There are many different ways that you can dine when you are travelling; on a budget, on the go or wining and dining. That said, you don't have to eat at the nicest looking places to really get a grasp of what a country has to offer (if you’re walking down La Rambla in Barcelona and happen to pass the incongruously named Café Vienna, it’s a good bet your impulse will be to keep walking. Don’t!).
Having travelled around Europe for 7 months last year in 2011, our favourite friend was of course the smart phone as well as trip advisor, serious eats and NY Times. Although some of these sites may not always have the best restaurants that everyone is going to love and enjoy, from a personal experience though, these sites definitely set the bar for wining and dining in Spain!
From Madrid to Bayonne to Barcelona, I give to you my top 5 ways to dine in each of these amazing cities!
1. Madrid; Chocolateria San Gines
If you are after traditional churros to make your mouth water Chocolateria San Gines, if you are in Madrid, is where you need to head to to get your sweet tooth fix! Crunchy on the outside and light and fluffy (not soft dough) in the centre, with a light dark chocolate hot chocolate to accompany, is how churros should be served. And, this little cafe, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of inner city Madrid, serves the best churros in town!
2. Madrid; Paella
Another little prime find in the heart of a city but in the back streets; a street where only the locals go and are seen, a street that if not found on trip advisor, we would never have found. The thing that I love about this place is that you know when a restaurant is going to be good when all you can hear and see are local Spaniards - no tourists (just us!) and no maitre d'hotel to convince you to eat at their restaurant. Another thing that I loved about this prime find was that there was not an extensive menu (not like the menu's you find in Rome with a menu consisting of 50 pizza's, 50 pastas and 50 desserts) meaning almost everything is made fresh and what is available is available and what is not will be made again the next day. Quite the same with the paella, there was not an extensive selection of paella's... there was only 1. Much to my boyfriends demise, it was seafood only; served on my plate not in one of those cliche dishes, but just simply on a flat dinner plate - the taste was delectable and deliciously creamy with a crust that was to die for!
3. Madrid;
Metro Bistro
If there is one thing that the Spanish know how to do well is meat; from beef to pork (jamon). Our meal at Metro Bistro was our last night that we spent in Madrid and it was a night well spent! The dish that really had us talking was the tomato soup with olive oil ice-cream... Ridiculously good.
4. Basque region, Bayonne;
La Maison Cazenave
If you ever plan to visit the little town Bayonne, in the Basque region, known for their infamous chocolate,
Chocolat Cazenave is one little gem that is to not be missed. Chocolat Cazenave in Bayonne, is an invitation to an imaginary journey in the footsteps of Caribbean and African tropical origins, places where the best cocoa beans originate. I took my mum and dad to this place and they were in awe of it; the surroundings, the stained glass windowed roof and of course a large selection of home made chocolates just waiting for you to delve into. The most popular dish is their notre chocolate mousseux, which is served looking like a soufflé with a side of cream and extra hot chocolate on the side. On this particular day we decided to get their homemade brioche as well and dip it into the hot chocolate (sicilian italians do something similar with brioche where they dip it into granita - which is an extremely soft and light sorbet!). Magnifique!
5. Barcelona;
Gilda by Belgious
There is much to be said about this restaurant. We stumbled across this place on our second last day in Barcelona. If it wasn't for another restaurant being closed then we would have never experienced the amazing dishes that this place plates up. The food was the best we had had all week, with the prawns and curry ice cream being one meal in particular that I will never forget (featured in image above). The patatas bravas (crispy fried potatoes with aioli and dried tomato chutney) was to die for and the Flemish stew was gorgeous. Having dined very late that night, we did however, get the chance to chat to the owner. With a mixture of Spanish and Belgium cuisines, this guy has truly found a niche that will be hard to be replicated elsewhere. Nb. Make sure if you plan to visit this restaurant that you make sure that you get in early; staple dishes that seem to run out quick fast are the jamon, mussels and the chocolate mousse (however, I did get to taste the chocolate mousse on the next night that we ate there... yes, we ate there twice!)
Although I have mentioned 5, I do also want to make mention this little bar that is located in St. Josep Mercado, La Rambla;
Bar Pinotxo. Recommended by serious eats, this is one tapas bar not to be missed. Cooking up local dishes but also live seafood in front of your very eyes is a MUST to do in Barcelona.
I know these tasty little morsels are not seafood, but pimentos is a staple starter for any tapas you are ordering in Spain. A must have and try, delicious!
There you have it, a few ways on how to spend your days or nights eating the very best Spanish cuisine!
