Al mercado, al mercado (To market, to market)

Whilst walking to Cafe Viena for a sandwich, we first encountered the amazement of La Boqueria, Barcelona's central food market. So it's only moments on that we find ourselves back to bask in the delights.

A quick stroll around the market turns into hours, as after 5 months of winter in Hokkaido, fresh fruits and vegetables are effecting us in so many positive ways. The colours, the smells, the vibrance & immediately the inspiration that comes from buckets of dried morel mushrooms;



bunches of wild asparagus sitting in little buckets of water, so wild and free it's as if they have their own personalities;



plump red tomatoes along with zebra striped heirlooms, citrus fruits & green leaves;



our minds and senses are overwhelmed ... trying to keep and store all of these sensations and informations for enjoyment down the line.

It's hard work I tell you ... so when we finally make it to the rear of the market and spot Barcentral, we know it's time for a drink. We start with 2 glasses of cava, Spain's version of sparkling wine. This one comes from the Penedès region in Catlonia, which is only 40km South West of where we are. It's refreshing and crisp, although the glass is small so is the price, so you just have to drink more of them ;p



Whilst we savour the cava, we point on top the counter and in no time have our settings graced with a plate of crispy fried artichokes;



and fried padron peppers. They both come with these incredible penny-sized flakes of salt, which are licked off our fingers as we devour them in no time.



This has only just wet our appetite, so we order a plate of Navaja's, or Razor Clams. They are thrown on a flat grill and splashed with wine & lemon juice. Once they open, they are placed on a plate with a generous splash of a garlic & parsley oil, a sprinkle of salt and a wedge of lemon. But thee flavour that stands out is simply the taste of the sea, lightly salty and oh-so fresh.



As we are sucking the little suckers out of the shell, we see a plate of pulpo (octopus) being plated up with precision. Of course we find room for 1 more plate. Slices of fried potatoes are scattered on the plate and then sprinkled with those giant flakes of salt, then a whole octopus leg is taken from the showcase and sliced into rounds which are then placed on the potato and completely cover the plate. A good sprinkling of paprika and a good glug of olive oil and here we have a very fine example of tasty octopus - so tender and not at all chewy.



It's our first day in Spain, and we both feel like we've slotted in just fine. Looking forward to the next 6 weeks of our adventures here.



Plaça de la Boqueria,
La Ramla 91
08001 - Barcelona, Barcelona
T: 93 318 2584

Barcentral
Stall 494-496
Row H
at the Carrer de Jerusalem entrance

Trattoria Giggetto, Rome

Many people travel the world to admire the architecture, natural wonders & differing cultures. While we definitely appreciate all of these things, when approached with a new destination, the first thing we're researching is where to eat, what are they famous for in that area, whether we should be drinking coffee or mojito's - or anything in between, and where & what the local's are eating.

Our first morning in Rome we do decide however to head over to the Colosseum. It's a gorgeous sunny day in Rome, and about 100,000 other people had the same idea as us. We buy our tickets and wander around the Colosseum and surrounds for a couple of hours. It's at exactly the same time Kim and both decide to bust away from the crowds and head down to the Jewish quarter for a long, lazy lunch. The place we are hunting out is Trattoria Giggetto.



We start with a litre carafe of Frascati Secco, a light and fruity dry Roman white wine.



A selection of fried appetizers were selected to start.



The first being the famous Carciofo alla Giudia - fried artichokes in the Jewish way. The artichokes are blossoming, each leave a golden colour. We tear the leaves out one-by-one, sucking the soft artichoke heart from the base before crunching the whole thing. We're off to a great start!



The next of our fried delights are fiore di zucchina rupiena - fried zucchini flowers filled with mozzarella and anchovies. The delicate flowers are contained in a light batter, and when punctured explode of a gooey mozzarella delicious mess. The anchovies are generously loaded throughout, giving a nice salty punch with each bite.



Suppli al telefono - rice balls with tomato and mozzarella, are the last little morsel on our fried plates. These little rice balls are called just that as when they are cracked open, the mozzarella strings like a telephone cord. Regardless, they are damn tasty!



Ligua di Vitella in salsa verde - ox tongue with salsa verde is triumphant !! The tongue is so soft, yet so full of flavor. It's like it's thinly sliced roast beef, and is doused in the most fresh and vibrant salsa verde I've ever tasted. A brilliant combination.



Our pasta choice for today is a Roman specialty, bucantini all'Amatriciana. Hollow spaghetti tubes are coated in a tomato, bacon & hot pepper sauce with Roman cheese. The pasta is cooked so well with the sauce coating every piece. The thing I love most though, is that it's just piled into the plate, leaving splotches all over the rim. But that's okay, beacause the way it tastes does all the talking necessary ...



Arbacchio arrosto - or hunk of roast lamb, is the last of our savory choices to hit the table. It is just that, a hunk of lamb. Cooked until the meat is falling from the bone, and with the fat crackling to a beautiful golden crust. There's a light ladle of sauce and a giant knife for hacking it up.



It's all been so good, it's hard for us not to take back the menu and order more .... but we know our afternoon ahead will be packed with food regardless.



We do manage to find room for some wild strawberries with milk gelato, and are oh-so-glad we did.



Via del Portico, 21/A
00186 Roma (RM)
Tel (+39) 06 6861105 Fax (+39) 06 6832106
info@giggetto.it www.giggetto.it