Eat Like Ushi

There are two arrocerias (that I could find) in Oviedo. One is called La Genuina de Cimadevilla. I was keen to go to this place. For some reason, my travel friend decided to go to the other one. Calling yourself "the cheapest rice restaurant" is not generally conducive to being a quality restaurant, but you can only try...

After finding the place, it was a surprisingly nice venue. It was also filled with Spanish groups and families all enjoying their rice dishes.

They specialise in different types of rice dishes - banda is dry, melosos is wet and caldosos are soups. That's essentially the explanation from the waiter. Each dish also needs to have a minimum of 2 servings (I didn't see that written on the menu).

After some nice bread, the Clasico (gamba, calamar y mejillon) €21.4 for 2 came out. It was a very heavily flavoured rice, cooked a little under al dente (but I don't mind that crunchiness) with small smalls, squid and mussles inserted. Even though the pan was extremely hot, the waiter mixed it up immediately so there was no burnt crust at the bottom, which was a shame.

I also tried the De La Abuela with chicken, sausage, peas and red peppers. It was a much less flavoured, more simplistic paella, and good in its own way.

It isn't my favourite paella, but it's reasonable and the price isn't too dear. Interestingly Genuina is probably only a little more expensive, so I'd be keen to try that one instead next time.

One of the most famous sidrerias in Asturias is a small chain of places called Tierra Astur. There's two along Calle Gascona (one at the top with an attached small shop, and one in the middle) and also one I saw from outside near the beach in Gijon. There may be others also but these are the ones people are most likely to come across.

Even being a small chain, it does have a reputation for being good. And I must admit it is probably an essential experience in Oviedo. I went to the one in the middle of Calle Gascona, a pure sidreria that is supposed to be decorated like the inside of a cider barrel. Empty cider bottles adorn the walls and the mixed smell of grilled parrilla food and spilt cider fill the air. The atmosphere is alive.

Waiters pour cider (€2.7 per bottle) from a great height and toss out the small remnants in cups, splashing the sticky floor with cider and small droplets on your back. It's a hive of activity.

Luckily the food is good too and reasonably priced. I was so tempted by the beautiful looking Tablon Parrilla Tierra Astur platter with seafood, meat, vegetables all rolled together, but couldn't get unanimous consensus from the group. Next time.

- Bread €1pp - excellent, as in all of Asturias.
- Morcilla Fresca Matachana €3.5 - a lovely flavour with the Asturian morcilla type of very smooth, almost creamy spreadable insides in a taut coating;
- Chipirones a la Plancha €12.5 - baby squids grilled and served, very soft and strongly seasoned;
- Mejillones Bravos Sidra €8.5 - nicely cleaned and debearded mussels in a cider and tomato (I think) sauce. Perfect for the bread.

I also sampled the entrecot de carne roja €25, which was a beautifully rare (even though they asked for medium), tender and flavoursome piece of beef. Really excellent.

- Rueda de Frisuelos €11.5 - a dessert wheel of spelt pancakes with different fillings of creams and jams and chocolate. It was nice but nothing I'd need to have again.

I left smelling gently of cider and meats, with a little bit of sticky cider on the back of my t-shirt. But it was such a great experience here. Highly recommended.

After walking through and exploring the township and park of Oviedo, it was time for food. I didn't have many recommendations for the area other than sidrerias. A few places seemed a little too touristy or multi-multi-language menus but eventually this place had some good elements - a very small outside dining area to enjoy the sunshine, a nice cheap menu del dia, and very pleasant waitresses.

My second tasting of fabada Asturiana was arguably better than the night before in the sidreria. It was also warm, hearty and delicious but the broth had a stronger cured pork flavour. Also there was a little more meat on the pork this time, whereas often it is pure fat. The Asturian chorizo and morcilla were soft and delicate.

The main of ternera guisado con patatinos was a reasonably tender beef stew, although a bit too heavy handed on the salt.

Finally the postre was a creamy yoghurt with strawberries and a nut crumble.

All this with wine, fizzy water for the wine, still water and bread too? A great price of €15 (including €3 extra for the beauty of being outside).

The first evening in Oviedo started at midnight. It's a good thing that's an acceptable dinner time in Spain and so several sidrerias along Calle Gascona were still open and serving.

We entered one at random that looked reasonable (to be honest they are all probably similar in the area) serving a variety of local dishes and seafoods and meats.

The first hit of cider poured by the waiter from a moderate height was quite tart and acidic. But it smoothed out after a few more. It was an interesting introduction to Asturian cider and the ritual.

My first taste of fabada Asturiana was a good one too. A large pot filled with beans, some smooth, soft chorizo and morcilla, a bit of fatty pork, all encased in a warming hearty salty stew. The excellent bread was perfect for mopping it up.

It isn't the healthiest dish (no vegetables), but it's good.

After sampling cheap pre-made student lunch tapas at the downstairs whitewashed haven of Bambu, I wanted to see what else Salamancan tapas had to offer. I managed to go twice to Cuzco, which is so close to the centre but far enough away that I was the only non-Spanish person in there. It's crowded at the counter but the serving staff do an excellent job of noticing everyone and taking food and drink orders.

The first night I sampled 3 delights for the tiny price of €7.70 (which can be almost considered expensive in Salamanca):
- Mini Hamburguesa de Morucha €1.9 - the cheapest turned out to be the best. My first taste of the local Morucha beef was an exceptional one with a medium rare succulent patty, as good as it could be for a patty that thickness;
- Solomillo de Cerdo con Salsa de Setas €3.5 - this was a fine slice of pork tenderloin, soft juicy and tender served with a mushroom sauce;
- Hamburguesita de Morcilla con Cebolla Caramelizada €2.3 - I adore morcilla and black pudding and this was a decent version although not the strongest in flavour. Nonetheless devoured happily.

I went back a week later and didn't take photos but tried an excellent special of grilled octopus and also what seemed to be their most popular dish in Tosta de Jamon con Foie y Cebolla Caramelizada.

A wonderful and more local feel to a tapas venue in Salamanca.

One of the most exciting food items on the Salamanca radar is hornazo. It is advertised in the shop windows of many places including bakeries, cake stores and jamonerias.

I was lucky enough to sample a few different places during my two weeks. It is a pastry crust filled with pork loin (lomo), chorizo and jamon. Apparently some also have hard boiled eggs, but none that I saw. One other thing that is quite quaint to me is that these are eaten cold. They will heat these up upon request, but they told me that isn't standard.

Santa Lucia
These were the first I tried from Plaza Mayor. I decided to get a whole single one rather than a piece of the big shared version. Whether it was because of that or just the way they make it there, it was filled with very little meat and lots of pastry. I had it mildly warmed and although ok, wasn't that exciting. It was also a little more expensive at €3.7.

Viandes de Salamanca
This was the only one I tried from a specialty jamon store. It was the most expensive at €4 or €4.5. You can see the meat busting out of this one. I ordered it takeaway and heated it up myself in the microwave at home. It was nicer with a thick slice of lomo and salami. Not bad at all.

La Tahona de la Abuela
When researching online, Abuela's hornazo was the one that I had listed. And even though they are a bakery, cakeshop and heladeria, hornazo was the only item I had written to try. I'm not sure what stopped me from getting it before the other two, but for some reason I didn't. Maybe it was the helado brightness and a not very overwhelming multicereal bread roll I got from them. Eventually I got hornazo from the Rua Mayor location (not the ones in or just east of Plaza Mayor) and so thankful I did. The lady offered to heat it up so I expect she knows foreigners prefer it this way. The pastry was soft and a little crumbly, albeit not the same a good pie pastry. But the filling was an equal fill of lomo, salchichon (I think it was this, not chorizo) and a bit of jamon. It was the best of the lot and I had it twice from there. It was also the cheapest at €3.5.

La Tahona de la Abuela's hornazo from Rua Mayor was the best of the lot I tried. Look for the cut slices from the full one so at least you can see what the filling proportions are like. And I definitely prefer it warm, which means many jamon places wouldn't be able to do it.

After staying in Salamanca for 2 weeks, I had the opportunity to try many of the gelato places. Essentially each day where the sun warmed up the afternoon in Plaza Mayor, I would enjoy my helado as the sun started to set around 6pm.

Umami
I came across this on my first afternoon in delightful sunshine along the busy Rua Mayor. It turned out to be the best of the lot, with its Italian artesenal heritage and authentic steel tins keeping the goods safe. The pistachio was strong and not overly sweet, the coconut was a bit too mild, and the unpictured avellano had a potent beautiful hazelnut flavour.

Valencia
That first day I saw people queuing at Valencia around the corner from Umami. It looked like a fairy place for children. I tried their chocolate which was a little darker than standard (which I definitely prefer) but the pistachio wasn't as good even though it had little nut bits which I do like generally.

Santa Lucia
I saw the helado here but didn't end up having it. I got a hornazo that day instead. A friend tried the kitkat flavour on a later day and thought it tasted like standard chocolate.

Novelty
I was recommended this place by the profesora at my escuela as her favourite. I must say the huge mounds visible from Plaza Mayor definitely mean it would not have been my choice if it wasn't for her recommendation. I must say it wasn't bad at all, with the chocolate not too sweet and the avellano quite strong. I did get a small rather than medium for the other places, but the serving size was significantly smaller.

Overall Umami was my favourite. I'd be happy to go back for the pistachio and avellano/hazelnut. I'd have to remind myself to get a small though as I struggle to finish medium by myself.

Some students took me to a pizza place in Plaza Mayor. Usually eating in a plaza would be a bad idea given that's how tourist traps work. However at least this place was a mixture of enticing and some imaginative interior design. It's a pizzeria and a cerveceria meaning night may be even more atmospheric.

Pizzas are shown in the window but different ones are available inside. They are about 22-27€/kg which works out to be about 3-4€ for a 140gram slice that they approximate, which makes 10€ per lunch or so. Of course you can ask for mas o menos or try more range.

The best part is that before serving, they put it in an oven/grill which crispens the oily base and also melts and chars the toppings, particularly the cheese. It's an excellent method and one I will now adopt to home cooking.

I tried 6 types of pizza in 2 sittings and all were good. My favourite would have to be one with zucchini and provolone with anchovy running through it - excellent flavour. Others include in that same photo pumpkin/panceta and cherry tomato/basil, and in the second photo mushoom/pesto/tomato, 4 cheese and anchovies/mozzarella/red peppers.

Of the pizzas I've sampled from Australia, London, Italy, NYC and Argentina, I'd probably say it resembles deepdish NYC or Argentina the closest. Very impressed.

For my last meal out in Salamanca, I finally went to the one place that was on my list. Tapas 3.0 is supposedly some new rendition tapas with both a bar and a sit down setting. It is more expensive than the other tapas places in town designed for students, but I wanted to treat myself to one meal. And at €3.5-6 per tapa, that really isn't much.

I wanted somewhere to have the local Morucha beef so was hoping it would surface.

- Canelon de rabo de vaca, boletus €6 - they didn't have truffle so I was happy to pay less to not have them. The pasta wasn't aldente but that's ok. It had a good chewy texture with shredded ox tail and a heavy mushroom sauce. A little expensive for 1 pasta but it was good;
- Patatas bravas €3.5 - I'm not sure how they received the accolade of Top 10 in Spain but it seemed worthy to try. They were ok, crisp with quite light seasoning. I've definitely had better ones around (that probably aren't the other 9 in that list). The mayo wasn't necessary but tradition and the chilli sauce could have used a stronger hit and flavour;
- Burger de ternera, cheddar y mayonesa de chipotles €5 - I was excited at how thick the patty was for what would be a slider. It was sensationally rare, juicy with an unusual flavour. Unlike the salty American burgers, this showcased the pure meat flavour with a slight sweetness (similar to the jamon pork aftertaste). It was one of the finest patties I've had and unique.

I couldn't decide between the burger and rice. The waitress said the burger is very good. She was right. I left happy.

There was 2 long hours to wait in Madrid T1. There weren't many food options without being able to go through security or change terminals. In the end the only option was Mahoudrid which at least also has a large sitdown area.

It wasn't a particularly Spanish introduction but the burger and potatoes were unexpectedly good. The burger was without asking cooked with a soft medium rare centre and the potatoes were crisp and seasoned. As part of the meal deal they let me change my drink for a bottle of water (with a higher cost) which served me for the next 2 weeks. Gracias.