Just back from a fantastic weekend in Benicasim, about an hour north of Valencia, Spain.
I have made the decision that I will need to do two blogs one that covers all the delicious food we experienced and the other all the adventures six ladies could have in one weekend (it was a long one).
So back to my favourite subject FOOD….
The best meal of the weekend for me was on Saturday afternoon we went As Villa Sofía. This looked just like a beach cafe and we had been earlier in the day for coffees but it was far from that….
Located right on the beach, always lovely to be able to stick your toes in the sand – serving a mouthwatering menu of seafood, tapas and salads I was in heaven! My favourite was the Parmesan and Parma Ham Salad doesn’t sound much but it was most unusual served with Parmesan ice cream which you mixed into the different cheeses, hams, salad leaves, nuts, and sun ripened sweet tomatoes.
We also had various plates of tapas……prawns, calamari, spicy potatoes and these Boquerones (fresh anchovies, when pickled the Spanish call them ‘anchoas’) cooked in batter…. all so delicious! There is something about sitting by the sea in the sunshine, sipping cool wine, seafood just couldn’t taste better!
One of the main benefits, in my food mind, of having a local with you is knowing where to go and most important where is good to eat! So many holidays my husband/family we walk up and down the beach for ages or along a busy street of cafes trying to decide which is the right one….. relying on ‘Tripadvisor’ or some sort of intuition. Luckily Veronica had pre-booked a fantastic restaurant in Valencia itself, right on the beach front. La Pepica http://www.lapepica.com has been there for years, it felt very traditional and good at what they do! Paella was their speciality and it was as good as we had been promised.
I just loved the ambience of this restaurant, smart, clean, yet rustic and traditional. The moment you walked in you knew it was a seafood restaurant with the beautiful blue and white tiles decorating the restaurant and open kitchen. Walking past the sizzling prawns, and smelling all the delicious flavours cooking, I knew this was going to be a good lunch!
The two paellas we ordered were chicken with rosemary and then the black squid risotto rice which we devoured, no leftovers!
Dessert we had in the old town of Valencia and yes it had to be an artisian ice cream.
It really was a gastronomic delight exploring the Spanish food and of course the Sangria and the refreshing Spanish wine….. home to tighten up the regime, and preparing for that NEXT holiday!