Ina Expresso
Walk around Torrevieja at 10 in the morning and you will see the typical Spanish breakfast. Tostadas with various toppings and cafe con leches. It is the way many people start the day and not bad at all. But one day we came upon this little gem on Calle Ramon Gallud that had something different. Our first visit was so good we went back 2 weeks later to try other dishes and so this blog will feature the desayunos from both of those experiences.
On both occasions the outside tables were full so we sat inside the cute little dining area just beyond the bakery counter.
The first thing I noticed on the menu was they had an XL size coffee. Coming from the United States I must admit I do miss my BIG coffees so that was the first thing I ordered.
The one and only time I have had an English Breakfast was in 2005 in France. Obviously it did not leave a grand impression and I have never liked baked beans. But, upon walking into the restaurant I saw an order delivered to another table, it looked good so after 17 years I decided to give it another try.
Was I glad I did! This is what makes this restaurant good, the ingredients and attention to detail. The eggs were perfectly cooked, not burned on the edges or runny on top, just perfect. The quality of the products (I will probably mention that a few times during this blog) were excellent. I loved everything about it, from the arugula on top to the crispy fried shallots or onions sprinkled over the entire dish. I have been conformed.
And then came Terri-Lynn’s dish. If I thought mine was good, I have to say I was jealous. The dish was simply called ‘Hash Brown’. Gofres de patata, Salmon Ahumado, Aguacate, Tomate Cherry, Queso Filadelfia topped with arugula and black and white sesame seeds. It was a simple dish that just worked. Actually I have been making something like this since I was in my young 20’s. A potato pancake with smoked salmon, either sour cream or cream cheese and caviar, so I understand the concept but this was a really nice presentation for breakfast. And again, the quality of the ingredients (I told you I would mention that again) really sets it above the standard fare. The cream cheese itself was whipped so it was light and fluffy. I had to steal a few bites when she wasn’t looking.
The restaurant is also well known for their cakes so we will need to come back and sample those another time. (Says Terri-Lynn)
And…… We’re back. This time it is for my Birthday breakfast.
We both wanted to try something different. I knew they had crepes on the menu and the pancakes looked amazing so here we go.
The really artsy looking pancakes were the ‘Frutas del Bosque’ but Terri-Lynn did not want all that fruit so she chose the Tortitas de Avena con Manzana, Nueces y Canela. Basically apple, walnut and cinnamon for all my english readers out there. They were very good albeit not quite as photogenic as the others.
But I came back for the crepes. Which one to choose? They had five options and so of course I chose the one that seemed the most unusal at least for breakfast. It was called the ‘Cesar’, Pavo Ahumado, Queso Parmesano, Lechuga, Chia, Tomate, Salsa Cesar. It was basically kind of a smoked turkey sandwhich with parmesean and cesar dressing. It was absolutely delicious and I found myself sharing half of it with Terri-Lynn because one, it was huge and filling and two, Terri-Lynn loves a good turkey sandwhich.
So there you go. I can honestly say this is currently our favorite breakfast place in Torrevieja.
