Sunday, May 17th, 2015
Hey, no getting lost this time!
After sleeping in a bit, I was up and ready to go (finally!) at 11:15 on Sunday morning, which is when I set off from my charming casa rural in Merza for the beachside town of O Grove. This time it really was just an hour and 30 minute drive, which left me a little time to sightsee on the Isla de la Toja (Illa da Toxa in Galego) before our lunch reservations at d’Berto Restaurant at 2:00 p.m.
Passing over the Camino de Santiago. This was part of the Via de la Plata – Sanabrés Route.
A beautiful drive through the hills near A Estrada, Galicia.
Mar a la vista! First sight of the ocean! Approaching Sanxenxo, then O Grove.
Beautiful ocean view from Isla la Toja (Illa da Toxa).
12th century Chapel of A Toxa, covered in scallop shells. Dedicated to St Caralampio and the Virgin Carmen.
I first heard of d’Berto Restaurante from José with Turismo Verde de Galicia (Turvegal), who had given me a list of the best restaurants in and around Pontevedra. Around that same time I was also following along with @Docsconz‘s incredible food and wine adventure with Gerry Dawes across Spain via Twitter, a trip that went through many parts of Spain before stopping in Galicia to enjoy the shellfish and wine. When Docsconz posted the recap of their dining experience at d’Berto on his blog (seriously, read his review here), I decided right then that I absolutely had to go there during this trip.
The only potential hiccup was that the restaurant takes an annual summer vacation for a couple of weeks at the end of May each year. Since José lives nearby the restaurant in O Grove, he was able to stop by to inquire in person about the exact dates that they would be closed. Once those dates were known I was able to plan my trip so that we could visit, even though it ended up being the very last day before their two week vacation.
Arriving at d’Berto Restaurante.
I arrived a few minutes before our 2:00 p.m. reservation, which gave me a chance to meet and chat with Berto himself. When José made the reservation, he mentioned that I was coming to Galicia from Arizona. My accent when speaking Spanish gave me away immediately as the visitor from abroad, so we chatted for a moment about my trip and his previous travels to the U.S. It’s always so nice when dining out to be greeted so warmly, it really sets the mood perfectly to enjoy the fabulous meal. He explained was that since it was the day before they closed (they were off to Istanbul for two weeks), they didn’t have the normal amount of seafood options available. What they had was still, obviously, the best quality, but just limited in quantity. He offered that rather than having us order from the menu, they would do a tasting menu for us of small plates of this and that. If we wanted more of something, we just had to ask, otherwise the next thing would come. It sounded perfect to me. He then invited me to enjoy a glass of albariño (local white wine) while I waited for my companions to arrive.
With Berto of d’Berto Restaurante. So welcoming! I felt right at home!
A nice glass of Albariño to start off.
Montse and José, my delightful and entertaining dining companions.
When José and his lovely wife, Montse, arrived, our feast began at just a few minutes past two o’clock. The kitchen is run by Berto’s sister, Marisol, and restaurant prides itself on obtaining the best shellfish from the local waters. One thing that our waiter was very clear about from the onset is that they cook their shellfish a su punto, which is “just cooked” (meaning just barely cooked). He at one point joked that they are “half Japanese” in the kitchen because some consider the “a su punto” to be a bit raw (like sushi). He offered that if we found that to be the case at all, we only needed to mention it and they could cook whatever a bit more. That wasn’t necessary and we found that everything was just perfectly done. This is truly a case of taking excellent products, freshly sourced, and serving them in the most minimalist way to let the quality of the seafood shine. And shine it did!
Albariño wine from the area, naturally, pairs perfectly with the local shellfish.
Mejillones con pescado en escabeche con verduras. +Mussels with fish in a vinegar sauce with vegetables. A tangy cold starter to begin the meal.
Galician bread! A few different types (including one with raisins) to accompany the variety of dishes to come.
Empanada de marisco y pescado (shellfish and fish empanada). The seafood empanadas in Galicia are just incredible, and this one was no exception.
Ostras fritas. 3 oysters, one for each of us, just barely fried. We were given the option of having raw or fried oysters. They assured us that the fried would be just barely kissed by the hot oil – and that’s exactly how they came. Tender, flavorful and delicious.
Camarones fritos. Whole fried shrimp. These were tiny, but SO packed with flavor. I tore the heads and tails off to enjoy just the morsel of meat, but others at the table (I’m not naming any names, José) ate them whole.
Photo just to show the scale of these tiny, flavorful shrimp. My dining companions also insisted, strenuously, that I always had the last bite of whatever it was we were eating. They called it the “vergüenza galega” (Galician embarrassment), a custom that the guest should always have the last of what was offered on the plate. That was all well and good, and I certainly appreciated the hospitality, but by the end of the meal I was so full!
Cockels – Berberechos. Now we are talking. THIS is what d’Berto is known for – pristine shellfish, cooked simply, and just so. These were delicious.
Razor Clams – Navajas. Just when I came down from swooning over the cockels, these hit the table. They had a slight smokiness to them from the grill. Extremely tender and oh, so flavorful. Just perfect!
Clams – Almejas. These could not have been better. At first I thought these would be very similar to the cockels, but they were perhaps even better, with that bit of their own broth and oil at the bottom of the plate. Now is when we were very glad to have the basket of bread!
Cigalas – Langoustine. Oh my! This is where my mother-in-law falls off of her chair reading this! These Langoustines! So sweet and rich, with that smokiness from the plancha. We cracked open the legs and got every little bit of meat. A chuparse los dedos! (Finger licking good!)
Tools of the trade.
Bogavante Frita – Fried Lobster. Large chunks of lobster, with roe still attached. Just incredible. So delicious!
Dessert assortment – fresh fruit, tarta de queso (cheesecake), and requesón con miel (local fresh cheese – like a ricotta – drizzled with honey). Coffee was served as well, but I was at my maximum. These tiny desserts were perfectly sized after our shellfish feast!
It was about 4:50 p.m. by the time we finished with our incredible marathon lunch. Montse had a girl’s spa afternoon to get to with their eldest daughter, and I had a soccer match to get to back in the city of A Coruña – an hour and forty minute drive away – for a 7 p.m. kickoff. And I didn’t have a ticket yet! We said our goodbyes to the lovely staff at d’Berto, I said my goodbyes (for now) to José and Montse and off I went back to Coruña with high hopes of getting a ticket to see the last home game of the season.
d’Berto Restaurante
Avenida Teniente Domínguez, 84, O Grove, Galicia, Spain
+34 986 773 447
www.dberto.com
My Life On Vacation Everyday 
[…] On this visit, it was a busy Sunday lunchtime crowd (around 2 in the afternoon), compared to our previous visit just a few months earlier in May of 2015. Since that meal was so wonderful, I basically wanted to repeat it so my husband could experience […]