Spanish cuisine in the old city brings warm greetings from the Mediterranean
2022-06-21 17:10:46Source: Xi’an News Network
From the famous seafood rice to the thin Iberian ham, finding Spanish delicacies in the ancient city of Xi’an is an interesting and contrasting thing. Sometimes it is the protagonist of the star-rated hotel theme restaurant, and sometimes it hides in a low-key restaurant in an old-fashioned community, interpreting the wonderful charm of “the fragrance of wine is not afraid of deep alleys”.
Encounter Spanish food by the Qujiang Pool
In 2014, with the opening of the Spanish brand Hotel Sanmelia in Xi’an, DÚO Spanish-themed restaurant also settled by the Qujiang Pool, becoming the first orthodox Spanish-themed restaurant in Xi’an, sending warm greetings from the Mediterranean to diners in the ancient city.
The water curtain flowing outside the huge glass window of the restaurant looks particularly cool in summer. Not far away is the Furong Xintiandi Music Fountain, the water dance performance in the night, the interweaving of music and the flashing neon lights, people who dine can easily enjoy the double enjoyment of delicious food and beautiful scenery.
There are many Spanish elements in the restaurant, reminding diners that a warm and romantic Spanish food journey is about to begin. As soon as you enter the door, the stage is dazzling: the folding fans held by the flamenco dancers, the bottle racks shaped by the dancers, the props used by the bullfighters… Spanish bullfighting is a thrilling and unique form of rodeo. Lamingo dance is a very infectious dance. As symbols of Spanish culture, the two express the boldness of Spanish thought and character, which not only attracts the attention of customers, but also lights up the theme of the restaurant.
With its standard and strength, DÚO Spanish-themed restaurant has won the “Restaurants from Spain Spanish Restaurant Certification Program” this year, which is hosted and initiated by the Spanish Agency for the Development and Investment of Foreign Trade (ICEX) and its brand Foods & Wines from Spain. Supports and recognizes high-quality Spanish restaurants around the world, making them global ambassadors for authentic Spanish cuisine. At present, less than ten restaurants in China have won this honor, and Xi’an is the only one.
Seafood Risotto with Sliced Ham into Signature
The chef of the restaurant, Chen Shaoyi, introduced that there are many kinds of Spanish cuisine, with extremely rich ingredients and various cooking methods, including Spanish seafood risotto, Iberian ham, roast suckling pig, potato omelette, golden ball of cuttlefish sauce, cold tomato soup, etc. Many star products.
Seafood risotto is the king of Spanish cuisine and is the most classic national food. A frying pan marvels at the encounter of seafood and rice, creating the hot and spicy style of the matador kingdom. The seafood risotto is made of Argentine red shrimp, mussels, clams and other seafood ingredients, with lemon to enhance the flavor, and it has almost become a must-have sign on the table. It is worth mentioning that the pure Spanish paella tastes like raw rice, and the restaurant will make appropriate improvements for customers on the basis of maintaining the original taste. Similar to the “dark food” cuttlefish sauce risotto. The rice with the blessing of cuttlefish juice looks black and black, but it is full of fragrance and makes people want to stop.
In Spain, Iberian ham is a national treasure, and ham cutting has become an art, and there are ham cutters who take it as a profession. The quality of the ham in the restaurant can be seen by the naked eye. After the chef’s meticulous slicing craftsmanship, the ham on the plate is as thin as a cicada’s wings, and the slices are transparent, achieving the perfect fusion of taste and food culture.
Internet celebrity restaurant hidden in the old streets
Compared with DÚO Spanish-themed restaurant, the Flamenco Tapas Bar hidden in an old-fashioned neighborhood between Telford Lane and Chejia Lane is very low-key.
Restaurant operators Yan Xiaoting and Wang Xiaoqi are college classmates who have both studied in Spain and have been obsessed with Spanish food culture for many years, so they started this restaurant.
The road leading to the restaurant is winding and winding, and it feels like a winding path leading to a secluded place. The restaurant and bar was transformed from the semi-basement of a building. There is no eye-catching door. There is only a small sign with the store name on the wall, which reflects a kind of confidence in a low-key manner. Going down the stairs, the Spanish wine bottles placed on both sides guide customers into the store.
The interior of the store is unique. The walls are boldly coloured. Bright yellow, dark green and dark red are used in a large area on the wall. The relatively independent dining spaces are in Spanish cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Granada and Xi’an sister city Valencia. name. On the walls and tables, there are many photos taken by Yan Xiaoting and Wang Xiaoqi when they were studying abroad and the figurines they brought back.
In addition to the famous paella and ham, tapas (tapas on a plate) and various fruit wines are the soul food of the restaurant. “Because the interval between three meals in Spain is long, there is a fixed refreshment time between the two meals. People eat and drink, and they eat a variety of snacks with drinks, such as fried fish, meatballs, chicken skewers, potato quiches, and special bread slices. Wait, it represents the comfortable slow life of the Spaniards.” Wang Xiaoqi said. The exquisite food and unique shooting scenes of the restaurant and bar have attracted many netizens to check in. The owner’s Spanish-speaking background also unexpectedly makes the restaurant a well-known “Spanish corner” in the circle. People who study or work in Spanish often gather here to taste delicious food and exchange culture.
Text / Xue Wentu, reporter of Xi’an Newspaper All-media / Shang Hongtao, reporter of Xi’an Newspaper All-media
