Thanks! I never ordered it but will next time…although that size portion will finish me for anything else!! Imagine they might allow a half order. But, oh, those cheeks!!!
Hi Maribel and Dostrovs!
Thought I’d pop in with my two cents re: Barra Baja. They’ve actually been open a few years (they opened just before the pandemic) and it is one of my favourite restaurants in Sevilla.
Having recommended it to many friends and clients since 2020 I’ve never heard such a negative response as yours Dostrovs though as you say, we all have our own tastes and opinions. I personally think it’s unfair to say that they don’t have a high standard of quality or that the chef is unskilled, that has certainly never been my experience there. In any case, very sorry you were disappointed. Also, these days many popular restaurants are “full of foreign tourists” as Sevilla is becoming oversaturated due to mass tourism, so the old adage of looking for bars and restaurants “where locals go” is no longer relevant. Anyhow, better luck next visit! And be sure you go to Augurio.
Maribel, I don’t think the great food and service you experienced was dependent on me being there, going by what other friends and clients have reported back. But you know me, I walk in to places and start talking to everybody. By the way, I went back to Barra Baja a couple of weeks ago to try the tortilla vaga (had never had it before) and it was fabulous.
Another note. I’ve removed Balbuena Y Huertas from my website as the hotel management has completely changed the concept and as a result their star chef has moved on.
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Hi Shawn!
Sorry to hear that the hotel management has changed its concept, as we really enjoyed our tasting menu at Balbuena y Huertas in Triana, on your recommendation.
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The young chef, José Luis Pastrano, is opening his own place called Eterno Restaurante in San José de la Rinconada, just outside Sevilla. I’m sure he’ll do very well as he was responsible for ByH getting both a Michelin and Repsol listing in the first year.
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Thank you Shawn. Good to hear from you. I will presume they just had a bad night.
The drive from Zahara to Malaga started well, but somewhere around Algeciras our company got a call that they have left their passports in the hotel in Zahara. That turned a 2.5 hours drive into a 5 hours drive. I had to cancel the lunch in La Cosmo. By the time I have dropped off the car rental in Malaga train station everything was closed after the lunch hours. I spotted place named TascaLasca, which was still open and sampled so-so salmorejo and oxtail croquettes. They were nice enough to feed me thou. I figured it was Polish owned place.
I do not know about you guys, but for me strolling the streets of Malaga is one of the innocent pleasures of Spain. Despite the unescapable touristy vibe there is something in the air of this charming city which always compels you to come back and spend more time. We had only 2 days this time.
The dinner took us to my favorite restaurant in Malaga - La Cosmopolita. The menu does not change. There are specials, which are almost always are the same. May be some seasonality permitted.
- Ensaladia Rusa - OK, but not the best
- Delicious bacalao tempura - one of their best dishes
- Another chunk of tuna (why not! We will not be back for a while)
- Cangrejo omelet - last time I liked it better. Probably the quality of the crab vary…
- Chico lechal - this time it was on the specials menu. Probably one of their best dishes. Enjoyed it as always.
- Delicious panacotta
I will stick to my statement that this is a mandatory experience in Malaga. Although reading the Guia Repsol indicated the bustling food scene with multiple restaurants included and Sol awarded.
The next day lunch was payed for by the guilty/ passport forgetting part of our group. We went to El Reflectorium Malagueta. My understanding is that this is the original location. In the past we only tried the Cathedral one and was not blown away. This one was a much better experience. The place is unexpectedly small. Please secure the table in advance if you decide to go.
- Award winning Ensaladia Rusa - indeed pretty good and award deserving. It fascinates me how the foreign dish, modified for their taste by the Russian Civil War fighters in Barcelona, has transformed, spread and blossomed all over the Spain - the homeland of Mayonnaise. I try to sample it whenever it is available. The quality of the American potato does not let reproduce the taste in US. So I am catching up in Spain (Actually recently I found the Food Bazaar in NY, former Fairway, sells very decent young potato, which could be used).
- Boquerones en vinagre - the only time we had them during this trip - fantastic
- Galician clams - good, but nothing special
- Fried boquerones - specialty of Malaga - do not forget to try!
- Mid-sized lenguado (dover sole?) - grilled and delicious
We have enjoyed everything. Very pleasant environment and service. Highly recommended.
One more Malaga dinner - Araboka. It was our second visit to the original location. The menu has not changed at all. Once again the irritating experience of the “on line menu only”.
- Tomato albahaca salad - nothing special
- Delicious lomo de esturion
- Tartar de salchichon - rather weird, but tasty plate
- Ensaladia Rusa - run of the mill.
- Toasted fideo with mayo and shrimp - the dish I am willing to come back again and again for
- Fried boquerones - good, but the other ones were better
- Chivo stew with membrillo/ mandarin - apparent specialty of Malaga. Not the winner.
The restaurant is good, but there are so many exciting choices in Malaga. We went there because I did not want to take any chances on new places. Wish we would have more time to try more restaurants.
We took a morning train to Madrid, where we managed to sample tortilla de patatas in Casa Dani for lunch. Very good as always. Everything is good in this place, but tortilla is a must. I always have morcilla there as well…The secret is to get there before the lunch rush.
The dinner was in La Catapa. It was my 4th time there. I do not follow Madrid food scene too closely, but learned from Maribel’s postings from the last year that the prominent food critic named it his favorite restaurant in Madrid. I have to second that. Most of the crowd prefers mesa alta and chatting with Miguel Angel (who speaks English), but I am a mesa baja guy. Get to use my Spanish with the waiter. He worked there forever. Just learned that he is actually from Vejer! Got to discuss all the dining scene of costa del luz.
- Ensaladia Rusa
- Croquetas
- Tortilla
- Bacalao tempura
- Orejas de cerdo
Every thing is good. No point to discuss. Take everything. Most of the dishes come in the 1/2 portion. I am ready to eat there every day.
My snack between the meal in Madrid was tortilla de patatas estilo Betanzos in Taverna Pedraza. I was walking along Calle Recoletos and realized that the 1 Repsole restaurant known for its tortilla de patatas and steaks, is right in front of me. I could not pass the opportunity. The tortilla in Betanzos style contains more eggs than potato and is liquid inside. Not bad, but for my taste Casa Dani does a better job.
During our trip I was the designated driver and hence did not indulge myself with alcohol a lot. When I was not driving I was self-entertaining with palo cortado, which is surprisingly scarce in USA. It is my favorite of the vinos generosos, with amontillado coming close second. As a group we shared a good number of the local bottles of wine which are so plentiful in Spain. Tesalia from near Cadiz made a good impression on me. When in Madrid I have a habit of finding a bottle of Licinia (which was first introduced to me in DiverXO 14 years ago before they had all the stars!). Highly recommend this local Madrid wine if you enjoy the full body ones.
Thank you for reading.
My next trip will be Guatemala. So far I am at loss what and where to eat there. Happy to hear any ideas.
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Hi dostrovs,
The online menu via that (annoying) QR code came about during the pandemic when restaurants were required to do away with all shareable paper items for sanitary reasons, and some restaurants (but not all) haven’t replaced the QR code with the original printed menus. Some find it easier to update that way. At times when I can’t get the QR code to load on my smartphone, the waiter brings me a printed menu.
Glad you finally made it to La Cosmopolita. It’s my favorite and most consistent Málaga restaurant.
On my last visit, we enjoyed their ensaladilla rusa as a tapa, then shrimp tartare with roasted bone marrow, the truffle omelet and the Payoyo cheesecake.
The Refectorium Malagueta is indeed the original and I´m happy that you enjoyed their ensaladilla rusa this time!
Yes, chivo is a speciality of Málaga and I had a nice canelón de chivo con portobellos y salsa béchamel at Matiz. They won an award for the best chivo recipe recently.
We go to Araboka for their selection of Andalusian wines because I want to learn more about them all. There are now 2, Araboka Centro & Araboka Plaza.
New and noteworthy on the Málaga food scene opened by the new generation of young chefs:
Cávala (which tigerjohn recommended to me),
Palodú (tasting menu only),
Beluga for lovely rice dishes (chef hails from Alicante),
Tragatá (sibling to the one in Ronda by Michelin-starred Benito Gómez of Bardal),
Base9 (haven’t tried)
Alita Solo (yet to try)
At La Catapa, whose owner, Miguel Ángel is my buddy (known him for almost 20 years), we too, like the other regulars, occupy the mesa alta at the front window, but those who sit in the dining room get to chat with Nico Fernández Trujillo, the sommelier (yes, from Vejer!). He actually came to the restaurant after the pandemic (female somm before) and is one of the city’s best, especially when it comes to sherries and champagnes. He has really upped the restaurant’s game with the wine list there.
I’m so glad that you enjoyed my favorite Retiro neo-taberna, now with a Repsol sun.
And yes, Carlos Maribona, the gastro critic of ABC has given La Catapa his highest rating, naming it the top barra for several years running.
BYW, here is his list from last year-
I agree with you about the tortilla—Taberna Pedraza’s is extremely runny, completely liquid inside, a bit too liquid-y for me but authentic Betanzos style as Carmen went to Betanzos to perfect this recipe before opening the Taberna. Casa Dani’s, for me, is just right, creamy but not runny.
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I meant to add the somm Nico’s brother used to own the now-closed Viña y Mar on Calle Nuestra Señora de la Oliva in Vejer and is also a wine expert.
That space has been taken over by La Vinográfica, a combo wine shop, book shop and wine and tapas bar with 200 wine labels on offer.
Yet another exciting dining spot in this food Mecca.
If you enjoy amontillados and palo cortados, this is the place to visit.
Here´s the wine list
Thanks for reporting back. Fully agree with walking around Malaga. We immediately canceled all attractions plans and just opted to stroll around the old town.
At La Cosmopolita, the Mollete de Atún was one of my favorite dishes of the entire trip (in fact I’m just wrapping up the list for the blog). A simple tuna sandwich but big on flavor. Loved the steak tartare as well. But the crab omelette didnt work for me at all.
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