We got our "food tip for the day" from the coach driver. Lunch at El Puerto fronting the harbor in Muxia was one of the day trip's highlights.

For only €12 per person, we had a primero y segundo plato plus bebida (drinks) and postre (deasert). Most of us chose vino for bebida so they brought 2 bottles of the house wine and a botella of agua minerale to our table for 7 pax.

For starters, it was an ordeal to choose among pulpo a fuero (octopus), navajas (razor clams) and sopa de mariscos. I chose the soup. Not bad. Had 2 servings!

For main dish, an assortment of fried fish (pescado frito), or paella or a meat dish. Sooo good!

We likewise enjoyed the wine as much as the coffee with liqueur. Great finish to a superb meal. (Sorry, no photos of the dessert --- Tarta de Santiago)

The first time I tried it, I was doing my Camino de Santiago de Compostela. I was warned the mollusks weren't that fresh so I skipped the inviting feast. No bum stomachs on my Camino, por favor. 😁

Then came another opportunity when I returned to Santiago de Compostela after a month. Got to be sure this time so off we went to Mercado de Abastos to buy media kilo of the ugly-looking shellfish called Percebes or goose barnacles.

The market vendor even happily posed with us and instructed us to have the precious merchandise cooked in the restorante across the mercado.

Boy, these ugly morsels boiled in sea water tasted heavenly! Texture's like squid, tasted like crab legs. As one fellow puts it, it's like dying and going to heaven. 😇

In the restorante, a local at the next table cheerfully showed us how to eat them. Hold them by the ugly dinosaur toe end, puncture them at the area between "toenail" and "stem", carefully so it doesn't spray, then gently pull to expose the yummy, briny flesh. Voila! Buen Provecho, everyone!

It's just a half hour drive out of Lisboa or Lisbon. In a tiny village of 10,000+ folks where bacalhau, vino and quezo are taken seriously. Highly recommended.

Bacalhau or codfish is as Portuguese as can be, and they sure grill them properly here in Arruda Dos Vinhos. I hear they serve good bife or steaks too, though I have not tried it. Either way, do go on an empty stomach!

Two orders of Bacalhau good for 7 of us. Maybe even for 9 pax. They served us the house wine, a platter of jamon, morcilla and really good salsichon before the main dish. The quezo from sheep's milk came plastic-packed but didn't take away the goodness, yum!

But just as I warned, go with empty stomachs and stay away from the bread. Welcome the star of the gastronomic treat! Bacalhau never tasted this good. Simply grilled in wood and fire. You can watch them grill your humungous codfish!

It was busy the day we dined in this easy-to-miss resto with a rustic ambience. Good thing we found a good driver with fine tastes. Norberto made our day!

We drove from Fatima through O Fuso towards Sintra. Perfect! Especially for travelers without itineraries like us. Good bacalhau, good wine, rustic place.

If you're doing Fatima or Sintra out of Lisbon, hire a van and pass by this place. It's worth the detour. Best deal for €480 including tip!

Unplanned. Random Find. We were searching for another restorante, grew hungry, got lost, and found this. Bless us!

A Coruña certainly knows how to serve their pulpo. And Petiscos is one such place in Santiago de Compostela. I think we had repeat orders of everything we had. Pulpo, Navajas, Scallops, Tortilla, Chipirones, Anchoas de Cantabrico, Almejas, Sangria.

Fact is, we went back a second time for pintxos, cervezas, sangria and mencia. If we stayed a day longer in Santiago de Compostela, I doubt we can resist a 3rd time. And each time, plates wiped clean. Really good. And reasonably-priced too!

If only for these pintxo bars, I can live here in San Sebastián. While we rented an apartment in a quiet area not far from the Old Town, we survived the noise in this pension house in Parte Vieja and literally fed our gustatory whims.

Coming from a great dinner someplace else, there was hardly any room for more to try in Bar Zeruko. But what I had --- a glass of rioja and 2 pintxos --- were enough to tell me this is a great place for those on a pintxos crawl!

The following night, we set out for Borda Berri in the same neighborhood as La Cuchara de San Telmo & Bar Zeruko. Crowded, like the other 2. And for good reason!

The kallos de bacalao al pilpil and the tomate con atún went well with salmorejo, which reminded me of the very Spanish Gazpacho, but lots better!

San Sebastian is ❤️ and Parte Vieja rocks! And Txikiteo (pub crawl) in San Sebastian is the way to go.

It was just a plain door off an alley from 31 del Agosto in San Sebastian's Parte Vieja. The corner has a few tables but many who couldn't wait simply laid out paper to sit on and munched on pintxos off the bar.

We got a table for 7 of us who were simply way too eager to try each and every item off the menu while sipping our ribera del duero, sangrias & cervezas.

Pulpo del gallego is everyone's favorite so we ordered that. Next we knew, we ordered the veal cheeks, scallops, merluza, burrata salad, ravioli, and foie gras.

Each item melted beautifully in our mouths. So so good. Each morsel bursting in subtle flavors as soon as food meets tongue. We're happy !

And "la cuenta" didn't burn a hole in our pockets! That's the other best part. By the time we were done with dinner, we wanted to start a new one. That's how good those raciones were. The charming waiter took one look at our plates and declared "you made me happy"!

See...... We made someone happy with our wiped-clean platos y platitos!

We wanted to dine in another pintxos bar but it was closed for the day. So we promptly moved on to this restaurant bar instead. What luck!

Restorante La Cepa has a bar and a proper restaurant. We managed to get a table for the 7 of us. The Menu boasts of traditional Basque cooking --- and claims to serve the best jamon jabugo in town.

The 9pm cena or late Spanish dinner rendered us all hungry so we didn't waste time ordering our late (by our standards) dinner. Pulpo foremost on our list. Along with chipirones en su tinta, Pimientos de Guernika, Sangria.

Such dinner was enjoyed twice. You bet we went back a 2nd time to partake of the jamon jabugo and roast porkloin -- the casa's specialties. You can say 'twas a good food find we couldn't resist going back to.

We dined here twice. And had our desayunos (breakfasts) in the cafe bar across the square managed by same family. Did we like it or what?

Our main agenda was initially to strike off 3 items from our list: lechal (suckling lamb), morcilla (blood pudding sausage) and olla podrida, that very "Burgos Spanish" stew of pork, beans and sausages.

Olla Podrida translates to "rotten pot". Why? I dare not know. But it's like Cocido Madrileño served altogether. If you dig pork and beans, this one's for you.

But you can't leave Burgos without also trying the LECHAL-- roast suckling lamb. That plus the morcilla. And we're good.

Sopa Castellana and Trucha (trout) made up the "Pilgrim's Meal". Comes with bebida (vino, cerveza o sidra) and postre (dessert). Not bad! We love Restorabte Don Nuño!

It's old. It's traditional. It's very Spanish. Casa Mingo is quite an institution when it comes to sidra and pollo asado. We tried both. Plus more. And left happy.

The roast chicken is very juicy. And the sidra is the best. As for the Callos Madrileño, it's good anywhere in Madrid!

Casa Mingo is located in Paseo de la Florida, 34. The interiors are dark and old, so it's best to dine outside. Right beside it is the Ermita de San Antonio dela Florida where the Spanish Master Francisco Goya is buried.

I went as soon as I heard. First to the El Corte Ingles branch in Callao. Went home disappointed. Next day, I visited the branch in Calle Serrano but the queue was way too long.

When my friends from Manila arrived in Madrid, I lost no chance to go again. No long lines! Sat in the bar and prepped for our order of Smokey Razor Clams with shiso ponzu sauce and coconut cream. Tasted divine --- and it's only the appetizers!

The cerveza matched the Navajas (razor clams) perfectly. We didn't miss ordering the Bone Marrow --- roasted and served with churros. Yes, churros! Cholesterol overload.

Next came the Pekinese Dumplings of pig's ears -- so crunchy -- with an unusual dip of strawberry hoisin sauce aoili. Whoa! Only in StreetXO. I'd make another trip if only for these dumplings.

The Skate Ribs was next. Plated in banana leaves and doused with Indonesian Sambal Sauce and a smear of Salmorejo looked fancy but tasted good.

StreetXO in El Corte Ingles' Gourmet Experience at the top floor is worth the 2 Michelin stars it earned. Not your typical "hole-in-the-wall" --- so go visit and make sure they explain the dish to you to prep you for a gustatory adventure.