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Austin Bush

writer/photographer

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Went back to Bar Laurel to try an Andalusian fave: rabo de toro, braised oxtail. There was also garbanzos com langostinas, chickpeas w shrimp, and @chefjoseandres! He was w his fam, so I didn’t want to bug him, but I would like to say thanks to him for reminding me about what’s special about being American, for speaking out for immigrants, and for using food as a way to help people around the world — you’re a real inspiration. (But most importantly, he ordered the same dishes I did. 😎) 🇪🇸

That’s more like it. A half hour wait and I’m awarded w a greasy bag of deep-fried dough and a hot choc. 🇪🇸

On the left are coquettes of jamon Iberico. Like other croquettes I’ve eaten so far here, they were too crispy outside and undercooked — cold, actually — inside. On the right is menudo — Spanish tripe soup — in croquette form, and it was amazing. But I still think Portugal is winning the deep-fried tubular meat game. #croquettewars 🇪🇸 vs 🇵🇹

Is there anything better than a sherry bar? Inscrutable wines paired w salty bites. Look at that menu! It’s a thing of beauty. I need you here as drinking and eating buddies, @krisyenbamroong and @sarahstlifer!

Thanks to @tjdnewyork, I also tried hambuguesa de bacalao al queso, a salt cod “hamburger” in cheese sauce, a weird but v tasty dish, and more ice cold manzanilla. I need a nap now but I have to catch the bus back to Cádiz. 😩 🇪🇸

Next stop: Barbiana, where I ordered papas aliñas con melvas. It’s pretty much just taters, onions, tinned mackerel, salt, vinegar and a lot of olive oil, but it’s one of those dishes that gave me chills (I should mention that I really love potatoes, olive oil and mackerel): so simple and so delicious. And I also love how in Spain, as in Vietnam, you can just toss your used tissues on the floor. Thanks, @mattydyas, for the rec! 🇪🇸

Urged by online friends, I made a side trip to Salúcar de Barrameda, a town where the air literally smells like sherry. First stop was casa Balbino, where I had the shrimpiest tortitillas de camarones yet, a very tasty grilled pepper stuffed w tuna, and a glass of the house manzanilla. 🇪🇸

This is very, very rad: in Cádiz, at nights, the fresh market turns into a giant, open-air bar-slash-food court. There was wine, beer, vermouth, Basque food, Galician food, local food, Belgian food, an astonishing amount of babies, drunk people... Thailand, take note. 🇪🇸

OK, I expected this place to be touristy and cheesy, but it may have been my fave meal of the trip so far. There was chicharrones, a local thing of tender pork belly, sliced thinly and seemly doused w vinegar; and salmorejo, kind of a heartier gazpacho, which here was whipped and virtually creamy in texture, and garnished w a dollop of olive oil ice cream — goddamn amazing; and a beautiful dry sherry, which kinda linked it all together. They also serve a huge variety of cured meats, tinned seafood, and those homemade potato chips they do so well here in Spain and Portugal. I suspect I will be back. 🇪🇸

Can totally envision a life w more tortitillas de camarones, deep-fried shrimp fritters that are a speciality here in Cádiz. 🇪🇸

My first time messing w ortiguillas fritas, deep-fried sea anemone. Like a tiny ball of ocean, battered and deep-fried. Thanks, @tjdnewyork, for the heads up! 🇪🇸

LUNCH DESSERT: picatostes, basically the crispiest, richest French toast you’ve ever encountered. 🇪🇸

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December 22, 2011 in Food

Nan, Thailand

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