Food

After eventually getting out of our hotel (half and hour wait in reception to get through 2 couples in front of us) we headed to Valencia, about a 4 hr drive from Barcelona.

Valencia did a kind of East Perth redevelopment about 10 years ago near their port area, where we were staying. They did an urban renewal and created the City of Arts and Sciences which houses an Aquarium, Opera House, Science Museum and a few other things. It is at the end of a 9km stretch of filled in river bed which is part running track, playground and enables you to walk from one end of Valencia to the other. It is pretty cool. They filled in the river back in the 1950’s because of the flooding and have been gradually improving it over the years.

Our hotel was just across the road from El Corte Ingles (similar to Myer) which also had a shopping centre and bakery downstairs. We grabbed some bites for the hotel room (jamon, cheese and pan) and a crapload of Coke and headed back to the room to decide what we would do.

I have now found out how to pour the perfect Coke.

We had a bit of a snack, then went for a walk round the City of Arts and Sciences. In Spain lunch is usually around 2 or 3pm, and dinner is 9 or 10pm so we are mainly having one big meal a day and some supermarket snacks to get us through, depending on what we are doing.

After walking around for an hour or so we decided to go to dinner near our hotel, at a place called Vertical. We hadn’t done any research for Valencia so I had purchased the Lonely Planets little City Guide to Valencia - Annick had given me a Tokyo one last trip which was awesome - so we used this a lot as well.

We got to Vertical, which is about 9 stories up and reportedly has the best view over the City of Arts and Sciences - it was pretty cool.

I started off with a Cava (Spanish champagne sorta) and Ben a Gin and Tonic. To say Ben’s G&T was a spectacle of epic proportions is an understatement. First the lady brought out a huuuge glass and filled it with ice cubes. Then she stirred with a long metal spoon to make the glass cold - this went on for at least 2 minutes and I think we were both wondering how many glasses she breaks. Then she added the gin and continued to stir until - she broke the glass. She was so mortified - and it is hard to tell someone in Spanish “Don’t worry, it’s cool”. After cleaning up her mess, she then began the process again - albeit much quicker and with much less stirring.

The final product (take 2).

This place was pretty nice, and we did the tasting menu.

Started off with some crunchy chips?

Then we headed into our appetisers - some croquettes to dip in aoili foam, and some jamon on pan and tuna carpaccio on pan.

I think this was duck - we have been without internets for a few days so have forgotten.

Oxtail ragu in a pasta wrapping, with crunchy things on top and caulflower explosion balls. These were crazy. When you bit into them it was like a smooth explosion of cauliflower inside your mouth.

Up next was shrimp with fake tomato. It is basically a strange jelly like substance moulded to look like a tomatoe, but inside is avocado salsa - it was interesting but tasty.

Then we had our fish, which was light and not too fishy and then I can’t quite remember our meat.

Then there was desserts, which was a sorbet first up, then a hazelnut brownie.

This place also served their wine and water in cool Riedel glasses.

Then it was time for coffee and dulce and the short walk back to the hotel.

For the record, only 1 sugar cube.