Rosemary

Totally agree.

Graham

jackytoo

Casa de Califa has good food, there is an Italian which was ok. and cheap. One we didn't like, lukewarmfood and messy tables, slow service was at the bottom on leaving the main road, don't know it's name but gets very busy and the other in the centre of the village.

Cricketman, I am sure you have had some good meals but I thought we were debating the quality of 3 course(?) menus for about 12 euro and under.

The best meal I have had in Spain was in cádiz and I can't remember it's name Just off the paseo in the old town and famous for it's tortillas de cangrejo...they order piles of them for starters and eat in the hand. Think we would call them crab fritters. Delicious pudding too, profiteroles etc. not cheap but it is for the quality. Wish I could recommend it

I think the quality of food in spanish restaurants has declined in the last 7 years or so. As the place became more popular they thought they could serve any old rubbish and get away with it. We stopped going to a few which we had liked for years. Used to go to one for lunch and always had the pescaito frito. Lovely selection of fish, the last few years they seemed to use the batter to hide chunks of rubbery dry fish instead of small intact fish, calamares are now obviously frozen ones etc. They just got greedy.

jackytoo

Hmm wouldn't have put you down as a food snob! I am a she and I rarely drink beer. Do like a good curry though. An old coaching Inn close to my home in the UK does a curry of the day and a pint for a fiver, always a good vegetarian one too. As for pies used to hate them but living abroad cured me. Don't mind a nice pie now not with chips as I am not a big eater. Had a nice pie from Waitrose recently, beefsteak and burgundy wine, shortcrust base and puff pastry top...memorable

JLFS

I sometimes have MDD but more often than not, we have a plate of embutidos, cheeses and few olives and bread, and have the heavier meal later.

The is often talk about the "freshly prepared food" and the convieience food.

From what I have observed, there is a lot more frozen food being served in restaurants of all prices, and in all countries I would say.

From the Pasteleria, bolleria, pan, and stuff that comes ready moulded ready for the oven, some sepcials of the house are still made in the old way, but now it is more a mixture of the two, home made and bought in, with the latter becoming more an more popluar.

The traditional dishes like "judias" with ham, due to the high price and availabilityof fresh beans, I would say that more than half are using frozen ones nowadays. I dont mind I like both and would certainly turn my nose up.

I know of a couple of establishments where the parents have retired, mother did the cooking, and now it is run by the son and DIL, neither great cooks, but the food is edible using tinned ready cooked callos, adding more chickpeas, ham, tocino and chorizo, still not a bad meal.

Labour intensive dishes like lasagne, coming in foil trays, then a bit of bechamel is added a grating of parmesan and in the oven or micro.
Same can be said for other dishes too.

The sopa de marisco, powder with a few chunks of "sea life" added to it, simmering away nicely on the stove, who would know?

And as far as I am concerned, who cares, as it tastes ok?

In most kitchens the freezer capacity is increasing, the good family cooks that were the mainstay of the comida casers, are reaching retirment age, and the younger ones who take over are looking to make life easier for themselves.

This has happened with some very profitable plases that I know of personally, but they are still working well.

Its called progress, because not many owners nowadays want to work themselves to death in the kitchen, even if they have the skills, when there are all these little " tricks of the trade".

Some places also have such an estensive menu that it would be impossible for them to have the storage space for all the ingredients.

There are places in Galicia that do good home cooking, but the menu is very limited, and changed daily, and all meals are usually sold that day.

This type of place used to be the norm years ago for Spanish folk to have their lunch, but now due to people wanting more variety, they are coming to an end.
This was before the days of, vegetarians and nut allergies and, allergice to gluten and such, you had what you were given.

anonimouse

I am reminded of the saying, "you are what you eat", then I think of all the crap in the Med, put's me right off sea food

jackytoo

I have noticed over the years that Patatas bravas is not as good in many places. Many now just put bottled sauce over.

Going back to the thread title...I didn't move to Spain for the food Why are we discussing food

betris

sorry.she.didnt know girl.I will eat most things and be gratefull.there have been times in my life when i have been starving haven not eaten for a few days.miles from home.to me some times a english bacon butty and hp is to die for.but as for menue del dia.the englsh divys go to the places they think they should go to.me i go to the one off the beaten track.the one where the litte old lady has been cooking in for the last 50 years same as here mother before her.and at the end of the day your full up with good food and half pissed with the wine.then they ask for 7euro because there is 2 of you.so now you give them 10euro then they fill your glasses with brandy.

bil

Casa de Califa? Well, if you choose that as your benchmark, then you are going to be disappointed on a regular basis.

The food there is superb, and it is probably the best for miles around, but menu del dia? At the Califa? That is a hotel, and quite a serious one. We only go there to celebrate, when we have a bit of cash, or a visitor wants to treat us in return for staying with us!

steviedeluxe

I'm not sure it's such a good thing, but certain bar-owners in Spain know how to keep your alcohol intake up. Even in Madrid (allegedly an impersonal and expensive city) it sometimes only took a couple of repeat visits to the same bar before the bar-owner would "invite" you to a free drink - and they'd do it on more than one occasion. Of course it's a kind of marketing - I suspect in a normal Spanish city (ie not on the Costas) they like to have extranjero customers as it then makes the establishment seem more exotic/appealing to their normal customers. Even so it makes a pleasant change when too many UKpubs are run by managers for a pubco, and you can visit a place umpteen times without the staff even asking your name.

megmet

Been to a few of those places myself!

Another one comes to mind....some years ago in Istan, everywhere was full as there was a Jeep Safari (what happened to them) in town.
We found a very small bar with a man sat eating lunch so asked for the menu, the lady said the food was finished and directed us back to the place with the jeep safari.
After explaining the situation to her and asking for other places to eat, she told us to wait a moment and she disappeared into the back, on her return she brought us two plates of what her family were having for lunch.
It was such a wonderful gesture and she refused to take payment, needless to say we left her a tip that would more than cover it.

Kindness of that sort I suspect one would not find in the UK, it's one of the things that makes this country so special.

betris

no the places i have been its a thank you for coming in.same as our chino after you paid they say thank you and put down a bottle of rice rocket fuel.drink what you want.

jackytoo

They nearly all give you a drink afterward on the CDS it's a tourist thing.

betris

i bet that food tasted better than a 100euro menue del dia

betris

no J im not talking tourist.like one time in gabias granada a long time ago.we were in a bar.they said they had never seen a uk truck.when we said we were from liverpool you could have heard a pin drop.they draged us into the back room.i thought here we go fisticufs.but the back room was the gabias club room.they showed us all there trophys and said liverpool fantastic.you dont pay for nothing in this bar.the next day we went in to say thank you then they gave us some local bread.when we got back to uk.i sent them a load of lverpool FC bumf.

Lynn R

Why are we discussing food? Couldn't have anything to do with your post above, could it?