September 2017 Zaragoza & Barcelona
My cousin Jenny and I are mini foodies. We do not necessarily need Michelin Starlets, but we still adore good cuisine with lovely atmosphere during the trips. In Barcelona we love tapas, while at Zaragoza, the city has developed its age-old gastronomic tradition alongside influences from Northern Spain and Moorish, we find some surprising hidden gems without reading any travel guides. Since in Zaragoza, every afternoon has at least two-hour siesta gap, therefore, spotting a comfortable café to dodge the burning sun is a quite essential task for us to reach.
My cousin Jenny and I are mini foodies. We do not necessarily need Michelin Starlets, but we still adore good cuisine with lovely atmosphere during the trips. In Barcelona we love tapas, while at Zaragoza, the city has developed its age-old gastronomic tradition alongside influences from Northern Spain and Moorish, we find some surprising hidden gems without reading any travel guides. Since in Zaragoza, every afternoon has at least two-hour siesta gap, therefore, spotting a comfortable café to dodge the burning sun is a quite essential task for us to reach.
CAFÉ ESPRESSO
Not alike my most of family and friends, I rarely drink any coffee daily, until I am on the road. After the long-term walk among the streets or lost in the museums, I crave for a shot of café espresso to revive my energy. Brewed by forcing a small about of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans, espresso has higher concentration of suspended and dissolved solids with ‘crema’ on top, that also makes espresso has more caffeine per unit volume, but since the usual serving size is tiny, the total caffeine content is strong already to keep me in good vibe after lunch but at the same time proper enough to stay away insomnia at bedtime.
That’s how I fall in love with café espresso during the travelling. At Bar Santiago in Zaragoza, the hues of table wares are white coffee cups with dark brown logos, together with silver spoon and evergreen napkin, surely the cutest visual pleasure before the main dish serving. The other enjoyable café espresso experience is at La Roca Village Barcelona. It was a raining shopping day, the off-white larger cup with brown stripe written ‘Mocay’, serving sweeter espresso with thicker foam and a sprinkle of caramel powder, definitely an instant remedy to solve our cold and hungry souls.
SEAFOOD PAELLAS
At Plaza Nuestra Señora Del Pilar 8, Bar
Santiago, with large windows, light blue wallpaper and mini round tables make
this charming corner bar café a local hot spot for either weekend brunch or luncheon
chat. I skip the enormous plate of paellas at La Rambla in Barcelona, but at Bar
Santiago, fresh ingredients and appropriate amount makes seafood paellas
standout. Containing bass, codfish, mussels, oysters, scallops, shrimps, squids
and trout, the bomba rice mixed with green beans and several drops of lime, the
flavor is both salty and sweet, fulfill my empty stomach and satisfy the desire
of taste buds.
Fun facts about paella, which derives from
the Old French word ‘paella’ for pan, is also related to paila, refers to a
variety of cookware in modern Spanish. In Valencian language, ‘paella’ is not
only limited in the meaning of the cuisine, but also the traditionally round,
shallow pan, made of polished steel with two handles, especially served for the
rice dish.
Bar Santiago
Nuestra Señora Del Pilar 8
50003, Zaragoza
CAFÉ NOLASCO
After visiting Museo de las Termas Públicas
and Museo del Teatro, Zaragoza comes to the siesta hours. Jenny and I randomly
choose Café Nolasco to rest due to its good location and lovely deco. The
greenery hallway presents as an evening bar area, the light blue tiles and milky white chairs gives out the Mediterranean feels, even the clips on Menú del Dia is
in copper bronze. The weekly luncheon contains fresh ingredients and precision
cooking create unforgettable flavours in well-presented simple dishes such as
caviar spaghetti, roasted beef, smoked eels and sorbet of season. The warmly
staff welcome our open questions, even recommend Maldom sea salt for the
cooking tips.
Café Nolasco
Calle San Jorge 18
50001, Zaragoza
50001, Zaragoza
TAPAS TAPAS
Tapas is derived from the
Spanish/Portuguese verb ‘tapar’, ‘to cover’, a cognate of the English top. From
The Joy of Cooking, the original
tapas were thin slices of bread or meat which sherry drinkers in taverns used to
cover their glasses between sips. In order to increase their alcohol sales,
bartenders and chefs created a variety of snacks to serve, therefore we have
tapas nowadays; also known as ‘pinchos from the Basque area, hot or cold, sweet
or salty, tapas means ‘all we can choose.’
We gals find Txapela on Passeig de Gràcia
after La Roca Village shopping. It was 10 o’clock at night after hopping off
from the shuttle bus, but Txapela restaurant never rest. The picturesque menu
offers over 52 different tapas to select, and it’s just easy to order by
speaking the numerous en Español. I love chopitos (or puntillitas, battered and
fried tiny squid), gambas (prawns sautéed in salsa negra), calamares a la
romana (deep fried squid with bread) and mini beef hamburger; of course along
with tapas, we wouldn’t miss our favourite sangria, which at Txapela is much
sweeter than the free glasses we have at flamenco show. Txapela has their chain
stores at 8 & 58 along Passeig de Gràcia, plus one at 8 Plaça Catalunya,
Barcelona. The lead waitress at 8 Gràcia, Rosa, is extremely nice and helpful; so
guess what, we visit all of these 3 Txapela during our Barcelona days!
Special Thanks: Jenny
No comments
Post a Comment