Cafe Infanta- What a meal !!

I thought I would share with you a great meal I had the other night at 'Cafe Infanta'- I couldn't recommend this place more! 

For those of you who ever get the chance to go to Valencia, you should consider this little hide-out as a great place for dinner, as well as a casual drink before a night out! Authentic spanish ambiance, great food at a fabulous price and just an awesome location! Set in the old town 'Carmen', this little restaurant gives you delicious modern spanish food, with a simple menu of about 15 dishes to choose from. Each and everyone of them is made to perfection, and simply melt in your mouth.

The decor, in an antique style, is almost like a museum of curious objects, many of which relate to the world of classic spanish cinema during the 40's and 50's. This, along with the moody lighting and great spanish music playing lightly in the background, creates the inviting atmosphere in where you will wine and/or dine. In the more summery spanish evenings the outside terrace is open, which over looks plaza Tossal; one of the famous typical spanish plazas within old town Valencia. 

To get directions, here's a little picture from the trusty google maps.....

Plaza Tossal, 3 Valencia, 46001, Carmen

Whilst there, we enjoyed a variety of dishes; here's what we had:

Beef carpaccio, garnished with a garden salad, shitake mushrooms and truffle oil.

Warm autumn salad of grilled artichoke, mixed leaves, shitake mushrooms and bacon lardons (see picture)

Hoisin duck samosas (see picture)

Moussaka aubergine stack (see picture)

Black pudding with pear (see picture)

Crispy coated prawns with spicy dipping sauce

Patatas bravas (crispy potatoes garnished with bacon lardons, rocket, and a perfectly sunny-side up egg)

A bottle of house Rioja (Red wine)

Warm Autumn Salad

 Moussaka aubergine stack

Hoisin Duck Samosas

Black pudding with pear

Each plate is priced around 5 euros on average and although each of the portions are small, they are quite rich and leave you with what I call 'a happy belly'; feeling nicely full and satisfied. Our bill came to 15 euros per head, and for the quality of the food we were served, I would have paid a lot more! 

I think my favourite was either the warm autumn salad. Being an absolute veggie lover, I really enjoyed the combination of the artichokes and the shitake mushrooms- two ingredients I would never have thought of putting together! It was dressed in a what I can only describe as an 'expensive' olive oil, which only bought out the delicate flavours of the assorted mixed leaves.

In second place I think the beef carpaccio took the prize. The meaty flavour of the shitake mushrooms was enhanced by the mushroom flavoured truffle oil, both of which complimented the red-raw thinly sliced beef on our plate. The presentation was brilliant and every mouthful was just delicious.

My third favourite was the hoisin duck samosas. The balance of flavours between the pastry and the filling was great. The pastry was so light and crispy and didn't over power the accompanied the rich meaty flavour of the sweet duck filling. 

All of the plates were bursting with flavour in unique ways, but also complimented each other nicely.

So there you have it, 'Cafe Infanta'. Yum yum pigs bum.....