Another alternative to a full
meal are the various Snacks or Platos Combinados available in the many
bars and cafeterias.
All are worth trying but worth a special mention are
Tiffany's and Belinda's in the European Shopping Centre in Moraira which offer an wide
range of different breakfasts, jacket potatoes, snacks and main meals.
Also at the European
Shopping Centre is Topper's Fish & Chips with the customary accompaniments such as mushy peas, roast
chicken, pies etc. They also have Curries and Kababs. This is a takeaway but
they also have to few tables, inside and out.
The International Bar
at San Jaime in Moraira is right in front of the large Pepe La Sal Supermarket (men who
"help" with the shopping take note!) and, although only of the Snack-bar
category, provides everything from a salad to a Sunday roast.
 Pizzas
and Pastas are available at several restaurants, notably Pizzeria Tigre
in Moraira Village (Plaza del la Iglesia) and the Gemisant Restaurant and
Pizzeria just outside Moraira on the Moraira/Calpe Road.
Oriental Cuisine is well represented
and there are Chinese Restaurants everywhere. The Pato Pekin in
Baladrar specialise in Peking Duck and there is a one that specialises in
Tai Food in Benitachell (Road to Cumbre del Sol).
If you are looking for a curry there is the
Royal India at the Cristal Mar Centre in Moraira Village on the
Moraira/Calpe Road.
Moraira - Local Gastronomy
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 Moraira
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 Moraira is a coastal town
with its own fishing fleet and a strong agricultural tradition. Consequently various
seafood dishes feature
in the local cuisine:-
PAELLA,
probably the best know, is a rice-based dish and comes is various forms -
Paella Mixta is the
most common and would contain meat (pork, rabbit, chicken etc) pieces of
white fish, squid, clams, prawns, crayfish plus strips of fresh pimiento
and beans - and of course garlic!
Paella de Mariscos
would be only seafood.
The ingredients will always
vary anyway, from place to place, according to availability and would
normally have to be booked in advance, unless you are prepared to wait for
an hour or more.
The classic paella is lightly
burned at last moment to produce a tasty layer stuck to the bottom of the
pan (Sucarrao)
- which is scraped out with spoons!
The paella is cooked in a round iron pan,
also called a "Paella".
FIDEUA is a short
pasta, cooked in seafood stock in a similar way to paella, with vegetables
and pieces of squid.
Other dishes with Rice
(Arroz) featuring in the local
gastronomy -
Arroz Abanda - again
with seafood.
Arroz al Forn -
baked rice.
Arroz con Fossols y Naps - with beans and turnips.
Arroz con Biedes- with chards.
Outstanding among the
range of fish and seafood dishes -
Sopa de Pescado/Marisco
- fish/shellfish soup or
stew.
Puchero de Pulpo - octopus stew.
Salmonetes -
grilled red mullet.
Parillada - fried mixed fish.
Pescadilla - similar
to whitebait, but larger, dipped in flour and deep fried.
Calamares a la Romana
-
rings of squid fried in batter.
 Mejillones al Vapor or
con Salsa - mussels ,
boiled or stewed in a sauce.
Gambas/Cigalas a la
Plancha - griddled prawns/crayfish.
Gambas al Ajillo prawns
sautéed
in garlic.
Langosta - lobster, cooked in
many different ways.
Lenguado Meuniere/a la
Plancha - Mediterranean sole fried in butter/griddled.
Emperador/Atun a la
Plancha - fresh griddled
swordfish/tunny
Sardinas/Boquerones
-
sardines/anchovies, usually deep fried.
Suc de rape - monkfish baked with potatoes
and vegetables.
Zarzuela - fish casserole.
Lubina a la Sal - tasty
sea-bass baked in salt. The salt forms a crust,
which seals in all the juices and breaks away with the skin.
 Lots of visitors, because they don't really understand, miss out on the best
because they stick to what they know. Perhaps, now that its been explained .
. . .
In Moraira Village Casa
Dorita (in front of the church) provide all of these dishes in very
comfortable surroundings.
Also specialising are El
Refugio (c/ Almacenes), La Sort and El Pescador and also most of the bars and restaurants in
Teulada; Mediterraneo y Avenida (Avenida del Mediterraneo),
La Brisa (c/ Calpe) etc.
Famous for years, established in 1941 and patronised by visitors from up
and down the coast Restaurante Baydal (Calpe Port) is well worth the
half-hour trip.
Other local specialities include COCAS - savoury cakes with a variety
of toppings (tomato, onion, anchovy etc) and the abundant variety of local
fruits are employed in the elaboration of desserts (almonds, raisins, figs
and nisperos).
The iced fruit juices are
extremely refreshing (LIMÓN, NARANJA, HORCHATA) - lemon, orange and
the milk from tiger-nuts!
 Quite apart from seafood,
there are 100's of establishments in the area offering everything
from "workman´s special" to 5-star restaurants and providing every sort of
cuisine - Spanish, French, Italian, Greek, German, Chinese, Indian - as well
as English!
All are worth a try but
several deserve special mention as being a little out of the ordinary:-
In Moraira Village,
LAS
PALMERAS (Placita de la Sort) where Peter is still entertaining
patrons and providing Rosie´s cooking after more than 20 years in the
area.
Nearby (Calle Almacenes)
there is a wonderful, cosy atmosphere hosted by Leonora and Juan Valles in
EL REFUGIO.
1.5 km. along the Calpe
road, located on the cliff edge with steps down to the beach is LA BONA
TAULA which specialises in fresh fish and Galician meats.
Towards Teulada, just past
the Barclaycentre is EL CASERIO, where Tony and Pauline provide a
range of international and local food which can be enjoyed both inside
outside on the large terraces. There is also a comfortable bar with drinks
at BAR prices!
Two excellent steakhouses
are CONNIES (who specialise in meats which are slowly cooked on hot
stones at your table) and the MONTE VIDEO at Benitachell.
Also run by the Refugio
Valles Family (Isabel and Juan) is the spacious
GEMISANT RESTAURANT and
PIZZERIA - international and local dishes in a friendly, lively
atmosphere with pizzas and pastas to eat there or take away.
Also provided and worth a try if you can manage to put it all away in the
middle of the day are the workman's lunches - 4 courses with wine and
coffee for under 15 Euros!
 Right next door to the
Gemisant and specialising in a range of very interesting international
dishes is THE OLIVE TREE.
Further afield and quite
close to Calpe, for an evening or whole day out, CLUB FUSTERA has
an excellent restaurant and bar around their swimming pool where there is
entertainment EVERY NIGHT during the summer season.
In the other direction,
close to Javea the ELEFANTE RESTAURANT provides "gourmet" cuisine
in the rustic setting of a beautiful old country house with surrounding
terraced gardens.
Most restaurants offer a
MENU DEL DIA (special daily menu) which is reasonably priced and
provides 3 courses with wine and bread for under 15 Euros. Care should be
taken however, when changing one dish for another, as the subsequent bill
might well be calculated on an "a la carte" basis.
Local residents often go to
the Gemisant Restaurant in Moraira or make the trip up to Teulada
Town just for the menu at the restaurants Mediterraneo y Avenida (Avenida del Mediterraneo),
La Brisa (c/ Calpe).
They
all provide a salad, starter, main course, desert, coffee, wine and bread
for around €12.00
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