Arallo Taberna – A Coruña, Galicia

Date of visit: Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Arallo (red dot) just a short distance from Alborada (green dot) in the old part of A Coruña.

Arallo Taberna opened in early August 2016 by the same group that operates Alborada Restaurant in A Coruña, led by Chef Iván Domínguez. Since we had such a wonderful experience dining at Alborada in June of this year, I was really looking forward to visiting Arallo during the next visit to Galicia. By late September I was back in A Coruña with plans to meet up with my friends from Turismo Verde de Galicia on the evening of my arrival. We made Arallo our first stop!

Arallo Taberna is a very casual concept featuring an open kitchen (still a bit of a rarity in Galicia) with just one very long high table with seating for about 25 people and large open windows to accommodate patrons both inside and those spilling out onto Plaza María Pita, A Coruña’s largest and grandest square. The jovial atmosphere is relaxed, so much so that guests are not only invited, but encouraged, to eat with their hands. For those who wish to use utensils, chopsticks and disposable cutlery are provided in communal containers. When the long table is full, you take a number (meat counter style) and wait your turn to be seated. We were lucky enough to be seated right away given that there were a few open seats available on that Tuesday evening.

The restaurant calls itself a cocina contaminada (contaminated kitchen). There are even vintage gas masks hung up for decoration. They don’t mean that anything toxic is actually being cooked up in the kitchen, but rather that their dishes made with excellent Galician ingredients are ‘contaminated’ with other cultures’ influences, specifically Asian, resulting in a very tasty fusion. Following that theme, the ordering is completed sushi restaurant style by making hash marks on the pre-printed menu sheet. We selected one item from each of the five sections of the menu.

Arallo menu – completed sushi restaurant style.

From the Frio (Cold) portion of the menu:
Un rollo este bonito picado.
Chopped marinated tuna and mackerel.  A dish as beautiful as it was delicious!
Utensil used: Chopsticks

From the Vapor (Steamed) portion of the menu: Siomay de congrio en caldeirada.
Steamed Indonesian style dumplings, made with local conger fish, decorated with peanuts and green onion and served with a savory peanut dipping sauce.
Utensil used: Hands

From the Brasa (Grilled) portion of the menu: Ventresca de jurel con pimientos del Couto.
Mackerel belly with roasted Galician Couto peppers and a Hebrón pepper sauce. This hearty portion of fish had a nice char on the edges but remained perfectly cooked throughout.
Utensil used: Chopsticks

From the Fritura (Fried) portion of the menu:  Croqueta nigiri de merluza salpresa.
Yes, these are the same fantastic green salsa croquetas topped with marinated hake nigiri that had been on my mind for months, ever since we first had them at Michelin starred Alborada earlier in the year.
Utensil used: Hands

From the Guiso (Stewed) portion of the menu: Curry de Choupas.
Galician squid in a slightly spicy Thai style curry stew, with a bowl of rice on the side.
Utensil used: Spoon

Cocktails on the table and Estrella Galicia beer on tap in the background.

Arallo doesn’t have a dessert menu, but there are cocktails, which I find perfectly suitable in lieu of dessert to close the meal. The gin con vermút (gin with vermouth) was simple and delicious and the frutas de pasión con licor café (passion fruit with Galician coffee liquor) was a little more complex and refreshingly delicious.

Chef Iván Domínguez wasn’t in the kitchen the evening we were there (he was actually in Madrid working on the opening of the group’s newest restaurant), but we thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Executive Chef Cristian Santiago Breijo (pictured above in the hat). He was a delight to talk with as we discussed his hometown, the opening of the restaurant, and all of the food and cocktail options over our first round of drinks.

All of the local celebrities hang out here! Deportivo La Coruña fútbol (soccer) star Manuel Pablo (center) joins MyLifeOnVacation (left) and José from Turvegal (right) for a photo. Just to clarify, Manuel Pablo is the celebrity. 9-)

Arallo Taberna is one of the hottest spots in A Coruña with a great location, inventive cuisine, creative cocktails, and a fun, casual, extremely welcoming environment. The militancia atlántica keeps marching forward … the group that opened Arallo in August has also just inaugurated Ánima, in the capital city of Madrid, in September.

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Arallo Taberna (map)
Plaza de María Pita, 3, A Coruña, Spain

Email: hola@arallotaberna.com
Website: www.arallotaberna.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/arallotaberna
Instagram: www.instagram.com/arallotaberna

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Deportivo La Coruña! – Sunday Afternoon Match(es)

Sunday, May 17, 2015

With our wonderful meal at d’Berto restaurant in O Grove now completed, it was time for me to hit the road to Coruña in the hopes of getting a ticket to the Deportivo La Coruña soccer match – fútbol!  At 4:50 p.m. I left O Grove in a big hurry to get there before the 7:00 kickoff … and promptly took a wrong turn!  Once I got turned around and going the right way, I went to pull onto the main road … right when José and Montse were passing by in their car.  José gave me a full eye roll with maybe even a shake of the head as if to say “oh dear, you’re never going to make it”.

One of the main topics of conversation during lunch was discussing whether I should even bother trying to get to Coruña since José had heard that the match was, or would be, sold out.  There had been a big promotion all week on social media to fill Riazor stadium to capacity (34,600+ people), utilizing the hashtag #33000deRiazor.  There were only two matches left in the season (this was the last home game) and without a win in this game, they were facing relegation down to the second division. It was a very important game!  I just kept explaining that I had to go since I had been following along with this team through the entire season (which started shortly after I returned from my first Camino, on the Camino Inglés, located in the province of Coruña).  I couldn’t even fathom being this close to the match and not being there. Even if I couldn’t get a ticket I at least wanted to be in the city just in case they won … which was a real long shot!

Leaving O Grove.   Will I make the match?

It was a quick trip to Coruña and pulled into my parking spot at 6:15 p.m. It worked out nicely that the taxi driver I had on Friday evening pointed out the parking garage entrance, conveniently located right off of the main road that enters the city. I quickly changed into my new Dépor t-shirt (in the car) then hustled upstairs to the hotel to make sure they knew I was in the parking garage and would be checking in after the match.

Parking! Pro Tip: take a photo of where you park!

While I certainly don’t run, there was quite the pep in my step as I walked what was nearly a mile to the stadium along with the crowd heading in the same direction. Approaching the ticket window, I saw it was open and people were lined up. Hooray, I was going to get a ticket!

A quick jaunt from the hotel to the stadium.

 

Dépor swag!

As luck would have it, I was able to purchase a ticket from a nice, normal looking group of people who has an extra ticket from a season ticket holder for only €10 (the price would have been €35 at the ticket window). It was just minutes before the start so off I went with one of the guys to find our seats. His name was Brais (pronounced like “Bryce”, but with a Spanish rolled “r”), which I learned was a ‘muy gallego’ name. (I have a cousin named Bryce in Iowa, so this came as a surprise to me.)

Super nice guys. Brais in plaid. Yes, my eyes are closed, but we were capturing a moment. No time for retakes!

The seats were pretty high up, but had a great view of the home goal box for the first half (HELLO, Fabricio!), and enjoyed the excitement of the Riazor Blues cheering section right below us. Brias ended up leaving shortly after the start to go sit with his friends who had empty seats next to them, but I didn’t mind since the match was such a blast; really a great time.

Fabricio! (in yellow)

Cheering on a goal!

The Riazor Blues cheering, chanting, singing … so exciting!

And wouldn’t you know… Deportivo La Coruña ended up WINNING the match against Levante – by a score of 2-0. The following week, in the final match of the season, they tied Barcelona and remained in the first division of the Spanish fútbol league! Forza Dépor!!

Final score: 2-0

Sunday, October 18, 2015
Let’s fast forward to this October now, when I returned to Galicia for a quick 10 day visit. More on the details of that whole trip to come, but I just wanted to mention that I went to another Dépor match in October. Our return flight home was timed perfectly so that we were in Coruña on Sunday evening before flying home on Monday morning. This time, again, I was coming into Coruña from out of town (from Santiago de Compostela) and arrived JUST in time to grab a ticket and find my seat right as kickoff was happening.

This time I did end up buying my ticket for full price from the ticket window, as the only guy I saw selling secondhand tickets seemed kind of, um, sketchy (and that’s about as nicely as I can put it). Since I was purchasing at the last minute, there were only the most expensive tickets left, but they ended up being very close to the field.

Great seats!

Proudly sporting my team swag again!

At halftime, lots of folks take out large sandwiches to snack on. Sunflower seeds are also a very popular snack.

Lucas!!!

Final score on the new big screen.

There were quite a few improvements made to Riazor stadium over the summer, including new seats in two sections and big new signs on either end.

New seats (1906 – the year the fútbol club was founded)

New seats – Dépor!

The match against Athletic Bilbao was exciting, and ended in a tie at 2-2. That means that each team received 1 point towards the season tally, rather than the full 3 points that a winner would receive. The older gentleman I sat next to, clearly a season ticket holder, proclaimed that the result was “menos mal, menos mal” (less bad). Despite not getting the win, it was another really fun experience! Forza Dépor!!

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A Coruña, Galicia – Saturday Morning Adventures!

Saturday, May 16th, 2015

Waking up bright and early on my first morning in Galicia (bright and early for me on the first day overseas is actually 10:00 a.m.!), I had a list of things to do before grabbing my rental car and heading out to meet my friend José from Turismo Verde de Galicia (Turvegal) in another part of Galicia.

The first order of business was to get a Spanish SIM card.  In general, one can get by just fine using wi-fi (pronounced “wee-fee“) in Spain, as it is readily available in most bars/cafés and hotels (just ask nicely for the ¨clave¨ or password), and even at the airport.  However, since I was going to be walking alone for at least 87 miles through some unpopulated areas, and traveling by myself across the length of Galicia, I wanted to have data on my phone to be able to be in touch at all times.

Having never changed a SIM card in a phone, I was a bit apprehensive about the process.  But after some internet research on the process in general, and specifically in Spain, of the main service providers in Galicia, I landed on Orange as having good coverage in the areas I’d be walking and a decent plan, price-wise (Vodafone and Movistar are two other popular companies in Galicia).  As it happened, the Orange store was right across the pedestrian street (Calle Real) from where I planned to have breakfast (which may or may not have contributed to the decision).  Since it was after 10 a.m. by the time I got over there, data came before churros.  A very nice lady at the Orange store patiently explained their process and plans and hooked me up with a Spanish SIM card (and a Spanish telephone number) with 2 GB of data for €20, which included a €15 ‘credit’ that went against the small charges I incurred when making phone calls.  In the end, I re-upped for another 2 GB when mine ran out about 4 days before the end of my trip (in Padrón), where I paid another €11 to get 2 GB added.  In all, it cost me €31 for two full weeks of being online whenever and wherever I wanted.  If you were following along with me on Instagram during this trip, the posts from the middle of the forest were actually posted from the middle of the forest.  For me, it was a great deal.  I still have the SIM card, so when I return to Galicia I can pay online (www.orange.es) in advance for some data and be able to be online as soon as I arrive.  With Orange, my SIM card remains good for 12 months from the last re-charge.  When it was time to switch the Spanish SIM for my US SIM on the flight out of Spain, I was at first at a loss since I wasn´t traveling with a paper clip (the tool used at the phone store to eject the SIM).  After a bit of pondering, I came up with the solution … the post from one of my stud earrings!  Worked like a charm and when I landed in the US, I was back on Verizon like normal.

All connected, I was finally ready for my favorite Spanish breakfast:  Churros con Chocolate!

Two iconic places! Bonilla a la Vista to feed the body and Sargadelos to feed the soul – such beautiful things!

 

But wait!  What’s this?  The Sargadelos store is right next door and already open?  Why, yes … maybe I could pop in for a quick browse.  Sargadelos is a Galician ceramics manufacturer that deserves a whole post of its own (I’ll get to it, I promise).  In the meantime, check out the storefront and some of the pendants).

Sargadelos – all manner of ceramics from jewelry to coffee / tea sets, serving dishes, whole sets of china, lamps, you name it and they probably make it. Amazing quality and beauty.

Sargadelos – a classic!

 

I already had the one in the middle, second from the top, that I purchased last year on the English Route. These are all meant to ward against something specific. Mine wards against “Those who make work more difficult than it needs be.” I love it!

 

These are from another line. The animal motifs scare me a bit!

 

Finally! Seated at Bonilla a la Vista!

If you’ve never had Spanish hot chocolate, just imagine making homemade chocolate pudding and pouring yourself a cup of the hot mixture before it sets up.  That’s it.  Thick, rich and chocolaty.  And just begging to have hot fresh churros dunked into it.  Is this starting to sound dirty??  It’s an experience, I’ll tell you!

At Bonilla a la Vista, you order how many churros you want to accompany your chocolate.  This day, I chose 4.  On a previous visit I ordered 3 and left wanting more.  This was perfect!  All of the energy I needed to keep going in my action packed day.

Ahhhhh …. churros con chocolate!

And now for a walk back through the old part of town, and on my way to the Riazor fútbol (soccer) stadium to get a ticket for Sunday’s big match against Levante!

The Obelisk

 

Map of A Coruna

 

Riazor Beach – looking in the direction of the Torre de Hercules

 

Riazor Beach – looking in the direction of Estadio Riazor!

I had checked online a few weeks before to confirm the ticket booth hours on Saturday, so imagine my surprise and extreme disappointment at seeing the sign (below) that the ticket booth was closed. My plan was to leave Coruña shortly after purchasing my ticket so I could return on Sunday just in time for the game (with ticket in hand!). Needless to say, this unexpected closure threw a big wrench into that plan!

I met a very nice couple in the parking lot who offered to use their season ticket status to get me a ticket, but the ticket booths (even the one dedicated for season ticket holders) were all closed. It was an extremely lovely gesture on their part, just one of many examples of wonderful people I met on this trip.

All was not lost. Since I had some time, I went around to the DéporTienda – team shop! Had to get all equiped for the big game tomorrow!

Mural on Estadio Riazor

 

Dépor swag – Forza Dépor!

 

Spanking new Dépor tshirt and scarf.  You’ll be seeing more of these in the future!

Next on the agenda was to visit the Museo de Belas Artes for the wonderful exhibit “O Primeiro Picasso”, which documented Pablo Picasso’s time in A Coruña during his formative years of 9 – 13 years old.  It was extremely interesting both from the perspective of seeing some of Picasso’s earliest works (including homework and a note from a teacher) but also seeing what the city was like at that time (1891 – 1895).  Excellent exhibit.  And because it was the weekend of Galicia’s Dia Das Letras holiday, admission was free (thanks, Xunta de Galicia!).

Excellent exhibit!

 

Beautiful museum – Museo Belas Artes

 

There is another museum in Coruña in the house where Picasso actually lived, which I did not visit this time: Casa Museo Picasso.

A blog I follow via Instagram, Mis Lutier, had mentioned this quaint cafe, Miss Maruja.  It was located just around the corner from the museum, so a perfect spot to get a bite of lunch.

Miss Maruja – A Coruña

 

As you can see, I’m delighted by this sentiment: “The first 40 years of childhood are the most difficult” … how true!

 

Lunch: A toasted slice of really good Galician bread topped with melted cheese and jamón serrano. Perfect!

 

View of Riazor beach and stadium on the walk back to the hotel.

 

Modernismo / Art Nouveau buildings in the old town. In varying states of disrepair …

 

This stately place is in excellent repair.

 

Back again through the Obelisco Plaza, right around the corner from my hotel, and across from the Jardines de Méndez Nuñez.

 

So, one last stop at Hotel Lois to gather my things, and to lament to the fellow checking me out of the hotel about my bad luck with the fútbol tickets.  Naturally, he and one of the restaurant patrons were convinced that the poor American lady just didn’t understand where to go. I produced the photo above showing the posted notice, and they were also stymied that tickets weren’t being sold the day before the last home game of the season (not to mention that it was a key game in determining the team’s relegation status!).  Nonetheless, they wished me luck getting a ticket the following day and I was off by taxi to the airport to pick up my Avis rental car:

Fiat 500! Ready to roll!

 

And so I was off to Vila de Cruces to meet up with José of Turismo Verde de Galicia as the Saturday adventure continued!

Bonilla a la Vista
Calle Real, 54, A Coruña, Spain

Miss Maruja
Calle Zalaeta 20, A Coruña, Spain

Sargadelos
Calle Real, 56, A Coruña, Spain

Orange
Calle Real, 63, A Coruña, Spain

Turismo Verde de Galicia
www.facebook.com/TurismoVerdedeGalicia.Turvegal
www.paseargalicia.com
www.twitter.com/turvegal
www.instagram.com/turvegal

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