El Pederniz
Where? El Pederniz (Valencia, Spain) Map Menu
When? Sunday May 21, 2017
Who? Me
Food Style? Tapas
It's my first night in Valencia and according to Google this restaurant is open. It is not, when I arrive at 7.45pm. The waitress tells me they open at 8.30pm, which isn't too far away, so I go for a walk and return.
The owner is happy to make recommendations and will even do half portions for me so I can try more things. I'm also sitting happily with a large glass of sangria, filled with those famous Valencian oranges. Life is so good right now.
Tapas #1
Croquettes
The croquettes are the first to arrive. There are four different types, each battered perfectly with soft, creamy fillings. The large one on the left surprises me; it's very smokey, but they're all delicious in their own way. These croquettes are highly rated on Trip Advisor and I can see why!
Tapas #2
Fresh King prawns in boiling oil with garlic and spicy peppers
They weren't kidding when they said boiling olive oil. It smells amazing though. I'm instructed to take a bit of the oil, half a pepper, some garlic and half a prawn and eat it with the bread for a fantastic flavour combination. I hope the pepper has kick - they're from the owner's garden! I assemble a bite and give it a go. Wow, it's good, the prawns are soft and tender, they've absorbed all the garlic, and he's right, the flavour combination is great. The pepper gives that much needed spice, which makes the garlic more prominent. I ignore the recommendation for half a pepper and go for a full one - I haven't had spicy food in a while. The owner notices and remarks I must love spicy food. If only he knew exactly how much.
Tapas #3
Morteruelo - partridge, quail, wild rabbit, chicken, acorn ham, foie breadcrumbs
The last one is the dish that I can't pronounce. It tastes like stewed meat, very gamey but flavoured beautifully. It's quite rich but perfect with the bread. The pine nuts give it a bit of crunchy texture. There's some leftover garlic oil on my plate, and I happily wipe the plate clean of the morteruelo and the oil. Yum!
Dessert
Manchego cheese flan
I can't pass up the house speciality dessert, Manchego cheese flan. It's much like the filling of a cheesecake, not smooth like a custard flan. The toffee sauce is really good though, and the dessert is quite filling. The only unfortunate thing is now my sangria tastes quite sterile. I know, what a disaster. I'll live.
Dessert Wine
Moscatel
To leave a sweet taste in my mouth, the owner gives me a shot of Valencian dessert wine. It tastes like lychees. A+ would eat here again. I am well and truly sloshed.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:13am on Saturday June 10, 2017 :: 0 comments :: 