For the uno de mayo public holiday, it was nice to see that lots of food places were still open. My hotel receptionist was quite clear in saying everything is closed, other than restaurants.
I had read from a blog site about Asturias that Cimadevilla and in particular the old fisherman quarters along Cuesta del Cholo was the place to be. The hotel guy suggested El Planeta in the area but in the end I chose Mercante as it looked more relaxed, had an outdoor area where people sit and drink (even though it was a little chilly for us on that day) and looked a little cheaper.
The upstairs was nicely decorated with some very average ocean views (but ocean nonetheless). Sangria de Sidra €8 was something we had yet to try and it was what it sounded like - sangria made with cider instead of red wine. It was obviously a lighter colour and a bit less strong in tannins.
It had been recommended to us a few times to try cachopo somewhere, the local version of schnitzel, cordon bleu, parma etc.
- Ensalada de Tomate y Mozzarella €10 - simple. Quite expensive for the amount of mozzarella given;
- Pulpo a la Gallega €16 - we actually ordered the waiter's recommended pulpo en vinagre but for some reason got this instead. It had a little bit of bite to it, which I don't mind, (but we had eaten ridiculously soft pulpo a la gallega in Oviedo);
- Chipirones €11 - fried tasty salty baby squid. Nothing more to say;
- Cachopo de Ternera €20 - this beast would feed 2-3 on its own reasonably comfortably. It was nicely fried and crisp on the outside housing rare sliced beef and oozing with mild cheese and a layer of red pepper. It wasn't too salty and was quite good. I can see why it's a specialty of Asturias and many restaurants advertise it as well as being finalists or winners of a cachopo competition.
The meal was good but not the best we had in Asturias. It was also felt that for the higher end prices the servings were smaller than other places. Maybe that's just Gijon compared to Oviedo, or maybe this popular quarter is using its advantage. I'd try El Planeta (or another restaurant in Cimadevilla) next time just to compare.