A taste of Spain in Casablanca? But we've only just arrived in Morocco. Funny but it's a good choice. After all, we have enough time to try (and grow tired of?) Moroccan cuisine in the nearly 2 weeks we're here in this part of North Africa. The seafood resto is right inside Casablanca's fishport. In fact, soon after you enter the gate. It was lunch time when we got here and soon after we were seated, the lunch crowd descended upon this place. The selection is, as expected, mainly seafood. But we couldn't resist ordering the paellas. After all, Spain is just across the Mediterranean and having just arrived from the Philippines, we were having separation anxieties with our staple rice 😢 The place seems popular with locals and tourists alike, though some reviews indicate it's pricey. We were happy with our first meal here in Morocco, even if it's not exactly Moroccan cuisine. And pricey. Well, the couscous and tagine can wait. For the moment, those oysters, gambas (shrimps) and chipirones (squid) can't 😘 And I thought we didn't have the energy after that long flight from the Tropics! The salads and appetizers may have done the trick though I honestly thought we didn't need to be "prepped" for this scrumptious meal. Freshly harvested from the sea, we indulged in the sea-salted goodness of shellfish and more. Those..... plus our first sip of beer from this place. It was heavy for a first meal. Coupled with Casablanca beer and the satisfying paellas, we lost all energy for the remainder of the city tour. It was a struggle to check in at our Movenpick hotel in the city center and get moving shortly after to check out the Habous Quarter. All's well though, since the subsequent days saw us driving inland and settling for meat dishes most of the time. It would be a while before those sea creatures would touch our lips...... 😭
0 Comments
It doesn't look much. And it's easy to miss it. Just a simple signage and a tapas bar within. Cramped. But not as noisy one would expect of crowded bars. Guess everyone's busy munching something? In Barrio Salamanca's Calle Ayala, you'd find this neighborhood bar that's ideal for quick bites. That day, I meant to go to nearby Mercado de la Paz but was distracted by the many folks lining the bar inside Jurucha. I observed what most folks were ordering. The tapas on the bar looked freshly-made, offering quite a variety. I sipped my cerveza while checking which tapa to feast on. I settled on the fish canapes even if the lomo iberico, morcilla and tortilla looked so inviting. I wasn't hungry. Just curious. But not curious enough to go deeper and claim a table inside. After all, the pintxos bar seemed like the better place to be. So full of life. Maybe I'd head back with a bigger appetite next time. While everyone jostled for space at the bar, I got there effortlessly and didn't order beyond a couple of tapas to go with my caña. And oohh the unphotographed, undocumented 2nd tapa I had was a ham croqueta which I promptly popped into my mouth almost as soon as it was served 😄
In Madrid's Puerta del Sol/Plaza Mayor neighborhood alone, you can find some of its oldest restaurants offering traditional Spanish cuisine. There's Casa Botin -- the world's oldest -- and Casa Alberto, both operating since the 17th - 18th century. Joining their ranks is Lhardy which has been around since 1840. From Puerta del Sol along Carrera de San Jeronimo, you can't miss Lhardy if only because one can't resist its window display of baked goodness like tocino del cielo, napolitanes, empanadas, ensaimadas, polvoron, marron glacé, etc. The ground floor serves very good coffee too while the upper floor is the fine-dining area. I never had the chance to try their fine-dining restaurant and sample their cocido madrileño for which it is famous. Found it pricey especially if I'm dining alone. Luckily, at the time I visited their Tienda and ordered a cup of cafe cortado and a croissant, they were offering racion of Spanish staples like Callos Madrileño, Albondigas, and Tortilla. Priced at only 6€ in celebration of Lhardy's 175 years in the business! Same goodness in a claypot but without the table linens and elegant cutlery in a private dining salon. Yet for all its aristocratic setting and fancy decor, the service was friendly and personal. The man behind the cash register tried to persuade me to take out some of the bakery stuff and I obliged, making him happy while putting my marron glacé in a beautiful Lhardy box. All but one, which I ate heartily in front of him.
Casa Alberto has been around since 1827 and certainly ranks among the oldest, atmospheric tabernas offering traditional Madrileno cuisine. It is claimed that the building where it is housed is likewise the same place where Miguel Cervantes wrote some of his books.Patrons of Casa Alberto would rave about its vermouth on tap and variety of tapas en la barra. We didn't miss ordering the vermouth plus bottles of red wine, nor the celebrated huevos rotos with salmon and gulas. We likewise ordered a spinach salad and ceviche for starters. And because we are in search of the best Callos Madrileña, we had that too. Both starters were good, along with the huevos rotos. As for the callos, I've tasted better elsewhere. The ternera was tender and simply seasoned and fried. Not much to rave about really though I enjoyed the lamb chops more. Too bad they couldn't serve one of their famous dishes-- rabo de toro. Still, they're par to the course I saw s lady at the next table order a pulpo and immediately, I regretted not having the Galician delicacy in front of me. We had room for dessert, para compartir. A fitting finish to our last dinner in Madrid. The bill went beyond budget, but then again, we truly enjoyed our 4 bottles of wine. No worries. Team Happy is... Happy 😄
We came here for the pulpo. Yet we had many other good stuff in mind. Like the razor clams locally called navajas. But pulpo takes the cake. And this galician restaurant in Calle Victoria just a hop and a skip away from Puerta del Sol promises the freshest pulpo or octopus. The paprika-sprinkled octopus tastes as good as it looks. Best eaten with another favorite dish from Northern Spain : Pimientos de Padron. How we all love this sweet chilis! I have yet to eat a spicy pimiento de padron. Lucky me 😄 Now, if you've come here to really eat and drink, you'd satisfy your cravings even with just these 3: pulpo, pimientos y navajas. Never fails. Trust me. Have a jarra of sangria to drink or some cerveza o sidra. Buen provecho!
LA BRUNILDA Tapas Bar is one unassuming place located near the famous bullring in Sevilla. The exact address is Calle Galera 5, and it's worth the trip for sure! We ordered quite a number of tapas here and was dazzled by each serving. Perfect portions, superb plating, and everything tastes divine. The Mushroom Risotto is the best I've tried anywhere. Absolutely delicious! The taste is so simple with just about the right proportion of saltiness to it. The Idiazabal cheese does the trick all the time! This duck confit sitting on a bed of peas, spiced and creamed carrots and pistachios is both playful and savory. You can't go wrong ordering this one. Scallops with creamed cauliflowers with sliced sausages and herring roe? Why ever not? The plating as you can see is 5 stars. And it tastes as good as it looks. Foie Gras always hits the spot. Having it served with pears cooked in red wine and spiced bread is the bomb! Forgive all these exclamation marks but I am writing exactly how I feel. The gustatory delight is truly one exclamation point. It almost sounds out of place to be ordering tuna tataki here. But I've read good reviews about this dish and while I'm not a big fan of couscous, we ordered it and we weren't disappointed. I only wish there were more veggies on this dish. The sweet potatoes flavored and creamed with Idiazabal cheese and pistachios proved to be a big hit with us. Especially when paired with grilled Iberian pork shoulder. How can something this good cost less than 5€? In fact all the food items above are priced at only 4.50€ to 4.80€ except for the Foie Gras which costs 5.50€. The grilled octopus with veggies and soy mayo came after several mouth-watering tapas but excited us just the same. It's still grilled pulpo with a modern twist. Yum. I am not sure what this is. We ordered the Tapas for the day and got this delicious dish. Who cares what it is when everything that touched our lips here is muy sabroso? And we were certainly not leaving without a proper dessert! We had a sliver of each and thus left La Brunilda smiling from ear to ear. I cannot recommend this place enough. I would go back and order the same dishes, plus more, in a heartbeat! One final advice. Come early. They open at 1pm but it's best to be at their doorstep a good half hour before then. Buen Provecho!
If the Chef sports a Mohawk do, expect a wild ride with his gourmet offerings. David Munoz ' 3 Michelin star DiverXO may be fully-booked for many months but there's StreetXO, his more casual and budget-friendly restaurant at the top floor of El Corte Ingles in Calle Serrano, Madrid. The last time I was here, I made sure to order the Grilled Bone Marrow with Churros. Yes, the combination sounds weird. But punkish David Muñoz runs an eclectic menu fusing old and new, east and west, traditional and novel. We watched as row upon row of bone marrow were grilling as we enjoyed our appetizers and cerveza. Smoked and served with shizo ponzu sauce, those razor clams tasted divine. I wasn't so sold on the Skate Ribs with Indonesian Sambal sauce, but my friends were. The second time I tried StreetXO, I made sure to again order the Pekinese Dumplings made with crunchy pig's ears and strawberry hoisin sauce. This dish which looks like artwork is a winner, all the time. Prawns, shiitake mushrooms, coconut cream, drowned in Singapore Laksa. . The waiter served it without the soup which he pours right on the table for diners to see. Very dramatic. Trust Muñoz never to run out of such flair with food presentations. The Korean Lasagna is truly a fusion of Galician beef plated with wontons , marinated tomatoes and shiitake mushrooms. The overall taste is as confusing as the ingredients that went into the dish but overall, it's good. The Club Sandwich was earlier recommended to me on my first visit here, so I made sure my friend ordered the steamed samdwich with ricotta cheese and an assortment of oriental sauces and topped with quail eggs. We were likewise delighted with our order of Iberian panchetta served with greens to wrap it with. Yum! The spinach dish was to my liking, like those before it. I guess dining ANYWHERE truly requires an OPEN MIND for one to enjoy what the resto offers. Chef Muñoz is truly creative and talented and his StreetXO crew appears so well-trained. Watching them, especially from the bar, is an experience in itself. In Madrid, you have a choice of going traditional or modern. By traditional, I am thinking callos, cocido, tortilla, huevos rotos, patatas bravas, and many other Spanish dishes that simply never go out of style. By modern, I am thinking of the same traditional cuisine but with a modern twist. La Gabinoteca is the go-to-place in this department. La Gabinoteca's claim to fame is "El Potito", a dish encased in a mason jar that is best sniffed, mixed and then spooned. Made of potatoes, egg and truffle, this dish is not for sharing. Be warned! It is sooo good that sharing it with a friend may put the friendship at risk. I kid you not. Have one jar enjoyed by each person, and preserve the relationship. This is NOT to say it's the only good thing to be had here. We likewise tried the navajas or razor clams, another favorite, and the scallops or vieiras. The dishes are savoury and playfully plated. Muy impresionante! The first time we dined here, we likewise tried the salmorejo, taco pato and the langostinos. All are good, but not as outstanding as the scallops and razor clams. The fried artichokes are kind of forgettable, so with the croquetas, but not exactly mediocre. If you happen to be in Madrid and feel you're done with the traditional favorites, try La Gabinoteca. Even if you drop in just to try the El Potito, it would have been worth the trip! The prices are quite reasonable. And the ambience is very hip. Friday nights here should be fun, especially around the bar. Check it out -- Calle Fernández de la Hoz, 53. Amazing food. Amazing place.
Aruga Hotel is the newest hotel this side of town. Had lunch there once and this time, went back for desserts with the family. Told the wait staff we've had dinner and only came for desserts. They were all very nice, cheerful and accommodating. It helps too that we were the only diners in the coffee shop that time. With 6 of us, we took these tables and ordered 3 desserts to share. Double Temptation is so good though I do love the Apple Pie a la mode too. Servings are good to share. We could have just ordered 2 for the 6 of us but who'd dare miss the mango pannacotta here? Goes well with your choice of tea. Bon appetit! Aruga Hotel is right across Power Plant Mall in Rockwell area. Right behind Dean & Deluca.
And guess what? We went a 2nd time and feasted on exactly the same desserts! We've been wanting to check out Chef Jayps' Kafe Batwan in Rockwell but each time, it would rain -- as it pours -- and we'd instead choose not to cross the street from Power Plant Mall to this corner building where Kafe Batwan is. The high ceiling with "drop lighting" is welcoming. And it's easy to be entertained by the writing on the wall. Or on the glass. Literally. The reviews by celebrities and popular foodies are on display here. In their own handwriting! We were intrigued by the Trio of Pinoy Spreads for appetizers: Biscocho Pandesal slices with Monggo Labuyo, eggplant with Salted egg and tahong ginamos. I can skip this in my next visit, though the fancy names amused me. The two teens ordered the Inasal Burrito and Adobo Flakes with egg and garlic coconut rice. Both scored well! I shared my Madrid Fusion Batchoy as one bowl of this sinful goodness is just too much. Yum but not healthy. 😔 The kurobuta charsiu graces this 12 hour soup stock filled with noodles and innards. Pricey at P480 a bowl but then again, it's NOT your usual bowl of super batchoy. The Inasal Pecho is as good as expected. Just like in Sarsa, this Ilonggo dish is tops. Can't say the same though for their Dinuguan, which wasn't bad but neither outstanding. Overall, Kafe Batwan combines modern cuisine with traditional dishes. Good enough to draw in foreign diners whom we spotted excitedly ticking off items from the menu. Good job, Chef Jayps! This 2nd time around, I didn't miss the Grilled Ribs, Tuna Skin Cracklings and Pancit Palabok with all its sinful crunchies from fried pusit to talangka to chicharon to aligi! Oh my Lord! All 3 are good additions to our "repeat orders" of batchoy, inasal, trio of local spreads and adobo flakes. Not to forget, we were also happy with our local drinks: Batwan Bliss which is really like gin with sour batwan and cucumbers. That plus the pot-sticking molo appetizers!
|
Archives
April 2018
Categories |