El Cid Beach Bar, Mojacar Playa

28 Jul

Now that summer’s here there’s nothing we like better than cooling off by the beach, taking in the breeze, having a couple of drinks and watching the world go by.  There is a fantastic beach bar section on Mojacar Playa and it is a great place to go and kick back when we get the chance – hardly at all at the moment!!

One of the oldest beach bars around is El Cid founded in 1978 and still run by Californian couple Lloyd Dean and Tish and we like to go there for a change – somewhere that has a bit of “history” always feels good.

This chiringuito may not be the trendiest beach bar on the strip but it’s certainly one of the friendliest and is very popular with locals and visitors alike.  They all do a great trade at this time of year and standards are pretty high in all of them.  During late July and August, there seems plenty of business to go around and they come into their own later in the evening when the heat has gone out of the day and that wonderful cool sea breeze takes over.

They serve the usual fare of fish, meat and pasta dishes with a good selection of freshly made veggie meals and great salads served every day from lunchtime onwards until late.  El Cid is yet another relaxing place for us to chill out by the beautifulMediterranean Sea.

El Cid Beach bar, Mojcar telephone number 950 472 063

Bbme Beach Bar, Mojacar Playa

19 Jul

Ok, it is now seriously hot and all we want to do is go to the beach.  Unfortunately we can’t as my job is to look after lots of people who can!  However, on Sunday after running around, serving and clearing breakfast, tidying up, making sure the hounds were walked and happy we eventually went off at 2 p.m.to catch a few hours reading and swimming – it was so warm really the only place to be was by the sea as there is nearly always a breeze.

Mojacar beach is not the quietest beach around but we like it as there are many, many great beach bars here as regular readers of my blog will know and also only 20 minutes away.  One of our favourite bars is a serious chill-out place, bbme.  Ok, they have actual BEDS in the restaurant – it is just fantastic – you can have your lunch and then go and lie down and go to sleep or sip a cocktail and read.  I have been quite tempted on occasion to actually move in here for week’s holiday as they pretty much stay open all night anyway.

The food in all of these beach bars generally is pretty good, and they cater for more or less everyone.  Even if you are vegetarian they can normally make up a great big salad for you and leave out the tuna if you are really really vegetarian.  Order a lovely glass of ice cold Tinto Verano (summer wine) while you are waiting – it is a little like Sangria but I think it is nicer, and not so heady as ordinary wine.  Be careful though as it does not taste very alcoholic, but is still probably 4 or 5% so drivers beware.  During July and August, I recommend finding your place on the beach and then immediately going to book a table for lunch at 1.30 – Spanish people all eat at 2 pm and so if you get there a little beforehand, you won’t need to wait for tables of 20 Spaniards to order and be served.  If you don’t book, don’t expect to eat until 3.30 or 4 pm!

If you only make one trip to Mojacar beach, make sure you visit this one.

 

Go Karting in Garrucha

13 Jul

It occurred to me that I haven’t written much recently on things to do with the children that both adults and kids can enjoy.  During the summer, it has to be said, all they really want is pool, beach, water park and they are happy as anything.  Occasionally, though, it is fun to do something as a family before dinner, when it has cooled down a bit.  The great thing about Go-karting is that if you have a mixed range of ages in your family they can all have a go as they have tandem karts where the tiddlies can go with a parent.

Garrucha is on the way to Mojacar or Turre, both great places for dinner and so this is the perfect time to go.

In the height of the season (July and August) they are open from 11. a.m until 2 p.m.and then again from 5 p.m. until midnight (so you could have dinner and then go afterwards when it really is lovely and cool – and dark, but of course floodlit!). Check out more at the website, here.

If you are not keen to have a go yourself, you can have a drink and watch your party from the terrace.  They also have trampolines and a couple of pool tables for those waiting for people to finish racing.

It is open all year round but closes at 8 p.m. other than summer and Easter.

There are two tracks, one for older children and adults and a smaller track for tandem karts or children aged between 5 and 10 years.

Prices vary according to which kart you have, but under 10’s pay only 6 euros, tandems are 8 euros, disabled (kart with accelerator and brake on the steering wheel) 10 euros and then 10 and 15 euros respectively for  children over 12 years/adults for F-200 and children over 14/adults for the F-300.  All races last 8 minutes, which doesn’t sound a lot, but believe me it is quite long enough for anyone!

Go Karting Garrucha Telephone number is: 950 460 207

Chilled Spanish Gazpacho Soup

7 Jul

Where does the time go – it is a little while since I have blogged – but forgive me – I had a little holiday myself in the New Forest last week with some friends from Perth, Australia.  They have been here two years running and they invited us to join them at a beautiful cottage.  So now, back to the Cortijo for more visitors and lots more cooking!

It is sweltering and I was deciding on a starter for last nights guests and I thought “what could be better than Gazpacho”.  I adore it, and it never fails to amaze me how many people think they don’t like cold soup until they taste this.  Even better, if you are slimming and leave out the olive oil it contains NO calories at all!  It takes no cooking at all and no stock but you will need an electric blender – I don’t really see why you couldn’t use a juicer in place of the blender, and just crush in the garlic cloves afterwards.  You can make it the day before if you know you will be busy, or just literally make it in the late morning, chill it for an hour or so, and then serve with some ice cubes for a wonderful summer lunch.   For an extra kick for a dinner party put an egg cup full of vodka in at the end, though it really is not necessary, just fun!

You can also add a bit of Tabasco or chilli if you want to make it a little spicy.

For 4-6 people depending on portion size

700g very ripe tomatoes – just don’t bother with those horrible hard English salad tomatoes that they flog you in polystyrene packets – buy the best you can afford – vine ones would be truly gorgeous, but just good looking ripe ones will be fine.

10cm piece of cucumber, peeled and chopped

2 or 3 spring onions or you could even try red onion

2/3 cloves of garlic crushed

Half a red or green pepper

1 heaped tablespoon chopped fresh basil, marjoram or thyme – whatever you can get

4 tablespoons of olive oil (omit if you are watching you weight)

1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

275 ml still mineral water

Black pepper and sea salt

Nearly every recipe calls for you to skin the tomatoes – I never bother, it is too much trouble!  But if you can be bothered, then do so in boiling water for a few minutes and skin them.  Then roughly chop and place with the rest of the ingredients.  Blend in your machine until as smooth as possible (this is where skinning the tomatoes pays dividends but it will make absolutely no difference to the taste, only the consistency).  Then you can just stir in as much or little water as you like to thin it out, whatever you think but certainly no more than 275ml.

You can garnish with a little chopped onion, pepper, cucumber and hard boiled egg, all finely chopped.  Throw in a few croutons if you wish, but again, not really necessary.

Absolutely divine!

Lola’s Restaurant and Bar, Mojacar Playa

28 Jun

On Saturday Mick and I had a real day off – unless we leave the Cortijo, we do all kinds of worky things which we just can’t resist!  “Oh I will just do this or that for half an hour” but it never is – it always ends up being half the day or more!  So, I reminded him that ‘we’ had decided to go to the beach for the day.  All we had to do was pick one.  So we chose Mojacar as it is lovely and lively at this time of year, without being unbearable.  We have lots of favourites down there, and the great thing is that you can hire beds and umbrellas for a few euros each (I think it is 7 for 2 beds and a shade right on the water).

Mojacar beach is a mere 20 minute drive from here and it is truly gorgeous.  Seldom in other parts of Spain are you able to drive right along the coast adjacent to the beach without there being at least one line of property all along the front – well you can here and as you drive around the corner from Garrucha, there it is – the beautiful, turquoise Mediterranean and an expanse of sand which stretches for miles and miles.

To reach all the beach bars is around another 5 minute drive, past the little shopping centre and the Parador – and there are the beach bars – lots of them and all good. Mauiis a favourite but on Saturdays it gets incredibly busy in the late afternoon with lots of good looking kids taking a look at each other!  So we park up on the beach (how fabulous is that!) and then walk along the shore to Lola’s, the third or fourth one along.  They have comfy beds both on the beach, and yes, chillout beds in the restaurant itself if you want to lie down with a cocktail in full shade!  It is just fantastic fun and puts you in mind of a Californian beach restaurant, with its bleached driftwood style.

You can have a great lunch at most of the bars it has to be said – Mick and I were good and had salads and mineral water as I am on a bit of a bikini diet!!!  But there are lots of delicious things to choose from if you want a long, lingering lunch.  Be warned, in Spain it is advisable to turn up for lunch at 1.30 or 3.30 – the Spaniards descend at 2 p.m.pretty much on the dot, and you can wait a long time to be served and forever if you don’t have a reservation.  What Mick and I normally do, is arrive at the beach, pick our restaurant and reserve a table anyway.  That way there are no disappointments and if you are new to the area it is fun to mooch along the beach looking at menu’s and maybe stopping for a coffee or a beer before a bit of sunbathing.

No wonder this is my favourite time of year!

The Bee-eater

24 Jun

About this time of year, sometimes we are lucky enough to hear and see the   bee-eater bird and to watch them flying in and out of their “nests” which they make in sandy hillsides, or in our case, the side of the dry river bed near the cortijo.

 

They truly are beautiful birds and you will know one when you see one by their brown and yellow upper parts, but more by their wings which are bright greeny blue.   They can reach a length of 10–11 inches, including the two elongated central tail feathers.

 

It is strongly migratory bird, spending the winter in tropical Africa, India and Sri Lanka so they’re not here for very long and you really know summer has arrived when you first see one around May time.

 

They breed in open country in warmer climates. Just as the name suggests, bee-eaters eat bees, wasps and hornets which are caught in the air by missions from an open perch.

 

Before eating their catch, rather brilliantly the bee-eater removes the sting by repeatedly hitting the insect on a hard surface. Astonishingly, they can eat up to 250 bees daily.

 

Bee-eaters are gregarious creatures and nest together in sandy banks, usually in May & June. They make a relatively long tunnel in which they lay their eggs, around the beginning of June. Both the male and the female take care of the eggs, (like the hoopoe which we also see often here), which are brooded for about 3 weeks – you can see them swooping in and out of the holes along the dry river bed from our swimming pool and you can watch them for hours.

 

Then as swiftly as they arrive they seem to disappear at the end of summer but it is always exciting to see the first one when they return.

 

 

 

La Pequena Taberna Restaurant, Murica

21 Jun

I know I have blogged about Murcia before, but feel it is worth mentioning again and again.  When you live in the countryside/beach, you get a real kick out of going to a city where there are proper shops (I mean like Zara and Aldolfo Dominguez!) Murcia, though a bit further than, say,Almeria, is just a great day out and not just for shopping.  There are plenty of reasons to go – buildings, a river, yes with water in it (those of you who have been here will know what I mean), a new concert hall, and botanical gardens, not to mention the fabulous restaurants here.  One of which is La Pequena Taberno, situated in a small square called Plaza deSan Juan, near the Cathedral.

You know when you have arrived at the right square, as you will see several very classy, understated restaurants, with the most stunning displays of aubergines, tomatoes, kumquats and the like outside each one.  You can sit outside or actually at this time of year it is probably preferable to sit in the coolness of the interior.

The food is, well, classy Spanish – there are lots of different menus at different prices, with a huge range of fabulous Murcian dishes (and costing half that you would pay inLondon!) or you can have raciones (large portions of tapas) which are just as tasty and interesting.  There is something for everyone here, and if you are a fish eating vegetarian, you will also not be disappointed.  I urge you to try it, if only for a drink and rather than talk about the menu in too much detail, take a look at their website.

If you are visiting here on holiday and flying into Murcia, if you have an evening return flight, why not go via Murcia City for lunch (thus avoiding the 13 euro toll!) – you will need an hour to get to the airport of San Javier from there.

La Pequena Taberna Restaurant Telephone: 968 21 98 40

Miramar Restaurant, Bedar

15 Jun

Last night was our friends, Cal and Matt’s last night so we decided to take a little trip up into Bedar.  There are two very good reasons for going there.  The temperature is beautifully cool at night, it is quite high up and usually there is a very light breeze.  Secondly, the restaurant El Miramar (Mirror of the Sea) is just fantastic.  The menu is usual Spanish fare but it is the position and the view which are the main reasons for going there.  Mirror of the sea indeed – on one side of the terrace you are surrounded by mountain views – on the other, miles and miles of countryside, and then the sea.  It is simply gorgeous.

Last night was no exception – we had a table on the busy little terrace and drinks were brought immediately.  (Actually, you can just go for a drink if you wish).  The menu is consistently good with lots of choice.  It is pretty much grilled meat of fish for mains, done very, very well andCalsaid that he hadn’t had chips like this in years!  There are plenty of good starters as well – a few choices of soup (the traditional fish soup is delicious), gazpacho and soup of the day, salads, calamari etc.  It is good value too – expect to pay 25 euros for two courses with wine and coffee – we didn’t have any pud, but again there is plenty to choose from.

One has so much choice around us, that sometimes we forget about Bedar as a possibility – it is only 20 minutes away, and after last night it is definitely back on our top 10 list of restaurants.

 

 

 

 

Miramar Restaurant, Bedar telephone: 950 469 308

Roasted Red Onion Tart

14 Jun

Well, summer is definitely here – it is officially roasting and so any meals that I can prepare in the cool of the morning are great.  Of course, we will be doing mega barbeques on a regular basis, but sometimes, in the heat, even that feels like too much effort.

 

So, over a coffee I scour my magazines and recipe books (a regular request is for visitors to bring me a Sainsbury’s magazine!) for different things to make in advance.  This is one of Jamie Oliver’s and is just lovely with a big green salad and asparagus and you can start off by making the pastry case the day before to make it even more effortless.

 

For the Pastry

 

250 g plain flour

Half teaspoon of mustard powder

100 g cold butter cut up into cubes

1 large egg beaten

A sprig of rosemary or thyme

Splash of milk

Sea salt

 

For the filling

2 or three red onions

300 ml double cream

Olive oil

A few sprigs of time (or a pinch of dried)

3 large eggs

75 g Gruyere cheese

25 g pine nuts

50 g rindless goat’s cheese

 

For the pastry, put the flour, mustard, butter and a pinch of salt into a food processor and whiz up into breadcrumbs.  Add the egg, herb leaves and a little splash of milk and whiz again until combined.  Tip out and wrap in flour dusted cling film and put in the fridge for half an hour.

 

Pre-heat the oven to 190 c, fan 170, gas mark 5.

 

Roll out the pastry in a loose bottom flan tin 24 cm in diameter, 3 cm deep.

Prick all over, cover with clingfilm and put in the fridge or freezer for 30 mins.

You can leave it at that if you are cooking the next day or are pushed for time.

 

Cut up the onions into wedges, drizzle over with olive oil, a little sea salt and the thyme leaves.  Scrunch up a piece of baking parchment, run it under the tap to soak, straighten out and place over the onions.  This will stop your onions burning or colour too much.  Cook for 15 minutes.

 

Remove the pastry case from the oven, and line with a large piece of baking paper, fill with baking beans (or just dry ones) and bake for 10 minutes.  Then remove the paper and beans, reduce the oven to 180 c, 160 fan or gas 4.

 

Put the cream, eggs, gruyere and a pinch of salt and pepper in a boil and mix together.  Tip the onions into the pastry case and then pour over the cream mixture.  Scatter over the pine nuts and crumble over the goat’s cheese.  Toss a few thyme tips in olive oil and scatter over the tart.

 

Cook for 30-35 minutes or until just set (it will firm up even more when cooled, so don’t be tempted to overdo it!).  As said if you have a pasty case in the freezer it is a very simple and fairly quick supper, and will serve 6 at a push!  It definitely makes a change from meat or fish, and if there are only two or three of you, will stretch to lunch the following day – even better!

Villaricos

10 Jun

Last night was the most beautiful evening and so Mick and I decided to go for an “after work drink” down near the beach at Villaricos as we didn’t feel like spending more than 10 minutes in the car.  I have blogged about Villaricos before, we love Las Brisas, the chiringuito that I have reviewed already, but if you drive a little further along, there is a steep slope opposite El Mar la Mar (another of our favourites), and if you head down there, you will find a lovely little bay tucked away, next to a tiny marina (there is a much larger one further along).  This is a lovely quiet and unspoilt beach and at this time of year is sensational for the mere fact that it is empty – mostly unknown by tourists and not holiday time for locals.  You can wander down to where the few boats are moored and have a coffee, drink or lunch at the restaurant there.

We take a little walk and then head back up to El Mar la Mar for a drink.  We really love this place – we usually go for dinner here, but you can go for the most amazing menu del dia (menu of the day, every day I think except Tuesdays) – you can have 3 courses and wine for 12 euros – just fantastic value and a wonderful view of the sea, even though it is just across the road from the beach.

So next time you are down here, plan a morning relaxing on the beach and then if you are feeling like a lunch that is a bit more posh, but at just brilliant value,  then try El Mar la Mar.  I guarantee you will enjoy it.

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