After a whirlwind 36 hours in Seville we were looking for something a little more relaxed….
Fortunately for us a friend offered his place in Vejer de la Frontera – a perfect Andalucian whitewashed village on top of a hill near the coast, a short drive from Cadiz and with views to Morocco from the roof terrace (pictured above). We actually couldn’t ask for anything more.
And then we discovered the food.
A few things stand out as particularly incredible:
- Local tuna
- Retinto beef which is possible the most tender beef I have tasted (more about retinto here)
- Payoyo (a goats cheese)
- Pretty much any seafood
Our dinner in Vejer was one of the best I have had of late. Situated in the dip between the old town sits Marengo. The owners have managed to perfect that delicate balance of a modern restaurant yet in keeping with local ambiance in an old AnAndalusian house. The food matches, all locally made with locally sourced produce, included classic dishes served with a twist such as the squid ink croquettes, and balls of light payoyo with quince jelly. The reinto beef may not have needed a knife to cut it, it was that tender. Dinner for two, with a glass of wine each, came to an incredibly decent 75 euros.
Restaurant Castilleria was also highly recommended (and bookings need to be made in advance). I’ll just have to go back to try it out.
Breakfast can be had in the Mercado de Abastros, the old covered market, behind the Convento hotel in La Plazuela. Or on the edge of the Plaza de Espana, where there are plenty of cafe’s for coffee, juice and tostada. We opted for the latter before we hopped in the car in search of a little beach time before flying back to London.
Our search didn’t take long. We quickly found ourselves at Conil beach (pictured). Perhaps in summer this gets busy but we had beautiful day for a long walk, without too much company. It was heaven.
Feeling peckish we settled in at La Ola, right on the beach for a seafood feast: langoustinos (giant prawns), navajas (razor clams), berberechos (cockles) and a little tuna sashimi. Perfect end to a wonderful weekend in Andalusia.
Travel for Foodies 
Posted on October 23, 2014
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