Málaga - Pedregalejo

I wouldn't be a very good blogger if I didn't fill you in on all the details of how you can see what I'm seeing in my photos, so after a little research, here you go. This is El Mercadillo del Balneario, held on the third sunday of every month from ten to four. It's in Pedregalejo, a short bus ride from the city centre, right on the beach as you'll soon scroll down to see, so do as we did and spend some time there before an afternoon of sunning and swimming.

There's everything from clothing, jewellery and flower crowns, to cheeses, olive oil products and even paintings,

We bought a torrija there and ate it sitting on these rocks overlooking the open sea,

Afterwards we ambled down to the beach where there is a promenade full of restaurants which serve, among other things, pescadito frito, small fishes grilled on these barbecue boat things in the chiringuitos opposite, on the beach. Some are more advanced than others, using gas. Take a look at the two I photographed below,

We then had a late afternoon snack before hopping on the bus back to Ruth's to grab our bags and catch the AVE. I had the best burger, complete with spinach, bacon, avocado, goat's cheese, served with tortilla chips and wasabi mayonnaise. One happy bunny.

I would definitely recommend Málaga, Spain's sixth biggest city, to anyone visiting the south of Spain. There really is a lot to do, with the city centre, port and beach, as well as the possibility of trips to surrounding towns and villages. April was a good time to go, when the weather is nice and there's still ambiente (good atmosphere) without the high season crowds.

Oh what I would give to go back there now as I write this, sitting in the staff room at work. Sipping on a strawberry mojito. Summer couldn't come soon enough.

Málaga - Tapadaki

What I want to talk to you in this second post of the series is the restaurant Tapadaki. As the name hints, it serves a Spanish-Japanese fusion. I've told you countless times, fusion is my favourite, so this was right up my street.

The three of us hadn't made a reservation and it being a Saturday, we had to wait a while but we ordered some drinks and took a few snaps to fill the time. 

Also I'd like to state from the beginning that while I really like photography (the three cameras give me away), food photography really isn't my thing. However, I thought I would include the photos to give you an idea of what they look like. Though hopefully if you get to go, you'll realise I didn't do them justice.

The beauty of both tapas and sushi menus is that the dishes are only small and designed to be shared, so you can try lots without breaking the bank. Plus if you like something you can reorder. We do that a lot!

Ensalada de algas wakamecon sésamo y vinagreta de chili dulce.
We started with a seaweed salad. A personal favourite for something very light and very green to eat between bites of meat, fish or starchy rice.

I feel like this is a translation exam. Please forgive my attempts and as a note for the Spanish readers, feel free to contribute a better way translation by commenting. 

Nem de rabo de toro con espuma de patatas trufada.

This one here is a spring roll filled with tender oxtail meat (a Spanish delicacy) with a potato truffle foam.

Fideos tostados con langostinos salteados y ali oli de pears gratinados.

Toasted noodles with sautéed prawns and gratinéed pear alioli.

Tartar de pez mantequilla con aderezo de miso y mayonesa de wasabi.
Tartare made of Atlantic halibut (or so Wikipedia claims in its translation) and avocado with a miso dressing and wasabi mayonnaise.

Salmón con aguacate y cubierto de sésamo.
And from the Uramaki section, a salmon and avocado one, because you can't go wrong with that combo.

Even with a reorder of a couple of the things we really liked, it was still very reasonable and price is just one of many reasons why I would recommend that you go - and I'm not just saying that because they offered us a complimentary toffee vodka chupito (shot) at the end.

I just wish they would open one of these in Madrid. If you do know of any great fusion restaurants, feel free to recommend them to me. 

Wowee this post has made me hungry. Luckily I'm going to Lateral tonight!

Málaga - April No Showers

This post is the first of three on our second trip to Málaga, in April. While the next two posts will be focussed recommendations, this one will be more of a general look.

This is the Museo Carmen Thyssen, an art collection housed in a beautiful building with a courtyard in the centre where the sunlight floods in,

I am incredibly jealous of Ruth's DSLR for it's crisp photographs. One for the wish-list. I never look this good!

I particularly enjoyed having a look at the works by Spanish artists with Spanish themes, for example those that depict the Andalusian coastline or corridas de toros (bullfights).

It wouldn't be a blog post of mine if I didn't give food a mention. While we had colacao and tejeringos (a Malagueñan churros equivalent that's also served with chocolate) in December, this time we ate torrijas (a Spanish kind of french toast) in a terrace while we watched them set up the seats for Semana Santa the following week.

Going to Málaga? You must visit the ever famous El Pimpi. It's not like anywhere else, with the whitewashed walls, covered with foliage or photos of celebrities who have been. Being an old bodega you can see all of the barrels inside which are signed by yet more of the actors, dancers, designers, and politicians who have sampled their drinks. The thing to try here is vino dulce, Málaga's sweet wine.

I love this picture, which first featured on my Instagram, of the roadside florist we saw before hopping on a bus to the beach,

El sur

My Oxford friend Ruth is living down in Málaga at the moment for her year abroad so Maria and I thought at the end of 2013 we'd capitalise on the situation and take the high speed AVE down to visit. The AVE is somewhat pricey, but you're there in just over two hours which is very impressive for what would be a five in the car.

Our weekend involved eating, drinking, seeing the sites, and some more eating - you know, for good measure.

Julia Cupcakes were divine,

One of the highlights for me was the calamari with squid-ink alioli,

A tetería, which are these North African tea-rooms. Picture yourself with a cinnamon-sweetened coffee, mint tea or smoothie made with fruits and spices,

The city is walk-able yet there's still quite a lot to see, even in winter when the beach isn't as much of an option.

Here's my photo of the Roman Theatre's museum which reminds me of some sort of advertising poster,

A green-eyed cat just snoozing between the Teatro Romano and Alcazaba,

This place by the port, complete with Andalusian orange trees,

And the cathedral on street view mode,

We actually liked Málaga (and like Ruth) so much that we went back just before Easter and that trip will be the subject of my three posts.