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I'm NunheadNeil from London. I've been Qyping since 26-04-2010

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El Sibarita - La Herradura

Callle Alhambra Edif 1 Bloque 3, 18697 La Herradura

02-10-2012

In our search for tasty tapas we dropped in on El Sibarita which is a small modern bar with plenty of outside seating situated just opposite the Bodega La Barrica near the main plaza. It's not much to look at but we had noticed that it seemed to draw quite a crowd of locals in the evening which always bodes well.

It was a bit chilly when we dropped by so we decided to sit on one of the two small tables inside. We received a very warm and friendly welcome which is always nice - quite possibly the tourist was a rare sight at this bar.

There is not a great deal of choice on the wine front but they have a decent glass of house for only €2 and the tiny kitchen out back knocks up some very nice snacks to compliment your drink. We had a lovely grilled pork fillet which came with a little mound of well-seasoned mash, anchovies doused in vinaigrette and some very tasty squid with a shredded cabbage salad and a dollop of mayonnaise. The normal rules of one drink equals one tapas did not seem to be applying as the snackage just kept on coming .....

If you are looking for a nice local vibe and wallet friendly prices then El Sibarita will suit you just fine.


jurgenehre Why man likes Tapas so???? :=))) and d’ont forget a Sangria!:=)

Taberna Los Toneles - La Herradura

Paseo Andrés Segovia. Edificio Bahía, 2, 18697 La Herradura

02-10-2012

It doesn't take long in La Herradura to find that you have got into the swing of the tapas culture and Taberna Los Toneles, situated right on the front near the beach, became a regular stop off for a quick glass and a snack.

One of the more "authentic" bars along the seafront, Los Toneles has an old school Spanish feel to it despite being a fairly modern bar. Whenever we dropped by it was pretty busy with a mix of locals and tourists - it seemed to be popular with the English crowd.

Nothing much out of the ordinary on the wine list but you will get a decent glass of vino for €2.50 (or a beer for €1.80) and some of the best tapas to be had in La Herradura. Two or three drinks at lunchtime and you will have had plenty of food to keep you going until dinner time. We had a plate of very tasty fried octopus which came with a roasted pepper and tomato salad, a spicy rice dish with fried fish and as we were about to leave the owner insisted we try some chunks of juicy pork with a few French fries - all included for the price of your drink.

We mulled over the fact that the octopus dish alone would have probably cost around £7/8 at somewhere like Brindisa in London ......


Bodega La Barrica - La Herradura

Eucalipto, Edificio Alcazaba B3, 18697 La Herradura

01-10-2012

I am surprised that the charming Bodega La Barrica had not yet received a write up as it was one of the best places we found in La Herradura for a glass of wine and tapas.

It's situated just off the main plaza which is a couple of blocks back from the seafront. There is plenty of outside seating which gets covered when the weather is chilly, the wind gets up or the rain chucks it down. Inside the decor is a modern take on the traditional Bodega style with lots of chunky dark wood, many hanging hams and a comfy, casual atmosphere.

For the wine lover this is probably the best spot in town with a good selection by the glass and some interesting choices if you want to buy a bottle. The prices are pretty reasonable and if you want to splash out a something good you can get a bit of a bargain (for example the local wine store had a 2007 Muga Reserva for sale at €17 while the same bottle was €25 in La Barrica - a very fair mark up).

The tapas is good and you will normally find that you get a small plate of various cured meats, bread and olives with your first drink and possibly some bread and cheese/fish if you have a second drink. If you fancy something more substantial there is a fairly extensive menu containing most of the standard local dishes which are skillfully prepared and nicely presented.

A bit of a stand out is the Rosca - a round loaf of bread which is smeared with tomato, stuffed with your choice of filling and then toasted before being presented to you with a garnish of crisps or olives. A very tasty and filling snack for two at under €10.

Most of the clientele, at least when we visited, were Spanish and it seemed to be one of the main places for the locals to gather at the weekend. At 11.30pm on Saturday night it was standing room only and the place was buzzing with friendly banter - a great spot to end your evening in La Herradura.

I almost forgot to mention that there are, of course, a couple of large flat screens TV's for the football .......

Closed all day on Monday.


NunheadNeil Roger – it’s a pretty nice place for a short break. Beach, good places to eat and some great hiking a short drive away – all at a wallet friendly price.

El Chambao De Joaquin - La Herradura

Playa de la Herradura, Pº Andres Segovia S/N La Herradura - Almuñécar Granada 18690 , 18690 La Herradura

01-10-2012

El Chambao De Joaquin is a good spot for Sunday lunch but be warned it's very popular and even in late September every outside table was pre-booked. Despite being quite a touristy restaurant it still pulls in a lot of locals; probably due to the picture postcard location right on the beach at the far left of the bay.

The food here is good but not quite great - there are probably a couple of better restaurants in town - but with the sun shining and the waves gently breaking on the shore while you enjoy a long, lazy lunch this is a lovely spot in which to while away the afternoon.

We started our lunch by sharing a plate of pimento peppers, stuffed with hake and garnished with a few juicy gambas. Lovely flavours and plenty for two to share at €9. As it was a Sunday we decided to go with the local tradition and have the paella for our main course.

This is obviously a bit of a tourist draw at Chambao Joaquin as a huge paella is cooked up every Saturday and Sunday at 2pm - possibly with a little more emphasis on the theatre than the culinary expertise. Having said that it was a pretty tasty dish with plenty of chicken and prawns; reasonably priced at €8 for a decent sized portion which left us with no room for dessert.

The wine list is quite extensive and there was a wider selection than in other restaurants we tried in town. On the down side the prices are a touch more expensive. We had a very nice bottle of well chilled Blanc Pescador for €15 - we liked this light dry, easy drinking wine a lot and picked up a bottle for the apartment at the local wine shop for €4.

If the wine and lunch prove too much for you there are some sun loungers and parasols at the front of the restaurant which you can hire for €5 - siesta time.


Trattoria Al Gatto Nero - Burano

Via Giudecca 88, 30142 Burano

08-07-2012

It was a toss up between eating on either Torcello or Burano and on this occasion we decided to take the ferry back to Burano for a spot of late lunch. We had heard good things about Al Gatto Nero and we were pleased to find that it was situated away from the main tourist strip by a little canal. Picture postcard pretty - as is all of Burano if I'm honest (it's a wonderful little island and if you are in Venice for more than a few days a visit should be near the top of your "to do" list).

We arrived around 2pm and the outside terrace was packed so it looked like we would have to dine inside but as luck would have it a table for two came free and we persuaded our waiter that it had our name on it (I get the feeling that you need to make a little effort here to get the waiters "on side" or you could end up with indifferent service perhaps). Nice fella that he was he produced a couple of glasses of Prosecco on the house for us to sip while they made up the table. 

I think all the wandering about and the lagoon air from the ferry rides had made us particularly hungry because we kicked off with the antipasti degustazione which was an amazing selection of good things from the sea and lagoon (I liked the entry on the menu which let you know that you would be eating whatever looked good from the night market). 

Three plates of fish and sea food looked like a lot to get through between two hungry people but much to our amazement we soon polished the whole lot off - a sign of the good quality as opposed to our ravenous appetites I would suggest. Difficult to pick out stand outs because it was all very fine but these were some of the finest razor clams and scallops that I have had the pleasure to eat. At 26€ this was not cheap but for the freshness, quality and quantity it was well worth the price.

After a short breather we moved on to the risotto alla buranella a speciality of the island made with the local ghiozzi fish. Now this didn't look like a show stopper when it arrived, a plain looking risotto in a smallish round bowl, but this was one very tasty and subtle dish. Something I would definitely recommend that you try if you are in the area.

From the very extensive, and quite pricey, wine list we choose a local Gini Soave Classico La Frosca - perhaps it's the sun and the setting but this tasted much better than the Soave we drink in London.

A coffee was all we could manage to finish off the meal before we had a final walk round the island before getting the ferry back to Venice.  If you have the pleasure of a trip to Burano I would make time for a meal at Al Gatto Nero - it's not going to win any awards for being inventive but your stomach will thank you nonetheless.


Cantina Do Mori - Venice

San Polo 429, Vaporetto-Haltestelle San Polo, 30121 Venezia

08-07-2012

The Cantina Do Mori is one of the best places for cicchetti that we found in all our wanderings around Venice. Something of a local landmark, this ancient bar has charm in abundance and is a welcome respite from the tourist hustle and bustle of nearby Rialto Bridge.

It's standing room only but that just adds to the atmosphere and I would recommend a visit on weekday around noon or 5pm to get a real feel for the place when it is teaming with all sorts of local characters and traders from the fish market -  you will also get the best selection of the many different types of snacks on offer. Like many of these types of bars it closes early at 8pm.

If you are not in the mood for a full on meal or you want to stretch your budget out a carefully chosen plate of tasty snacks will keep you going all night. Nothing will cost more than 2€ and most are 1€.

The wine selection is also very good with something to suit all tastes and budgets. If you want to see where the likes of Polpo and Polpette in London took their inspiration from this would be a good place to start.


voicy1stef This sounds cool. I’ve just gone to their page and added it to my favourites. I’d like to go there when I’m next in Venice! :D

Le grand canal - Venice

Venezia

08-07-2012

Possibly my favourite way of experiencing Venice is by taking a vaporetti ride along the grand canal late at night. Buy the weekly travel pass for 50€ and all your rides pretty much anywhere, including the other islands, are free (if you are only in Venice for a few days this could still make sense as a single ride is pretty pricey in comparison).

The vaporetti ride to take is the number 1 - this is the stopping service running the length of the grand canal. Unlike during the day, when it's a bit of a crush on board, by 9pm there is plenty of room as the crowds of day trippers have left for the liners or the mainland. My top tip would be to get on at the Piazzale Roma (just before the train station stop at Ferrovia) and you will have the choice of all the best seats at the front or the back of the boat depending on your preference.

Sit back as the boat slowly makes its way through town and wonder at the beauty and romance of Venice at night. If it's the weekend you will no doubt see some very swanky parties taking place in some of the grand residences which line the canal. While we were in Venice a couple of weeks ago there were some free music festivals taking place along the banks of the canal so it was easy to hop off and join in the fun.

To finish off your evening I would get off at Vallaresso San Marco and then slowly stroll back through the Piazza San Marco which is a very different place late at night, with a much nicer vibe, without the hordes of tourists. Perfecto.

NunheadNeil I’m from deepest South London – but I just spent a very lovely week in Venice. Like you I can’t wait to go back – think you need at least a fortnight to really get under the skin of this very special place.

voicy1stef Yeah. There are so many different sections. I’ve been a couple of times, but I try to cover a different section each time, so I can explore leisurely.So – for my next trip whenever it should be – do you know a god place to find WiFi? :D

Rosa Rossa - Venice

sestiere San Marco, 3709 Venezia

03-07-2012

Rosa Rossa is situated down a classic Venitian alley a little bit away from the main tourist sites but it's well worth having a wander off the beaten track to find (it's actually no more than 5 minutes away from Campo Santo Stefano).

 It has a modern look with exposed brickwork, black tables, moody lighting and has a younger, trendier feel than most other places we ate at in Venice (although there were a lot of middle aged American tourists in the restaurant during our visit and I overhead one more elderly fella ask if they could turn the classic selection of chill out tuneage down a little!!). 

Through the narrow entrance there are three rooms and a spot out back where you can dine outside - as the weather was fairly changeable we grabbed a table by the back door which meant we got some air without have to run inside when the heavens opened.

Turns out that this was the very spot where Johnny Depp dined when he visited Rosa Rossa while making the movie The Visitor (a visit made much of by the restaurant with some pictures on the wall along with a framed denim jacket and a drawing by the great man himself on the ceiling).

Anyway, we were here for the food  not to pay homage so after a bit of a chat with our friendly young waitress we set about the menu. We had come here for pizza so we had only a cursory glance at the primo and secondi selections - they all seemed fine but according to our local friends there is better to be had elsewhere.

We started by sharing a dish of mussels and clams which came in a garlic, wine and herb sauce - all lovely and fresh and I had to restrain myself from soaking up every last bit of the sauce with the plentiful supply of bread in order to leave room for the pizza which was to follow.

There is a lengthy pizza selection starting at 8 or 9€ rising to over 15€ depending on your choice of toppings. I like to keep it simple so I went for the tomato, Gorgonzola and rocket while B had the tomato, ham and mozzarella. These pizza's filled a very decent sized plate and  had a nice thin, slightly crispy base with plenty of topping - while not the best I have eaten they were very tasty.

There is a decent wine list - we decided to keep the bill down, and our wallet fairly intact for another day, so we had a litre of the house white which went down well at just under 14€.

We were stuffed by now so dessert was out of the question - after a quick espresso we left the restaurant, paid the reasonable bill and wandered through the alleyways to the Rialto for a nighttime stroll. 

If you feel the need for pizza while in Venice this is probably one of the best places to get your fix.

Enoteca Palatium - Rome

Via Frattina 94, Piazza di Spagna, 00187 Roma

27-06-2012

During our short stay in Rome the Palatium quickly established itself as our favourite place for both food and a glass of wine. I had been tipped off about the Paladium by a couple of Italian friends who live in London and run their own excellent supper club (look out for the Back Door Kitchen if you are in town) so I knew it would be good. The surprise was just how good.

Serving only food and wine from the Lazio region (which you can also buy to take away) the Paladium is one of the best value top notch restaurants I have ever have had the pleasure of dining in. 

There are no reservations at lunchtime so to be sure of a table you need to time your arrival. Being near to the Parliament, and in the middle of the primo shopping area, the Paladium attracts a well healed crowd for the lunch service - we looked slightly out of place in our shorts and tee shirts amongst the suits and pretty dresses but no matter. The locals turn up at 1pm or just after so if you arrive at 12.45 you will have the place to yourself.

In the evening you are going to need to make a reservation - we watched many a dismayed tourist being turned away and locals, who are obviously a bit more in the know, nursing a glass of wine at the bar waiting for a table to become free. Again it's a pretty smart crowd at night so if you want to dress up you are going to fit right in.

We were very lucky during our stay as they changed the menu so we got to sample a whole heap of good things from the kitchen. It's worth noting that they are more than happy to let you order one dish and share it between two which is great as it gives you a fighting chance of making your way through all the courses.

The pasta dishes are outstanding; cooked to perfection with sublime sauces. I had a rigatoni carbonara which will live long in the memory while B raved about her spaghetti with sheep cheese.

The secondo courses are just as good and really highlight the skill in the kitchen and the fine ingredients. Rabbit seems to always feature on the menu and there was a very good ballontine with peppers and polenta. On the fish front a stand out dish was the mackerel stuffed with escarole, raisin and olives in a delicate genzano crust.

Try to leave room for dessert because they are also very good. My personal favourite was the tiramisu which bore very little resemblance to the over sweet versions that get served up in the UK.

If you are a wine lover then Palatium should be top of your "must visit" list when you are in Rome. There is a good selection by the glass starting at 4€ and if you have a look at the wine list, actually a lengthy book, you could find yourself lost in oenophile heaven. We relied on the staff, who we found to be very friendly and helpful if you make the effort to show an interest, to help us find a good match with the food and they came up with some great choices. I think that the most expensive bottle they selected for us was 14€.

We left Rome on the Friday night to get the overnight train to Sicily and popped in for one last drink and to pick up a bottle of chilled Moscato Terracina Doc Spumante Secco  09 Sant' Andrea for the journey. We said some very fond farewells to Rocco and the crew - sad to be leaving but very pleased that we had pleasure of their food, wine and good company for the past week.





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NunheadNeil Thanks Roger – think you would like this place.

Limoncina – hungry is the best way to be when you sit down for lunch at the Palatium :)

Pizzeria Da Baffetto - Rome

Via del Governo Vecchio 114, Roma

26-06-2012

If you are in Rome for a few days that means you will need pizza and if you want to go old school that means a trip to Da Baffetto. It's probably not the finest pizzaria in town but for the authentic thin crust Roman pizza with a side order of organised chaos this place is hard to beat.

We turned up last Sunday night around 9pm and joined the short queue outside waiting to be seated. On a very hot, sultry night we had the great good fortune to get a table upstairs in the air conditioned room after only ten minutes. The atmosphere might possibly be better if you are seated outside at one of the tables in the side alley but we were very thankful for a bit of cool air.

There is a pretty extensive list of pizza on the menu which you can either have as a medium size or the large for a couple of euros more. I had the prosciutto while B went for the courgette option and to wash it down we had a large bottle of water and a half litre jug of the very drinkable house white wine - in total our bill came to a very reasonable 25€.

Despite the place being full to bursting point our pizza came pretty quickly and was served up on a very fetching metal plate which just added to its appeal. Thin and crispy with a slightly charred edge this was the pizza I had been dreaming of since my arrival in Italy. Just the right amount of tomato topping smeared over the base and thin salty slices of prosciutto made this just perfecto. B appeared to be pretty pleased with her pizza as well!!

Fine dining this is not but if you want tasty pizza in a busy, bustling restaurant surrounded by young Italians and tourists of all nationalities then this could be the place for you. We liked it a lot and look forward to a return visit when we are next in Rome.