Macondo
May 24, 2017
Jorge Rodriguez: "I never wanted a fancy cocktail bar."
Before Jorge Rodriguez came to Berlin in 2003, he lived in New Zealand, where he met his wife, a German. While living there, he worked in marketing, but it wasn't exactly making him happy. He wanted to go into business for himself, to start his own little "Latino locale" where everyone could party, read, sip coffee, and, of course, eat. Ultimately, it became a little of everything. Macondo is kind of like a living room - with furniture from former times, a piano player, Colombian wines, and tradtional, small dishes like fried plantains.
Macondo in Berlin's Friedrichshain district
The small restaurant, which Jorge Rodriguez has run in Berlin's Friedrichshain district since 2006, seems to have captured a moment in time - and that's exactly what makes it so charming.
Patacones Con Ropa Vieja (Plantains with beef strips)
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 320 g beef
- 4 green plantains
- 4 ripe tomatoes
- 2 onions
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 bunch of coriander
- Bay leaf
- Salt, pepper
- Frying oil
Preparation:
Sear both sides of meat in a pot with oil. Finely dice tomatoes, onions, and garlic. Set half of the vegetables aside and add other half to pot with a bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour in around 300 ml of water, cover pot, and simmer at medium heat for two hours.
In the meantime, peel plantains, cut each plantain in three pieces, and fry for three minutes in a generous amount of oil. Remove plantain from pan and allow to drain on a piece of paper towel. Press pieces of plantain flat, and then press into a coffee cup or a soup bowl to form small bowls from the plantain. Carefully remove plantains from the form and fry again in a generous amount of oil until the small plantain baskets turn golden brown. Remove meat from pot and shred using two forks. Sauté remaining onions and tomatoes in a pan with oil until tomatoes turn orange. Season with salt and pepper, add meat, and sauté briefly.
To serve, fill plantain baskets with meat and garnish with chopped coriander.
Restaurant Macondo
Gärtnerstraße 14
10245 Berlin
Tel.: +49 30 54735943