Some Like it Haute

with two hundred over pictures of spain.. here is the first of many installations you can expect.

tapa tapa.

when friends heard i was visiting spain, tapas was the first item on top of their recommendations (*cough* no mention of la sagrada familia?).. though the variety of tapas could prove to be mind-boggling to greenhorns, most bars and restaurants offer more or less the same items.. and if all esle fails, just point, SMILE and say 'tapas' or you might be charged for the entree version.

we maxed out our adventurous credit on this tapas trail road by tasting a variety of little grubs, looping in and out of the unknown and familar.

jamon serrano (smoked ham): the good folks at casa patas (where we watched the flamonco) served this as a complimentary dish. well, the ham was pretty dry and it didnt help that it was served on unbuttered baguette slices. having said that it is exemplary of spanish smoked ham, so i am glad i tried it.

boquerones (small fish in olive oil and vinegar): another complentary dish from casa, the slippery dish was tasty (thanks to the vinegar) and in my opinion, should have been served with the baguettes. haha

tortilla espanol (spanish omelette): confession time- within our first two days in madrid, yang and i tried three different types of sanish omelette.. wihtout having visited a single musuem. no prizes for guessing where our piorities lie. haha.. and with poatoes and eggs, this tapas dish is easy to love..

callos (beef tripe): we ordered this tapas and made a tributory toast it to our dad, a tripe lover.. though i am usually good with innards, the tripe was a tad too soft for my liking..

albondigas (meatballs): another agreeable tapas dish.. tip: grab a baguette.

carocoles (snails): yang had been desiring for this dish for a while but it was difficult to fit it into our 25euros a day budget until we reached barcelona.. reason being that we a magnificent buffet for lunch and this was all she was stomach for dinner.


aubergine baked with cheese and pork belly: this is one of the tapas that we didn't come across too often.. with its cheesy-mooshy texture, i say, order it!

pincho moruno (grilled pork skewers): under sharon's recommendations, this tapas was utterly platable.