rias do miño
April 24th, 2012
I had lunch with some friends at Rias do Miño, a Galician restaurant
barceloneta beach
with a terrace overlooking Barceloneta beach. Once again this is a restaurant that does a very cheap lunchtime menu, including 3 courses, wine and a digestive.
sopa de pescado
I’d particularly wanted to come here again, having visited a few years ago. They do one of the best Sopa de Pescados, fish soups, that I’ve ever had, it’s quite thick and rich from all the fish that go into the stock and contains whole clams, langoustines and mussels. Today was no exception – we all ended up ordering it! See here for a good fish soup recipe.
pulpitos
As my main course I had Pulpitos, crispy baby octopus cooked on a griddle with fries and roasted green pepper.
pollo al horno
Matthew had some Pollo al Horno, oven cooked chicken with more fries and green pepper. It looked very good, as if it had been basted with a special sauce.
calamar a la plancha
Katie had Calamar a la Plancha, thick cut squid pieces, cooked on a griddle – I tried them and they were excellent, quite succulent and tender. Nookie had her fish soup as a main course – I’ve somehow forgotten what she has as a starter.
Everything was washed down with a bottle or two of rosado.
tarta de santiago
For pudding, all, or most of us had Tarta de Santiago, an almond cake, typical of Galician cuisine and decorated with the cross of St. James. It’s common to eat it with a glass of Pedro Ximenez (sweet sherry). If the sherry is poured over the top, it really brings out the flavour of the almonds.
hierbas
After coffee, the waiter typically plonks a bottle of home made liquor down onto the table and you help yourself. We had Hierbas (synonymous with Ibiza), a fortified wine containing herbs and plants, which is said to have curative powers.
After lunch we went and sat on the beach for half an hour…
Rias do Miño is at: C/ Almirante Cervera, 39, 08003, Barcelona
Mad Dog TV Dinners 
Another wonderful lunch. I was so impressed with the food in Galicia so this restaurant must be great. That yellow liqueur is dangerous – best pal Ria once over did it on it and suffered long and hard!
I completely agree – I like a couple of Galician restaurants in Barcelona and they really know how to cook! I don’t think I’d want to drink too much of the Hierbas, but a chupito after lunch is fine 😉
Fabulous food and I love the beach picture.
Thanks Roger – the view’s the icing on the cake 😉
What a great lunch, MD! I would thoroughly enjoy the fish soup … and the squid … and the octopus … and the chicken …
It was all great, but the very best thing is the fish soup, I could eat it every day!
All that wonderful food, and palm trees and sunshine as well! I love calamares a la plancha…well, all the dishes look wonderful, especially the Tarta de Santiago.
Thanks and the Santiago was particularly good, as it should be, since it comes from Galicia 😉
A gorgeous place to have a lovely lunch, and i was particularly interested in the liguor, i must do some research and see how they make it, with the herbs and things.. morning mad! c
Thanks Cecilia. I imagine the home made Hierbas base might be made with wine and a pressure cooker to distil it, much like home made Calvados in France. They take a rubber tube from the top of the pressure cooker and run it through a sink full of ice 😉