Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

The courses I quoted - paella, fabada, puchero, lentejas or even (squeamish look away now) oreja stew or callos - are all fairly standard dishes in many parts of Spain. If you really needed to google them, it just shows your limited knowledge of Spain, which makes your claim to state "this happens in all of Spain" laughable. One of the characteristics of Spain is that different regions have differing climates and foodstuffs. There are meals specific to places like Galicia, Valencia, Extremadura, the Basque country etc etc that have evolved due to local food available. It's true that a lot of dishes are now available in larger towns and cities, but it seems (if your comments are indeed representative) that it's not the case in the Marbella area.

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

I would imagine there is certainly a difference between how that clip talks about treating tuna and the average fisherman doing it.

He describes a precision crafted work, and I doubt that a working fisherman having to earn a living in a melee of tuna, could afford to spend that much time on treating the meat.

Equally, Tuna are treated pretty carefully as abusing the meat would certainly get a lower price.

IMO your criticism is a bit like someone criticising a perfectly good meal, and comparing it to the product of a Michelin 3 star chef.

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

You can rubbish my connections with Spain as much as you want, you don't know so I will forgive you.....just that I can spot a googler with their lists:rofl:

By all means do them, not gonna make me like spanish food anymore. There is a nice thai restaurant in marbella:) Garum isn't bad either.

BTW 70% of the population of marbella are spanish! Probably has the least number of Brit bars on the coast (s)

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

Yes you are right, was the first example of using the instrument I found. However, according to others the Tuna on display on the CDS is crap.

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

I suppose it puzzles the rest of us who manage to find good food around here, how you can claim that you 'never' have found a half decent menu del dia. It just makes you sound out of place ;)

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

Well, first off I have never seen tuna on display in the CDS, just here. It's possible that my taste buds are so shite these days that I couldn't tell the difference between top grade tuna and stuff that is only fit for canning.

I'm always a little cautious when people talk like that about things like tuna and so on. Sometimes it is people just showing off to appear more knowledgeable than everyone else, often with no real basis. Everywhere I have bought tuna it has been pretty much the same. I don't doubt that it almost certainly isn't sashimi grade tuna, but it is a good piece of fish, usually makes a delicious meal, and I would have to say you are the only person I have ever heard talking it down.

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

Or just honest:) I have seen a few posts which have said more or less the same but I am the prefered person to quote;) I didn't say I didn't find any good food, just avoid the transport caff type of MDL's. Been to one or two good ones around Vejer a couple of bad ones too!:eek:

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

Well, to be fair quality can vary from place to place strange as that may seem.

The fish we get here is generally excellent. We eat a lot of swordfish, salmon and Tuna. However from the same supermarket it can vary so we only buy when it looks good. Monday is a bad day to buy fish here :D

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

I used have had plenty of menu del dias. They are generally adequate but no more, but mainly do represent value for money. Perfectly ok for everday grub but nothing to write home about and very rarely restaurant quality.
I now tend to have them less often working on the theory one good course is better than four average ones.
I also think there is a bit of rose tinted glasses about good Spanish food. I have more trouble finding a good restaurant to a poor one.
And don't believe there is not a Spanish version of Brake Bros. Most of the bars and many of the restaurants rely on frozen or pre-prepared food. eg you don't often get freshly cut potatoes anymore including most patatas bravas I have had.
And I know a freshly cut chip when I see one as the wife still cuts her own.

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

Well, that's what you said, and this is what whitelinen said

"That usually means a few lettuce leaves drowning in vile vinegar, the ringpiece of an unidentifiable origin and rice or 6 chips, followed by flan which in reality is not a flan but a watery apology of a creme caramel."

I will repeat. Everywhere I go here, the food is of similar quality. It isn't Michelin 3 star, but it is good, acceptable and tasty food. Filling too.

I have NEVER been served any food of the squalid quality described in her or your posts. I posted to your reply because it was more detailed than hers and made the comment that you had NEVER found a good menu del dia.

We went just the other day, the small salad to start was fresh and crisp, with none of the ingredients limp. I had to apply my own vinegar and oil as always. Where is this 'vile' vinegar coming from?

The first course was a chickpea stew, the pieces of meat small, and almost certainly trimmings, but no gristle or reject material. Second course a succulent steak of tuna or pork or grouper, and again, a good quality piece of meat, no rubbish. Dessert we had a crema catalan, and a flan which was a perfectly reasonable creme caramel.

I still am at a loss to understand how you can never find decent food. I have to say that I think you exaggerate, as in these days of crisis, I think that faced with crap food, the Spanish clientele would very speedily vote with their feet. I know I would.

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

Which were those?

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

The fish counters always display the country of origin. It's surprising how little is locally caught with much coming considerable distances.

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

Only the Spanish do menu del dia - que va! I've eaten menu del dia in Thai, Indian, French and Italian restaurants as well as Spanish.

BTW, should anyone be visiting Palma de Mallorca I recommend the restaurant Mel D'Abella in C/Concepcio (www.maldabella.com). Not a Google search I can assure you, I ate there last summer - menu del dia, which is all they do, I had chilled melon soup with mint, seafood crepe with lobster sauce and chocolate cake, cost 12€ including a glass of wine. Imaginative food, beautifully presented, lovely surroundings in a historic building and good service - and it didn't hurt that our waiter was a dead ringer for a young Ruud Gullit! And they cater for vegetarians too.

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

Ive worked it out.He is used to pie or curry and chips and a few pints of lager.a proper menue del dia

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

Depends where you shop, how much you want to pay and what part of Spain you are living in.

On the North Atlantic Coast usually at least half the fish on display is from there, but it is more expensive. It is much cheaper to buy farmed fish or fish taken from as far away as the Indian Ocean. Spain eats too much fish to be able to rely just on its own shores.

For example, farmed lubina or rosada (caught miles away) will be between 7-12 euros per kilo. While wild Atlantic lubina is between 20-30 euros per kilo.

Re tuna, jackytoo is so very ignorant it is embarrasing. Cádiz is renowned for its tuna fishing, there is a certain time every year when the wild tuna come through the straights and half the male population go to catch them, it is a tradition. Again the quality of the fish depends how much you want to pay! At 30 euros a kilo in hipercor it is a good as anywhere, for 10 euros a kilo in mercadona it will be very mediocre. You pay your money and take your chances!

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

That reminds me of the best menu del dia I've ever eaten in a restaurant set inside a cave in Ciutadella, Menorca.

We had a selection of 5 or 6 starters, tasting menu style - and then caldereta de marisco, hmm. Delicious world class food and for a 30 euro menu del dia, an absolute bargain

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

Believe me what the Spanish have has no relation to Brake Bros. They even sell cottage pies, lasagne etc in individual pottery dishes, ready cooked just microwave and serve. This allows the premises, mainly pubs to serve up grub apparently home made.
Chips and potato products have been frozen and used in eating establishments in Spain and Uk for years.

Graham

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

Every bar prepares it's own albondigas? I doubt it. I have also seen individual Paella. These are frozen.
The list of tapas/meals available in most bars is so long it is impossible for the food to be freshly made, much of it is bought in.

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

I agree it is possible that some places (especially chains) do this. However my experience in many places in Madrid and Valencia is that you can often see into the cooking area. Go and have your morning coffee and you can the various dishes eg albondigas, bean stew etc being prepared, then (sometimes) being placed on trays, readyto be warmed up again later when served. Other tapas eg chorizo, morcilla, jamon, tinned anchovies etc are by their nature designed to last some time and don't need to be "freshly made".
Edit: If these places all bought in the albondigas, they would all taste the same. I've found in the past there was a great difference between places even in the same street. Some were great, others weren't all that. I've cooked albondigas myself - it can get a little messy when forming the meatballs, but it really isn't that difficult to do.

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

Exactly what I was about to say!

Of course in the tourist areas on the coast that's not always going to be the case, but even in Marbella (where I've spent much time over the last thirty years), it's still more than possible to get good freshly prepared and cooked food that is far removed from that which another poster here would have us believe.
As a more than capable cook myself, if the food here was as bad as some say we would never eat out, something we do on average twice a week!

IMO there is much snobbery about food, personally we prefer the good wholesome food that's served in the venta's here, in preference to the pretencious nothing on your plate servings in the so called 'top' restaurants, usually with an over the top corresponding bill at the end of it.

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

Totally agree.

Graham

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

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:o 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.

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

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:D 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:p

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

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.:rofl::rofl:

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

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:p

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

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:rofl: Why are we discussing food;)

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

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.

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

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!

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

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.

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

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. :)

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

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.

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

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

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

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

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

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.

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

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

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

The almadraba.

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

truth be known maney people came for different reasons,to escape.to try and rekindle love.look at me im the dogs bollocs.the dream.sun.so no mater what you think you have got are you happy(.true aswers ony)

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

Nice hotel, we have stayed there twice. Much as I like Spanish food, we normally eat their "North African" type cuisine when we are there. A nice change, a bit different from the usual run of the mill Spanish menu. Can't say that the hotel or it's food struck me as particularly expensive, it's value for money. Can't be too pricey if we stayed there!;)

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

Horrific, another "quaint" tradition:thumbdown: If I ever go out fishing with family I can't bare to see a fish caught, I go away when the lines go off:(

Re: Are you living the life you moved for?
 

It's good value, but it is also one of the more expensive places around. The two facts are linked, 'm sure.