"Well, look, you can 't get it correct every time. I wanted to go to Botanic, which is a great restaurant, but the crowds along the Calle put me off. So busy. So hot. Noisy. Claustrophobic. I dovetailed into Plaza de Espana and thought, 'maybe Oliva ' which is another great restaurant. But at the apex of the Plaza was Salamandra. I 'd seen it before. It looks nice, fake marble columns, outside dining, etc. Okay, so the service was shorthanded, one waiter, seriously overburdened. That can 't excuse the slap hazard presentation. Tables not laid, orders forgotten, etc. But he was a pleasant guy so I 'm in a forgiving mood. They brought all my courses together, which is famously medieval. The plates were enormous. Four oxtails for goodness sake. Two is plenty. See attached pix. Good points. Great setting. Lovely amuse boche. Wine superb. Huge brandy. Atmosphere chilled and away from that tourist drag I was impressed Spanish people ate here. The [one] lavatory had baby change facilities. This was almost a 2 star, but the baby change, wine, brandy and location stole it. Just."
