Back in February we took a short trip to Valencia; the city of paella, horchata and oranges. Anika and I had both been to Spain a number of times independently, having visited the more obvious touristy places such as Madrid and Barcelona. Valencia was a bit different, and definitely a place to visit if you want to avoid the crowds.
We both love Horchata, but we have always associated it with Mexican and South American cuisine, so it was a surprise to discover that it’s a speciality of Valencia (spelled Orxata there). However we soon realised how diverse the city is, for example the strong South American influence from Columbia, Ecuador and Bolivia.
Saturday: a family-run restaurant with traditional food in a fine-dining setting
After a short flight (and some confusion over metro tickets), we were in the city centre. Hungry but still pulling our suitcases, we stopped on a side street by La Lonja (the old silk exchange) where we saw a tapas restaurant starting to serve lunch. Normally we’d be wary of going to a random restaurant in a touristy area, however Valencia is a city that takes its gastronomy seriously, so we were welcomed by a very tasty series of tapas and our first taste of Agua de Valencia!
Agua de Valencia is a drink found everywhere in the city; restaurants, cafes, bars, and you can drink it for brunch or at 2am after a night out (or maybe that’s just us…) It’s a heady mixture of gin, vodka, cava and of course, juice from Valencian oranges. ‘Like a pimped-up mimosa,’ as Anika puts it. To top it off, we followed it up with some local beers.
Later that evening after settling into our Airbnb, we took a walk around the city and headed to an unassuming little family restaurant in a quiet street, Nou Chocomeli. From the outside you wouldn’t realise it was a restaurant, but inside it was a fine dining environment with only four or five tables, complete with a piano. The owner came out to greet us and talk through the dishes –– he and his wife do most of the cooking. For the starter he recommended Salmorejo, a thick tomatoey cold soup with croutons, garlic, ham and boiled eggs, originating in Córdoba. It was substantial, tasty and more wintry than a gazpacho. For the main, we had freshly caught fish cooked in butter with potatoes and salad –– simple but delicious.
Sunday: amazing brunch, Ruzafa, and the best patatas bravas we've ever had
After a lie-in the next morning we decided to check out Dulce de Leche, a highly rated patisserie and brunch spot. They boasted an array of decadent-looking cakes and pastries. We eventually settled on some coffee, fresh Valencian orange juice, poached eggs on sourdough with spinach and roasted tomatoes; and some French toast with whipped cream and red currants. All delicious, and the perfect way to set ourselves up for a long walk.
Next stop was Ruzafa, a hip neighbourhood with plenty of quirky street art (and it’s where we took our profile picture!)
In need of another coffee, we came across Bluebell Coffee Roasters, who take a scientific approach to their craft. We enjoyed our coffees in a quiet little secret garden at the back, and Anika had a tea made from coffee beans! If you’re visiting this neighbourhood, it’s well worth a visit.
That second cup of coffee gave us the boost we needed to get to the City of Arts and Sciences, where you could easily spend a couple of days. Even the outside is full of activities - we skipped over zorbing in favour of rowing.
Back in the centre that evening, we rewarded our day’s activities with the best Agua de Valencia in town, at the celebrated Cafe de le Horas. Then we went to Colmado LaLola, for a range of delicious tapas such as cheese and fish platters, bread with jam and black pudding and padron peppers, artichoke topped with ham and croquetas. However our absolute favourite was the patatas bravas, which were perfectly crispy cubes of potatoes that were fluffy on the inside, slightly hollowed out and filled with the most delicious aioli –– without a doubt the best patatas bravas we have ever had!
Monday: Central Market, the fisherman's district and picking an orange straight from the tree
Monday was our main day of sightseeing, as many of the main sights are closed on Sundays. We went up the bell tower of the Basilica de la Virgen to see a panoramic view of the city, followed by a visit to La Lonja (the old silk exchange) which has a perfumed courtyard garden filled with lemon and orange trees.
We then went to the central market, where the locals do their shopping for fresh ingredients. We managed to get a seat at the Central Bar by Ricard Camarena, a Michelin-starred chef. The food was humble, fresh and delicious –– we had some fresh anchovies with a passionfruit sauce and of course, their famous bocadillos. We got a couple of halves (about 3-4 euros each) and naturally, some more Agua de Valencia.
For dessert we tried the famous Horchata Santa Catalina for horchata, chocolate and churros, but we were disappointed by the horchata as it was far too sweet for our tastes.
After a bit more sightseeing we took a long walk to El Cabanyal (the fisherman’s district) which had a very different vibe from the rest of the city. The buildings are distinctive, with colourful facades and art nouveau architecture. Cabanyal Canyamelar is a cross between a pub and a fine dining restaurant, and the walls of the section we were sitting in were lined with vermouth barrels. At the bartender’s recommendation, we tried a couple of Spanish vermouths in highball glasses over ice, one of which made for a good aperitif and the other went well with our food. We had a range of small tapas, with the fresh fish and bread being notably good.
On our walk back to the city centre, Fleurie was delighted to pick an orange straight from the tree.
Before going back to our apartment we stopped for yet another Agua de Valencia at a cocktail bar at the end of our road.
Tuesday - fruit on the balcony, perfect paella and organic horchata (not too sweet!)
The next morning, before checking out of our Airbnb we enjoyed some of the fruit that we’d bought at the central market on the balcony, soaking up the last of the Valencian sun. Our final stop had to be for paella at the celebrated Casa Carmela, right on the seafront. The traditional Valencian paella was served in an enormous dish to maximise the crispiness of the rice on the bottom, and it was topped with rabbit, chicken, snails and vegetables. We polished it off with a bottle of Valencian wine. Perfect!
With a little time before our flight, we walked on the beach and had some organic horchata at Casa Orxata, which we deemed far better than Santa Catalina’s version as it was much less sweet and we could taste the nutty flavour.
We left Valencia truly impressed with the array of expertly prepared, fresh and local food and drink.
Here’s our top fives of the trip:
Best dish: patatas bravas at Colmado LaLola
Best Agua de Valencia: Cafe de las Horas
Best brunch: Dulce de Leche
Best horchata: Casa Orxata
Best dinner experience: Cabanyal Canyamelar
Stay salty af,
Anika and Fleurie