Los Cucalos - Menu del Dia and beyond

You probably wonder why if you are a reader of my blogs why 'menu del dia' features on a regular basis. Well, the reasons are these:

1. The kids are at school. So, peaceful lunches, with no indigestion, well not from the kids interruptions/bad behavior - anyway!
2. They offer good value for money. You barely need to eat again for the rest of the day!
3. The choice is immense. Every Spanish restaurant that I am aware of does a menu del dia. Although the food on offer is fairly similar. Catering to the local workers who enjoy good wholesome food. You can tell the better ones because they are full of local workers, mainly males working in the construction industry. The larger restaurants offer a separate areas for workers and tourists/locals/foreigners.

Anyway that is where Los Cucalos comes in. It's a very large Spanish restaurant with a conservatory area and a separate playground for the kids if they do come with you.
Lunch was: Starters Entremeses or lentil soup. Mains: Roast lamb, beef in sauce or Hake. We both had coldmeats/cheeses - Entremeses and Lamb. Lamb came with chips. There was the usual salad and bread and we also had alioli [garlic mayonnaise] - yum. Pudding [postre] was the usual offering rice pudding [arroz], a Spanish form of bread and butter pudding, ice cream [helado] followed by coffee. Half a bottle of vino each or solft drink, beer or water. All for 9 Euros.

This restaurant's normal menu in the evening and is very good if you have kids because they can go off a play in the playground. I can personally recommend any of the fish dishes, my favourite being sole in Almond sauce and also their meats are very good. Leg of lamb is only if you have a large appetite. The steaks are good and also the pork in mustard sauce.
Puddings are not bad. The best I think was banana crepes but only if you are still hungry. The paella was typical for the region which means it is cooked in quite a heavy stock. Personally, I prefer paellas not from this region, the lighter ones. But, each to their own!

Los Cucalos means Miner birds. Their is one in a cage in the entrance who occasionally squawks.

How to get there:
From La Zenia roundabout on the N332 go to towards Villa Martin. Go over the bridge which goes over the AP7 Motorway and at the mini roundabout go left [2nd exit]. Now go straight. The road forks and appears to turn into a dirt track. Take the track Los Cucalos is a building on it's own with a mural painted on the side wall.

Bon appetite!

"Your standard of living rises, but your standards drop!"

I once asked a British resident in the Costas "How would you sum up living in Spain?"

I was told "Your standard of living rises, but your standards drop!"

I pondered on the statement prior to moving to Spain, and I really never understood it until I had been here several months.

Living here is substantially cheaper than living in the UK. [30% - 40%]. Which means that it is possible to live on just one income meaning that living here means I can spend more time with my two children. Eating out and entertainment is far cheaper and there is a great choice. You can luxuriate in the time you now have, relax and learn to enjoy life.

On the minus side: standards on many levels are below par. A few examples that spring particularly to mind are:
Attitude to Service or rather lack of it. Service is a foreign word to the Spanish It is strained if you're lucky or more often non-existent. You get used to the Spanish shrug of shoulders, with the turning down of the mouth and the dismissive grunt. I really feel the Spanish need to take a leaf out of the Americans' book of attentive reliable service.
Broken promises by any tradesman/shops regarding delivery dates and times, and non-returned promised phone calls by the same are the norm. You will have to chase, chase, chase unless they need paying that is.
Do not expect anything to be done in one day.

You need to take a leaf out of the Spaniards' book: eat, drink and be merry and leave the worrying for manana!

Gran china Restaurant - Rioja

I can recommend the Gran China Restaurant in Rioja commercial centre. Rioja, for those who are not aware is between Los Dolses and Villamartin.

Tonight we went for their 'Menu del Dia'. Many Chinese restaurants offer similar menus for very few Euros. This is one that I particularly like.

Menu included:
Starter - Choice of:4 different soups,Spring roll, Fried won ton or Chinese salad.
Mains - One choice of:Chicken with almonds, hot sauce, sweet and sour or curry sauce. Fried chicken balls or roast chicken leg. Chop suey,Beef chop suey. Beef with bamboo and Chinese mushrooms. Beef with onion, or hot sauce. Omelet with ham. Fried spare ribs. Sweet and sour pork. Pork chop.
Choice of:3 rice delicious[ a bit like special fried rice], boiled rice, noodles or chips.
Choice of:Half a bottle wine, beer, soft drink, or water.
Choice of:Coffee, tea, ice cream or cream caramel.
All that for Euros 5.50

The Gran China is open from 12 lunchtime to midnight every day. Tel no. 966764345

Be careful on roundabouts!

No, I am not talking about "roundabout girls!"

I am referring to the standard of driving on roundabouts in this area?

What happens is this. You approach a roundabout which has two lanes. One would normally take the left hand lane if one were taking the third exit. However, what drivers do here is this they sit in a queue of traffic in the right hand lane. Then once on the roundabout they cruise around the outside lane all the way round to the third exit, using no indication, of course.

They look shocked at any car using the inside lane. Anyone who does use the inner lane does so at their peril! As they are likely to be cut up by the outside lane huggers.

I am surprised there are not more accidents on roundabouts, to add to the already high Spanish car accident statistics.

We could all sit in the right hand lanes and add to the already congested roads particularly the N332 with a roundbout at every mile. I'm sure this is a major contributory factor to the congestion.

Or, am I missing something? Is there a special rule in the Spanish Highway Code which states this is the way to go?

All I can say is that when many of these people took their driving tests Spain didn't have any roundabouts!

Money Top Tips

Here is some important information regarding some of the differences between English and Spanish banking systems.

Debit Cards
Did you know that that there are differences between the debit cards issued by Banks in Spain. Similarly to that of theUK the cards either operate on VISA or Mastercard systems. Visa issue the Electron card whilst Mastercard issues the Maestro card.

In Spain the Maestro card is for electronic use only. It has to be physically swiped, so therefore cannot be used for internet payments i.e booking flights. Internet payments are normally possible with the Electron card.


Cash Machines
There are three networks for withdrawing money from cash machines in Spain. They are Servired, Euro 6000 and Telebanco. Generally if you use a card in a dispenser from your own bank you will not pay any commission charges. If you use your card in a member Bank of the same network any commisssion charged will be minimal.

However, use you card ina different network and you will pay around 4% commission or more.

You have been warned!

Lo Pagan mineral lake

Today we went to the Lo Pagan mineral lake. It is a large lake separated from the Mar Menor sea by a long wooden jetty. The lake has mineral mud on it's bottom. It is famous for it's healing properties for skin complaints and arthritis.

Everyone wears normal swimming cozzies.

The water is fairly warm but as you get deeper the water at the bottom gets warmer from the minerals. Take handfuls of mud and slap it all over and then let it dry. Be warned it is quite smelly! Then, go back into the water and wash it all off. The result... soft skin. Initially my skin felt quite dry and tight but after a shower at home even the palms of my hands felt soft. It's free too!

How to get there:
Take the N332 or AP7 to San Pedro del Pinatar. Lo Pagan is sign posted from the roundabout on which is a boat. Follow the sign towards the sea and at the windmill you will see the long jetty and a sign 'Banos de Lodo'. On the left hand side of the jetty there are platforms with steps down into the water. This is where you should head for. On the right hand side you have the Mar Menor sea.

Pinch myself Day [Flamingos]

Today was one of those "pinch myself" days. Sometimes you just wake up in the morning and have to pinch yourself, just to make sure that you're not dreaming. It was a perfect day. The sun was shining, there was a warm breeze. Sitting out in the garden having breakfast. It was peaceful. [The kids were still asleep!] ......and then I spotted a Flamingo flying overhead. Wow! So, majestic and such an unusual sight. [for a Brit anyway].

Although this was not the first time I had seen one in flight. A couple of weeks ago a flock of about 20 flew over Cabo Roig one evening. They were squawking and making a hell of a racket as they flew over in formation. We all stopped in our tracks to stare skyward.

Fossilised Flamingo remains have been found which have dated back to 30 million years ago. Flamingos have been known to live for 44 years. They are generally a non-migratory bird and like to live in saline lakes. If you want to see them, then take a trip to the salt lakes near Santa Pola. Often you can see dozens of them from the N332.

'This is Spain' Exhibition

If you want something to do next weekend, then the place to be is the 'This is Spain exhibition'. It is the 15th exhibition and is aiming to be the biggest and best to date with over 150 companies participating in this home, garden and lifestyle exhibition. Companies taking part are expected to offer special offers during the show.

It takes place at Los Montesinos. No need to give you directions just head for Montesinos and follow the crowds. Over 10,000 people are expected to visit over the 3 day event. Friday 19th, Saturday 20th and Sunday21st, starting at 10am - 6pm and entrance is 1 Euro. There is a grand draw with a holiday for 2 as first prize and many other independent raffles organised by exhibitors at the show. TKO radio station will be broadcasting live.

The HELP charity of Torrevieja will have a stand and will be able to assist with all those questions all expats have from N.I.E. related questions to how to register with the Spanish health system.

Will I be there? Well actually no, I will be doing what a lot of you will associate with.
I will be dashing around the house with duster, mop and bucket.
The relatives are coming!

The Coastpath - La Zenia, Cala Capitan and La Goleta

Today hubby and I walked along the coastline between the La Zenia to La Goleta beaches. Whilst the actual beaches are unaffected. Work has commenced to widen and improve the coast path.

The pavement behind La Zenia beach has been dug up and is sectioned off. The rocky section of coast between La Zenia and Cala Capitan is also sectioned off with work ongoing. The pathway around Cabo Roig remains unaffected at the moment but once passed the Cabo Roig marina one of the pathways at the back of La Goleta beach is closed. It is possible to walk behind the beach as work is only ongoing on one level of the paths.

Further north at Punta Prima a lovely promenade has been created with lighting for those romantic evening walks. There are two bars/restaurants on the section of pathway. One is 'Nautilus', which is straight down towards the sea from the Punta Prima roundabout and the other 'Punta Prima restaurant' is further along if you walk along the path southwards. The restaurant backs onto the promenade and has both inside and outside dining and an outside terrace where you can just have a drink. It overlooks a small beach and has great views. They often have live music later in the evening. Very pleasant.

To the South once again a lighted promenade exists behind the bars, restaurants and apartments of Cabo Roig. I have heard that the plan is to join up all of these promenades which would be great, but quite a feat of structural engineering. I'll believe it when I see it.

'Menu del dia' Lunch

Today husband and I ventured once again to San Miguel. For those who do not know, San Miguel is a small town about 15 minutes drive inland from the coast. It's on a slight hill and is a quaint small typically Spanish town.

In the heart of the town is a restaurant called 'Meson el Prado", Address: Calle Lope de Vega. Tel 966 723 241. It was recommended to us and has been rated highly on other sites, so our expectations were high. Overall, it was very good.

Starters were various soups, Russian salad, or bean salad, mains were lightly battered sole, chicken wings cooked in a sauce or cheese and ham escalope. All mains came with chips and vegetables. With the meal comes a basket of bread and a salad. Desserts were a choice from their quite extensive dessert menu ranging from tiramisu to lemon tart, to the obligatory flan[egg custard].

The food was very good but we were slightly disappointed with the quality of the house plonk. You get half a bottle each which is included in the price. You may well think that for 8 Euros a head what do you expect, but we have come used to all house wine to be of a very high quality in other Spanish restaurants we have visited.

The restaurant itself is very spacious, very Spanish and also very clean. There is a large dining area split into smoking and non smoking and also an outside covered dining area with vines around the walls.

We will be back!

My First blog!

My first blog! A warm and sunny day. A quick visit to San Miguel market this morning to buy my favourite flowers - White perfumed lilies, and only €7 for a huge bunch. They'll last at least 10 days and will fill the house with an amazing fragrance. Good job my dad's not here. He won't let my poor mum have Lilies in the house. Associates them with death. Whilst I'm superstitious about some things that's one I choose not to adopt.
Got back home to find the council has attempted to kill the cockroaches that live in the drains. The road in front of the house has at least 2 or 3 hundred of the little buggers. Most lying on their backs kicking their legs. Husband spent the next hour or so monitoring their progress to ensure that none came close to the house. He has been around the house putting in all the plugs in the sinks and baths to ensure none invade us that way. He is currently patrolling and has just reported that the local Sparrows are now having a feast on dead poisoned roaches. So, if you have a home here which is unattended then I suggest you leave in all your plugs whilst you are away to prevent them invading. By the way, you will know if the council have done your area has they have sprayed fluorescent paint on the drainhole cover.