| Menu del Dia 16:34 - Mar 20 with 1870 views | Pegojack |
Thought I'd give you folks a snapshot of an everyday culinary tradition around here; it's one of the reasons I love living here - the Menu del Dia.
Everywhere you go, and probably all around Spain, the bars, cafes and restaurants do a cheap 'Menu del Dia' (menu of the day) at lunchtime. Lunch is the most important meal of the day, most workers be they high or low have a two hour lunchbreak, and they all pile into their local eating place for a good nosh.
Me and the misses went shopping to Gandia today, buying a football strip for my walking football team in Decathalon because we've been invited to take part in a tournament in Moreira in April.
Anyway, having successfully completed the mission and feeling a bit peckish on the way back, we stopped for lunch in a place new to us, a modest roadside restaurant 'El Trafico' in Miramar just outside Oliva.
We sat down at a table in the centre of the quirky bar and the waitress immediately came up and plonked a delicious salad and a basket of fresh bread between us - its not a case of what will you have, its understood you're having the menu of the day - and she proceeded to rattle off the four choices on each of the starter and main courses.
We both ordered paella to start (first courses are filling and usually involve a rice or pasta dish) followed by sirloin steak in sauce.
To drink? We asked for white wine and she brought a chilled bottle of white rioja. Incuded in the price, mind. A whole feckin bottle!
We munched on the fab salad - lettuce, tomato, spring onion, two types of olive, gherkins, sweet white onion, carrot - and then the paella arrived in oven dishes. Proper Valencian paella, none of your tourist nonsense, the meat was rabbit, the rice was yellow and fragrant with saffron, and there was lashings of baked artichoke heart in it.
The steak cutlets were tender, coated in a red pepper sauce and accompanied by nicely browned chips and a smattering of roast vegetables.
Postre? That's dessert to you and me. I had a whisky ice cream gateau with squirty cream, the missis had profiteroles. The final act was two superb cafe americanos brewed on a proper espresso machine, they'd shoot themselves here before serving you a cup of instant.
Now the best bit. The bill was 20 euros for the two of us. What's that, about £8.60 each?
Go on, move out here, you know you want to. (Pikeypaul and RedWhiteandBlue please ignore). [Post edited 20 Mar 2019 19:38]
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| Menu del Dia on 16:55 - Mar 20 with 1830 views | Jackfath |
I very much enjoy your stories. Glad you're having a great time out there. It's drizzling here. |  |
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| Menu del Dia on 17:04 - Mar 20 with 1812 views | jackal |
I went to Seville with a few friends last year. It was my first trip to the Spanish mainland.
What surprised me most was the quality of Spanish cuisine. It was very diverse and extremely tasty.
Not just paella and tapas. |  | | |
| Menu del Dia on 18:23 - Mar 20 with 1747 views | longlostjack |
You must miss Pizza Hut and Nandos though Pego and I bet they don’t have Dominos either. |  |
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| Menu del Dia on 18:31 - Mar 20 with 1737 views | Algorfajack |
Hi Mike,
Have finally sent you an email mate  |  |
| Prediction league winner 2016-2017 aka llanedeyrnjack |
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| Menu del Dia on 23:33 - Mar 20 with 1596 views | jack_lord |
my favourite meal, menu del dia. We are venturing further south in the summer and hope to find some delights. We will go to Alhambra palace and relying on my cousin who lives in Malaga and hoping his Spanish wife will know some wonderful places. |  |
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| Menu del Dia on 09:38 - Mar 21 with 1487 views | pikeypaul |
Been there and done it 25 years ago and would not go back to mix with the starving expat pensioners looking for a cheap meal.
No wonder Spain has an unemployment rate of 33% amongst its youngsters when it can only attract the lower class of expat/tourist.
These days I far prefer the Far East and it’s cuisine and hospitality,but hey each to their own. |  |
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| Menu del Dia on 10:05 - Mar 21 with 1476 views | Pegojack |
| Menu del Dia on 09:38 - Mar 21 by pikeypaul |
Been there and done it 25 years ago and would not go back to mix with the starving expat pensioners looking for a cheap meal.
No wonder Spain has an unemployment rate of 33% amongst its youngsters when it can only attract the lower class of expat/tourist.
These days I far prefer the Far East and it’s cuisine and hospitality,but hey each to their own. |
Oohhh, we got a rise out of PlanetSwans' very own Tory Boy. Brilliant!
And how is your second wife in Thailand? Ha ha ha! [Post edited 21 Mar 2019 10:06]
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| Menu del Dia on 10:15 - Mar 21 with 1460 views | swan65split |
Thats sounds lovely. raining here, and fish and chips on Porthcawl prom.
really envious....enjoy  |  | | |
| Menu del Dia on 12:02 - Mar 21 with 1419 views | builthjack |
| Menu del Dia on 18:23 - Mar 20 by longlostjack |
You must miss Pizza Hut and Nandos though Pego and I bet they don’t have Dominos either. |
They have darts though |  |
| Swansea Indepenent Poster Of The Year 2021. Dr P / Mart66 / Roathie / Parlay / E20/ Duffle was 2nd, but he is deluded and thinks in his little twisted brain that he won. Poor sod. We let him win this year, as he has cried for a whole year. His 14 usernames, bless his cotton socks.
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| Menu del Dia on 12:31 - Mar 21 with 1396 views | JackSomething |
| Menu del Dia on 10:05 - Mar 21 by Pegojack |
Oohhh, we got a rise out of PlanetSwans' very own Tory Boy. Brilliant!
And how is your second wife in Thailand? Ha ha ha! [Post edited 21 Mar 2019 10:06]
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I think when Pikey says the Far East he means Newport. |  |
| You know, Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocket ship underpants don't help. |
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| Menu del Dia on 12:56 - Mar 21 with 1377 views | Loyal |
| Menu del Dia on 12:31 - Mar 21 by JackSomething |
I think when Pikey says the Far East he means Newport. |
Come on give him a break.
Far East of Dean mun ... |  |
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The official inventor of the tit w@nk. | | Poll: | Who should be Swansea number 1 |
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| Menu del Dia on 15:49 - Mar 21 with 1306 views | DafyddHuw |
| Menu del Dia on 23:16 - Mar 20 by majorraglan |
I went to Seville a couple of weeks ago on a 4 night City break and I really enjoyed it. Weather was 25degrees in Feb and was a welcome relief from the cold and rain. Plenty of nice restaurants and bars in the City centre and all reasonable considering we were in the heart of the city. The only problem is my wife is more or less a veggie and Spain doesn’t really do veggie.  [Post edited 20 Mar 2019 23:17]
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Nah, mate, that's bollocks.
I go to mainland Spain (up in the Sierra Nevada mountains, well away from tourists) twice a year. My son lives there. I'm veggie, and I have no trouble ordering lush veggie food. [Post edited 21 Mar 2019 15:55]
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