Macarons? I'm not too sure ....

We were very excited spotting a traditional little sweets shop while walking around Zaragoza. Kim spotted some Macarons (well, at least we thought they were) in the display window. We popped on in thinking a tray of these would be perfect snacks for our bus ride to San Sebastian. After I got in trouble for touching something in one of the displays, oooops, we get a tray with 8 of these delightfully colored looking sweet treats.



We don't even make it onto the bus before we unwrapped the beautiful little package. We are sitting out the front of Zaragoza bus station and dive on in ........................ to both of our surprise they are not at all macarons. They are soft chocolate centres encased in beautifully painted candy shells.



Kind of like a giant smartie. They were delicious, just not at all what we were expecting ....

Los Victorinos

Los Victorinos is one of the most highly recommended tapas bars in Zaragoza. In the time it took to take a two minute walk around the block and back down the tiny lane way hiding this gem, waiting for it to open it opened and was half full with locals.



The heads of several bulls look down from the walls little brass plaques listing their names, fighters under each.



Every tapas looked delicious so we just picked the first four that were on the bar in front of us. These were whipped away and quickly heated before being presented for our appreciation.
Jamon with morels and foie is sweet and earthy.



Goats cheese slowly melted over more jamon with a sweet pepper relish.



Two types of cheese melted over pork crackling. Wtf ?? Seriously. Just too awesome.



A croquette? of mushrooms with foie.



After the success of our first choices we had to try another couple.
We return for another morel and foie combo.



As well as two types of porky goodness with a fried quails egg.



The whole bar was so much win we could have easily stayed the whole night through but there was so much of Zaragoza to see and such little time ...

Los Victorinos
Calle de José de la Hera, 6
Zaragoza

Tough job ....

Spotted at Zaragoza central markets, a super genki old Spanish dude just sitting on a little stool with boxes and boxes of little anchovies by his side. He was meticulously & methodically filleting these little guys. Such a small piece to work with, I'm certain he's probably been sitting there and doing that same process for most years of his life. A beautiful thing to stumble across - made each anchovy we ate through the rest of our travels in Spain taste that much better !!

Chocolateria La Fama, Zaragoza

Could this just be the perfect breakfast? Fried dough sprinkled with sugar dipped into thick, hot chocolate.



We wandered past La Fama on our first night in Zaragoza, and it was still full at 8pm ... So it seems churros and chocolate can be enjoyed anytime of day. We had our hearts set on wine & tapas though, so we return first thing the following morning. The little churerria is full to the brim, people buzzing in and out - a coffee sipped at the counter with a churro or two, or people lingering over mugs of hot chocolate and mountains of churros if they were lucky enough to get a perch by the bar.



Lucky we were that morning, getting the last available table in the window, right next to where all the magic was happening. 2 hot chocolates & a plate of churros are passed over the counter. Wow! The smell of rich chocolate and the glistening sugar on top of the fried dough sticks .... we dive straight in, dipping the crisp doughnut-like treat into the chocolate.



We savor each bite ... enjoying how decadent a breakfast like this is, but thinking why it should not be done every single morning?! Just as we see a giant wheel of the fatter porra style churro being piped into the hot oil. It's coiled into a giant fried snail of dough, and it lifted out with such care. We catch the eye of the lady behind the counter and she must see the excitement in our eyes ...



She snips off a few pieces of porra, dusts them with sugar, and hands them to us. She warns us they will be very very hot, and we know they are going to be very very good. The temptation is too much, and I figure the chocolate is now cooling down, so dip the porra in and, mmmmm The porra still has a crisp outer shell, but is lighter and fluffy on the inside.



If only we could start every day like this, the world would be a much happier place.



Chocolateria La Fama
Prudencio 25
Zaragoza, Spain 50003

La Cueva en Aragon and the single tapa ...

I've started to write and deleted this post a dozen times. Each time I couldn't express how amazed with La Cueva en Aragon. So here it is simple and to the point just like La Cueva. Tiny bar, one chef, one tapa. A hot plate full of grilled champigons, splashed with a garlicky herb oil. One order gets you four mushrooms and a single baby shrimp skewered a top slice of fresh baguette to catch the juices and oil. If you want something else you can have a beer with your order. The freshest products cooked simply are always a winner with us. We weren't the only one's who thought so, understandably La Cueva was packed to the doors every night and after the first night we were there every night as well.







The aftermath of a busy night.


La Cueva en Aragon
Calle Libertad, 16
Zaragoza, Spain 50003

Taberna Doña Casta, Zaragoza

€15 each and we were transported to another dimensi..., er I mean region of Spain. We took the bus from Barcelona Nord bus station to Zaragoza. The trip in total took just on 4 hours, which of course included a little road side stop for snacks and drinks along the way. We both had a bacon & roasted green chili bocadillo from the said road side stop that was cheap yet truly delicious.

We are both exhausted from the trip, so once we arrive to this beautiful Northern region of Spain, the first thing on the cards is siesta. We wake around 6pm and are ready for food. The kind young gentleman at our guesthouse starts talking to us ... nothing opens until 9pm to eat? What?? nothing? We head out to investigate.

We make it to the centre of town, turn the corner into the main square, and both gasp in awe. The sky is an electric blue, the sun slowly disappearing, and the San Pablo church is aglow.



We just gaze at this monstrous & beautiful structure before us, and before we know it 8pm has struck. We head off in search of food. Things are just starting to open up, lucky if you could find somewhere just to have a drink. We spot a little Taberna which has just opened it's doors. Within minutes the place is full. We squeeze on it, the counter full of tapas and people drinking, talking, lauging & eating.



There are sets scribbled all over the wall in chalk, involving bottles of wine and varieties of food. We take the 6 tapas with a bottle of Red Wine for €26 option. It's just a point or nod at the 6 things we would like from the counter. A few croquettas, some random deep fried things and some grilled bread with toppings.



Value for money local wine & tasty food combo. We're off to a good start in Zaragoza.

Taberna Doña Casta
Calle Estébanes, 6
(El Tubo)
Zaragoza, 50003 Spain