 371 square meters, combining classic Hollywood style with Art Decó and the most famous graffiti art currently, Banksy (born in Bristol in 1974), has been chosen to decorate it with some of his works, forming an explosive combination of mainly dark colors with a flash of color.

Banksy, who refuses to reveal his identity so far, began his career spray painting buildings in Bristol, England. With his acid humor and strong sense of social criticism, went from being considered a criminal by the British police to be revered as a street artist, whose works reach thousands of euros in the art market. Loved by many and criticized by others, what it is certain is that he doesn’t leave anyone indifferent, as it has happened to Antonio Banderas.

  I am really very curious to know what will be the grafitti
that Antonio will choose for his new house

And as if  Antonio Banderas wouldn’t be versatile enough, he has also heavily involved with the world of fine arts painting a replica of the " Guernica" by Pablo Picasso to learn more about the personality of the great painter from Malaga, the character that  Antonio will play next year in the movie "33 days " directed by Spanish director Carlos Saura and co-performed by Gwyneth Paltrow, whose title refers to the 33 days that took Picasso to paint his masterpiece.

 

Picasso (1957)

CLOSED FOR REST OF THE STAFF (THAT'S ME!)

Pues si, cerrado por descanso del personal (osea, de mi), que no por vacaciones, aunque alguna que otra escapada habrá entre medias. Pero el objetivo fundamental de este cierre temporal es descansar del trabajo que supone mantener más o menos actualizados cinco blogs, perdón, seis con el último y muy reciente, de reflexiones y refranes.

Descanso sin obligaciones, sin metas, sin plazos, sin objetivos …… porque bloguear es un trabajo, intenso y placentero, pero un trabajo al fin y al cabo, desde el mismo momento en que supone una inversión y un desgaste de energía, esfuerzo y dedicación.

Y como también hay otros campos que se llevan (o deben llevarse) otra parte importante de mi dedicación (dejando mi trabajo mercenario aparte), como son: la pareja, las amistades, la familia, la casa, otras aficiones, etc.,  el resultado es que cuando la balanza se desequilibra, hay que parar para volver a repartirlo todo en su justa medida.

Y sobre todo, porque cuando el cuerpo y la mente piden descanso, hay que escucharles y hacerles caso. Esto es un "vicio", y como en todo vicio, hay que desintoxicarse de vez en cuando, para demostrarle que aquí el que manda eres tú, y no él (jejeje).

Así que, durante varias semanas este blog y los 5 restantes, estarán en stand-by, aunque con el pilotito rojo encendido para quién siga pasando por ellos.

Decía un poeta romano de la antiguedad que cualquier tipo de vida, sin descansos alternativos, no podía ser duradera. Claro que, Walter Scott también decía que descansar demasiado era oxidarse……..

See you in autumn!

MORAYMA, THE LAST MOORISH QUEEN AND THE BEAUTIFUL LECRIN VALLEY, A PARADISE FROZEN IN TIME

When Muslims arrived, in the seventh century, to a country called “Hispania”, attracted by rumours of riches and treasures, they discovered a fertile paradise valley, located in a basin bordered by mountains. That place had everything they cherished: good soil, rivers that ran freely and the natural protection of their mountains, so they stayed there.

Captivated by its beauty, they called it The Lecrin Valley (or "Valley of Joy"). It was also known to the Arabs as "district of sugarcane", since this region was on the way to the sugar cane plantations of the coast of Granada.

In addition, in that valley people lived happily for a long time, until at the end of the fifteenth century, they went into exile in North Africa, expelled by the Catholic Monarchs in the Reconquer Wars.

More than five hundred years after this garden full of crops and fruits, still retains its Moorish essence. In this valley, a heady fragrance of orange blossoms and lemon trees scent the air in spring. In addition, old flourmills, Muslims castles, canals and charming cottages, spread  over this entire quiet and bright region. It also enjoys a real microclimate, where there is little rainfall.

The Lecrin Valley is just 25 minutes from Granada going to the north and if you take the opposite direction, you can get to the Tropical Coast. Within 40 minutes you can ski in the Sierra Nevada heading east. In addition, in less than an hour you can visit  the villages of the Alpujarra. Therefore, for all this, its situation is magnificent and privileged.

This land and the villages and people who live in them (there are 23 villages), still remains serene and beautiful, receiving each year thousands of visitors from around the world, who want to find the authenticity of the simple life where one has the impression that time has stopped there.

 

Their houses are whitewashed inside and out, with this typical whiteness of all Andalucia, with a closed structure and the houses attached to each other forming blocks that are separated by narrow lanes.

Besides being an ideal place for relaxation and rest, so is to live fully the nature performing a wide range of activities such as gliding, horseback riding, hiking through rivers and mountains, cycling or practicing birds watching. In addition, very close to the valley you can ski in Sierra Nevada, play golf or practise scuba diving, snorkelling or surfing in the nearby waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

You can also make many different cultural routes, visiting their mills, orchards and castles, as well as visiting local festivals or open-air markets of farmers and artisans, enjoying its art and gastronomy, among many other activities. Not to mention the nearby city of Granada,  where  so many attractions are offered, the first of which is the world famous Alhambra Palace.

And among all those Muslims castles, there is that of Mondújar, where the Nazaries Kings of Granada, were buried and where it is believed that the last burial which was held, was of Morayma, wife of Boabdil.

Morayma, the last Moorish queen, was born in Loja (west of Granada) and was the daughter of Aliatar, Boabdil’s partner in the struggles in which they participated. One day when he was returning from one of his daily battles their eyes met forever.

At 15 she married Boabdil, in a royal wedding with great pomp and joy, surely one of the few happy moments of his life. According to historians, she was a beautiful woman with big eyes and sweet face.

A few days after the wedding, Mulay Hacén (Boabdil’s father) imprisoned his son, separating him from his young wife and locking her in a Carmen (house with garden and orchard) in Granada. For years he was a woman abandoned by her husband's ongoing battles and had to bear a life of constant confinement, away from her husband and her two sons (Ahmed and Yusuf), kidnapped by the Catholic Monarchs during 9 years, in return to release Boabdil, until capitulations signed by Boabdil took place.

Meanwhile all of this happened, Morayma lived with her mother in law, Aixa, a resentful and spiteful woman, due to the neglect of her husband, who fell into the arms of his new favourite, Zoraida (a Christian woman named Isabel de Solis) who would become his second wife. For this reason, Aixa was constantly encouraging his son to fight against his father.

It is said that one day Morayma consulted a wise astrologer, very famous in the kingdom, about the horoscope of King Boabdil. And the old man replied: "The stars say that the last Mazarin King will live long but also he will suffer a lot".

When she was 26 years old, shortly before her husband went into exile in Fez (Morocco), she died. She was buried in the village of Mondujar, along with the other nazaries kings. Her body was placed on the ground facing The Mecca, fulfilling her wishes, since Morayma was a very pious woman.

Surely Boabdil loved her loyal and faithful wife very much, since after leaving for the exile he never got married again. 

It is very paradoxical that this queen, whose life was not nearly as sweet as a fairy tale, it is finally resting somewhere in the beautiful  “Valley of Joy”, a place where Muslims were captivated and enthralled for centuries. And when you visit it some time, then you will realise and understand why .....

THE 15 MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES IN SPAIN

A few days ago a website specializing in tourism "TripAdvisor" conducted a survey of its readers to make a list of the 15 most beautiful villages in Spain and the result of this particular ranking was published in Travel,  a national magazine considered one of the most prestigious publications in its field on the Internet.

Users not only  have rated the beauty of the locations selected and its rich artistic heritage, but also they have valued their preferences for hotels, restaurants and services.

And these are the 15 most voted villages as they have appeared in the ranking:

1) Ronda (Malaga)

2) Vejer de la Frontera (Cadiz)

3) Cangas de Onis (Asturias)

4) Altea (Alicante)

5) Albarracin (Teruel)

6) Ubeda (Jaen)

7) Hervas (Caceres)

8) Cudillero (Asturias)

9) Priego (Cordoba)

10) Laguardia (Alava)

11) Alquezar (Huesca)

12) Hondarribia (Guipuzcoa)

13) Chinchon (Madrid)

14) Ribadesella (Asturias)

15) Alcalá de Henares (Madrid)

Because of their medieval air, of bordering the Mediterranean or the Cantabrian Sea, of being isolated in the mountains..... all of them are very good reasons to have received the votes of the TripAdvisor users, to be considered and selected as the most beautiful villages in Spain.

Among these fifteen locations highlighted by the magazine Travel, four are Andalusian (Ronda, Vejer de la Frontera,Úbeda and Priego), three are from Asturias (Cudillero,Cangas de Onis and Ribadesella), two from Aragón (Albarracin and Alquézar), and two are in Madrid (Chinchon and Alcala de Henares), completing the list with Altea (un Valencia district), Hervas (Extremadura), La Guardia (La Rioja) and Hondarribia (Basque Country).

And as it usually happens, the question with such rankings is: Are all of them the nicest villages in Spain? Are the nicest villages in Spain on that list? For instance, I wonder why there are not any villages from the Canary Islands or from Catalonian. So, definitevely, I should say: no, they are not, because it is always very hard to choose in a short list the best of anything, for me it is simply impossible. In fact, as for myself, I would add villages as: Torla (Huesca), Tossa de Mar (Gerona), Sanjenjo (Pontevedra), Cadaques or Besalú (Gerona), la Alberca (Salamanca), Frias (Burgos), ....... and many more indeed.

But anyway, what it is certain is that any of these 15 villages are worth visiting them, if you haven’t visited them yet!