Lately I have been eating… a lot.
I mean, that’s not really anything new. But I really feel like I have been eat, siesta, eat, sleep, eat, catch train, eat, walk around city, eat, sleep and repeat. Just throw in a glass of Rioja, a shot of Pacharan or a sneaky Gin and Tonic, and I would say that is a pretty accurate description of what the last few weeks have been like.
Sipping on a mini G&T in Sevilla – offered on the house after my meal. I LOVE THIS PLACE!
So what tasty offerings across the Iberian Peninsular have been keeping me from doing something more productive, like visiting an art gallery, reading a book or, hell, even writing some content for this blog?
Since I can’t think of anything more intelligent to write, I thought I would let you know. So here they are; the former contents of my stomach.
GOATS CHEESE, SALMON AND VEGETABLE TOWER
First up, there was this goats cheese, salmon and vegetable tower at a swish tapas bar in Seville. Talk about a flavour explosion in the mouth! Smoked salmon, goats cheese, aubergine, tomato and then more cheese grilled over the top, just incase the goats cheese wasn’t enough. The cheese grilled over the tomato on the top did remind me a little of grilling cheese and tomato on toast as my younger former self, but so what, I kind of like cheese and tomato on toast!
PATATAS BRAVAS WITH A TWIST
I have to mention Seville again, albeit a separate meal and occasion, because when I was ordering patatas bravas I really expected, well, an ordinary plate of potatoes with a decent enough sauce. I didn’t expect these cute little flavour bombs! Carefully shaped mini potatoes decorated with three different homemade sauces and a sprinkling of herbs and paprika. YUM.
And if the patatas bravas with a twist weren’t enough to make me swoon, when the waitress produced a mini gin and tonic on house as an after meal tipple, I was pretty much begging the bar to marry me now. If, ermmm, I could marry a bar. Stranger things have happened…
THAI INSPIRED SALMON TARTARE
In Ronda I chowed down on this Spicy Salmon Tartare. I don’t take the word “spicy” to heart when it is spoken in Spain, because the Spanish version of spicy is my version of a feather in the mouth. It only lightly tickles. But holy moly that was a nose clearer right there. Salmon and avocado mixed with enough chilli to destroy a small Spanish family, meant my nose was running away while my stomach was on it’s pursuit to happiness.
FRIED AUBERGINE, EGGS AND SALMOREJO
Then, in Cordoba, it was the berejenas con huevo rotos y salmorejo. To you, that’s battered and fried pieces of aubergine, topped with “broken” eggs and salmorejo, which is a creamy gazpacho-esque soup originating from Cordoba. It sounds weird but… it’s really REALLY tasty. Enough to send me back for seconds. Yes, I have been known to eat in that bar two times in the same day.
SUSHI
Down on the Costa de la Luz, in the sleepy seaside town of Tarifa, I did something a little bit strange. Even for me.
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah SUSHI!
It’s not often that the opportunity presents itself to eat Asian food in Spain, that is actually appealing to the Australian standard of Asian cooking. But in Tarifa, there is one little beach side bar that after 8pm in the evening serves up sushi along side glasses of Rueda and Rioja, instead of the usual Spanish offerings like jamón and manchego cheese. And boy, is it good.
For a girl who knows her nigiri from her sashimi, this was a welcome change! And since we all know what sushi looks like, let’s have a look at the view from when I was enjoying my pre-sushi wine instead.
GOOD OL’ FISH AND CHIPS
So what about Gibraltar? Well I don’t know if I was feeling a little bit London-home sick or downright mad, but in any case, the moment the bar girl greeted me with, “y’alright sweetheart”, I really felt at home.
But this familiar greeting wasn’t enough, so I proceeded to part with my hard earned 11 quid, which when paid in euros turned out to be 15 euros, on…wait for it…fish and chips. Thats right. Battered and fried cod which I heartily doused in tartare sauce and washed down with a Bulmers cider. (Okay, guilty confession: I LOVE CIDER!) And I also secretly loved the battered cod and tartare sauce. Just not the chips and soggy peas. Ugh. Peas.
COURGETTE FRITTERS WITH SAFFRON SAUCE
Once I made it over to the east coast of Spain, I was running around Valenica like a mad woman when I realised I was in need of a good feed. So when I stumbled across a menu del día for 8.95 euros, it seemed like a cheap, quick and filling option to sort my stomach out. While I expected it to be half decent (choosing good places to eat is one of my few skills, after all!) I didn’t expect a borderline gourmet meal.
Enter the first course: courgette fritters with saffron sauce – so much saffron that my fingers were stained orange for a day after. How I got the saffron sauce on my fingers remains somewhat of a mystery, given that I was eating with a knife and fork. I digress. I will leave you with this: I am going to be giving this restaurant more of my time in the future, that’s for sure!
DECORATE-YOUR-OWN ASPARAGUS MOUSSE
Let’s finish up in Barcelona, where I not only ate my meal, but helped with the preparation too. There were some winner dishes whipped up before my eyes, effortlessly cooked as I sipped my wine. But then, there was the asparagus mousse.
Sounds strange; really good. And simple! Asparagus and mascarpone in a blender and then served up in a glass and decorated by yours truly. Guess which one was mine and which one was decorated by the professional? There is no need to guess. Clearly, this is not one of my skills. It is something I need to work on.
Now you have learnt about my shameless scoffing and guilty pleasures of late! What about you? Any tasty treats that you have tried lately?
Peter says
Hey Cyra, you have shared some of the best fods of spain but I would like to taste Courgette Fritters with Saffron Sauce. Thanks for sharing the post and making me to feel hungry. 😉
Cyra says
Heh, thanks. Sorry for making you feel hungry! 😉
If you are ever in Valencia you must check the place with the courgette fritters out: Matiz is the name and it is a tiny little place in the centre of Valencia. I can’t guarantee that they will have that exact dish as their menu would change, but whatever they serve up I am sure would be great!