The land of bull-fight, flamenco had overnight made its way to everyone’s Wish list just after the release of Zindegi Naa Milegi Doobara. For me, the relation goes much backward. It was the country whose language I speak, where I have a bunch of friends even before I landed in this country.
A trip to my almost adopted country had to cover most important parts. Most importantly it must offer a taste of the culture, not to mention the delicious cuisines which is known in this land as ‘Comida’. Well, the country didn’t disappoint me at all, neither with its beauty, nor with its foods. Every corner of the country had something unique stored for me!!
The beautiful capital city Madrid was my first stop in Spain. The city center ‘Puerta Del Sol’ (Door of Sun) is also the exact center of the entire country. In a charming lane of this area, there is an old and authentic restaurant named Chocolaterie San Ginés. It serves the best Churros con Chocolate in this city.
It was late afternoon, yet there is queue to order. The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor spaces to sit, indoor being spread in two levels. We could only claim a seat outdoors after we had placed order. The Churros was delicious with the thick chocolate, I had also enjoyed the vision of the servers bringing several orders together balancing perfectly.
The rich land of art, culture, architecture and marvellous beaches Catalunya is also famous for its awesome seafood. My destination in Catalunya was not the most popular city Barcelona, but Girona, a small town an hour away. This city is one of the most coveted one for the food-lovers, as it houses El Celler de Can Roca. This elusive restaurant fine-dining restaurant is one of the best in the world, till 2018 it had headed the top of the 50 best restaurants of the world.
The reservation for this restaurant opens one day in a year, and in no time the booking for the entire year is done. Although, my quest for this restaurant had be quenched by seeing it from outside, the restaurant König Girona Nord was not a bad consolation price. The food was not so extraordinary, but wine and atmosphere were top-notch.
The name Costa Brava is not a stranger for us, especially after we have seen our heroes of ZNMD taking a deep-sea diving in the crystal-clear blue water. My introduction to Costa Brava was done through a small white village in this Coast, named Calella de Palafrugell.
Apart from being the most romantic coastal towns I have ever seen; it also has a wide range of ice-cream shops. Choosing the ice-cream flavors was pretty difficult, as there were a wide range of flavors available, all unfamiliar. I ended up choosing a flavor named Turon, which is probably the best one I have ever tasted.
Early next day in the land of Salvador Dalí, the world of surrealism unfolded first at Figueres. I had to be content with just a glass of hot chocolate, as the time was short. It was a thickest, delicious a very filling glass of drink.
The surrealistic world has stayed with us as we head towards the house of Dalí Port Lligat, in the region of Cadaqués. After a quick tour to the house located beside another picturesque beach of Costa Brava, we finally went for lunch.
Our lunch was scheduled at Cap de Creus, a restaurant located in one of the scenic places of the world. The restaurant is perched on the top of a hill, surrounded by Mountains and deep blue Mediterranean Sea in three sides.
Sitting in a cliff side dining table, the view was top notch, along with its appetizers and drinks.
For the food, we opted for typical Spanish dishes, Tostadas con Anchoa, Sardines and the regional dessert Crema Catalana.
The dessert was the best among all the dishes, which was basically a caramel custard with burnt sugar on the top.
The next day was also dedicated to the world of Surrealism. We headed towards Púbol, a medieval town which is the home of Castle of Púbol. This castle belonged to Gala, the wife of Salvador Dalí.
The restaurant Can Bosch is located just beside the castle. The upscale restaurant is themed medieval, with a great view of the village.
Here, we opted for Menú del día, the traditional three course meal. Here, I first faced language problem, as the entire menu was in Catalan, not in Spanish.
So, I went for very basic choices, Cheese Stuffed capsicum as Primer Plato (starters), fish and chips as Segunda Plato (main course) and traditional caramel custard Flan as Postre (Dessert).
The last day of Catalunya we got an invitation from one of our friends to attend their village fair. The small village of Sant Gregori hosts a fair in a Sunday of May in the campus of the only school located there. The entire fair is dedicated in just two items, Pan y Chocolate.
I was mesmerized to find out delicious items sold in the fair, created with only two things, bread and chocolate. The most interesting item for me was the giant-sized chocolate pizzas and obviously the variety of chocolates presented there.
Our next destination was the green region of Cantabria, located at North. The capital city Santander is rich coastal city, developed by the richest bank of the country, Banco Santander. The rich landscape of this region resembles the countryside of Switzerland.
Through the amazing countryside, we landed in one of small villages with very colorful houses. The small restaurant ‘Venta de Hielo’ was located just beside the supermarket. The specialty of this restaurant was the pork platter, which was definitely a dream of every pork lover. Not really a fan of Pork, I mostly had the delicious squids and the native Croquetas.
In the medieval village of Santillana del Mar we were craving for some coffee. The hotel Parador Gil Blas was a property of Parador group, which converts the castles and palaces into luxurious hotels. Here, we were served coffee in Spanish style, a bit bitter coffee with dark chocolate.
The richness of the flourished city Santander can be sensed from the city itself. After exploring the city in details, I had an urge of checking the local market to explore what exactly the locals eat.
The market was also lavish like the city itself, with a wide varieties of wine shops in the entrance. Being a coastal city, the market of Santander had a wide variety of seafood, especially Mussels. Thus, the lunch at that day also followed a delicious dish of Mussels, Mejillones en Salsa de tomate ( Mussels in tomato sauce).
The destination next was a bit off-beat place for tourists, as it happened to be the main base of my workplace. Caravaca, a small town in the region of Murcia, is a typical industrial town. Yet, my food exploration had continued even between the work.
‘Tapas’- although the word is familiar, it has a specific definition for the Spaniards. It is not just a category of foods; it is a way of life. ‘Ir de Tapas’ (Going for Tapas) signifies going for a drink with small nibbles of foods. This word also relates to sharing the dishes with the friends and family, creating a special bond. They even hop into restaurants after restaurants, trying the signature Tapas, until they are full. Here, I got to try various kinds of Tapas, sharing and creating bonds with the colleagues, who were becoming firm friends gradually.
In honor of my visit, the next day lunch was a delightful surprise for me. My colleagues knew my desire to try out the most popular dish of Spain, Paella. Thus, I was taken to one of the most lavish fine-dining restaurants of the city, which was especially popular for its Paellas.
More than the popularity, its history had fascinated me hugely. This dish somewhat originated in the same manner as Biriyani. Both were invented by the workers, who used to mix meat, seafood or vegetables with the leftover rice to create a filling meal. For Paella, mostly various kinds of seafood are used. It is served in a large frying pan according to the ordered portion. I have chosen the chicken Paella, which was delicious and filling, but nor heavy.
The last leg of my journey was the land of Andalusia, birthplace of Flamenco, capital of Moorish history. The entire region projects a different vibe of the entire country. The traditional architecture has a touch of Moorish heritage, so does the music of this land.
Through the capital Seville, I had reached in Prado Del Rey, the small village of another dearest friend. Although, this region has lots of beaches, sadly I didn’t have that much time to visit the coast. Yet, that didn’t stop me to try their coastal fish. The dessert had to be delicious Flan de café, the traditional caramel custard, in coffee flavor.
The region of Andalusia is famous for its olives, cheese, ham and wine. So, undoubtedly, the popular salad must accompany a large bite of native goat’s Cheese. Combining it with the local Jamón (Ham), we tried an authentic pizza.
A trip to Madrid from Prado- Del -Rey was grueling, via Villamartin -Sevilla and later an overnight bus till Madrid. After this exhausting journey, I was craving for some family food. Thus, a trip to the restaurant called ChaCha Moon, a Chinese restaurant, located in the heart of the city Madrid.
The European style Chinese was delicious, just without popular dose of Chilies we are habituated. The best part was the lemon chicken, which still haunts my dream in a regular basis.
The last day of this trip had to be full of adventure. Thus, I opted for the traditional Paella once again. The taste of Paella in Madrid was entirely different, like I was informed by my native friends.
Like the country, its authentic foods can be the sole reason I wish to go back soon. There are much to explore, even learn about the Spanish cuisine. The authentic flavors are to remain with me, with a quest to explore more, enhancing the lure of Spain more and more every day!!