Eating Our Way Thru Spain Part 1

Tapas country! Our Spanish holiday started in Madrid and we ate ourselves silly through Segovia, Toledo, Cordoba, Sevilla, Arcos de la Frontera, Ronda, Granada, Jaen, Valencia, Tarragona, Montserrat and finally Barcelona.

One of the most memorable has to be on the last night in Barcelona where we went to a little restaurant called Cata 1.81 on Valencia, near Passeig de Gracia. We had the degustation menu which was both worth it and exciting. It comes with 7 courses of tapas-size plates and dessert at €24 each.

We read about the wonderful Pig Trotters with fig sauce and honey ice cream and we told the handome waiter that we wanted that. He then said the other courses would be a surprise! Wow...! We could hardly wait!

Ravioli With Cod

Like wanton skin on the outside but it's soft as a baby's backside! So smooth. The filling was tasty and the whole thing was drizzled with delicious Spanish olive oil.

Spanish Omelette

This was no ordinary spanish omelette because each bite was a burst of taste and texture.

Pan-seared Tuna Tataki (at least we think that's what the waiter said)

Deliciously done!!!!! The tuna was perfect! It wasn't fishy at all and the tortilla chip goes well with the whole ensemble.

Lentil Salad with Chicken

Interesting and refreshing.

Tex Mex Mini-Burgers

This was a weird one. Perhaps we looked young enough to appreciate burgers. Ha! Oh well.. The roasted peppers were nice with the sea salt.

And the crowning glory... haha..

Pig Trotters with Fig Sauce & Walnuts and Honey Ice Cream

I never knew pig trotters could taste like this! It was succulent and soft. The fig sauce gave the dish a nice sweet fragrance. Cute shape of the honey ice cream - looks like a piece of pork bone. The walnuts on top of the pig trotters gave it a nice crunch. Talk about the combination of sensations. Something salty, something sweet, something soft, something hard, something hot and something cold. Couldn't get enough. Only 1 piece per person though...

Canalloni stuffed with veal in bechamel & truffle sauce

I've run out of adjectives... haha.. This was delicious as well!

Orange Cake in Filo Pastry with Spiced Apricots

Feeling a little (a little?) full, we thought the cake was only so-so. Nice spiced apricots though.

Cheese Ball Poppers

The waiter said we had to pop these into our mouths all at once! Yummy sweet cheese oozed out!! It's a bit like eating Onde-onde when the gula melaka oozes out. Yummikins!!

With Pedro Ximenez to wash it all down, what a sweet way to end a perfect last night in Spain!