The simple floorplan stenciled on the wall by the entrance gave me a clue I was going to like Refugio Restaurante. The kitchen is designated with “You are not here.” Off to a good start. But the name, “Refuge,” carries a deeper connotation for locals than my mere relief from cooking. The intimate restaurant is across from an underground bunker, Refugio, built to shelter up to 600 people during the Spanish Civil War when Valencia was bombed more than 400 times.
If you head to Valencia, these four spots were our favorites for repeat visits. These photos are all from multi-course lunches, with three courses for two people with a bottle of wine plus tip running about the same as we pay for a pre-tip bottle of wine in a restaurant in San Antonio. Kind of like free food, and we rarely recovered enough from these ample lunches to want anything to eat in the evening. Before I start, though, we had expected and unexpected paella and rice dishes at all of these. For those photos, go back to an earlier post.
Refugio bills itself as offering contemporary fusion food, and the kitchen obviously loves playing with food. Aside for variations on the Mister’s go-to moist dark brownies for dessert, the daily menu selections never seem to be repeated. Even better than deserts were the wonderful vegetable flans, whether pumpkin, asparagus or corn. The fish and langostino suquet was magical, and both seafood and meats, including duck and ox, always were cooked perfectly.
Namua Gastronomic almost escaped our notice. Fairly new, there were few reviews online, which meant it was not as full as the more established Refugio. Namua became the end-of-our-stay favorite. An amuse-bouche always started the meal. Heirloom tomatoes atop a fish puree was refreshing, and panko-crusted cod arrived nesting in a dark rich sauce of tomatoes and tuna. The chef deftly turned out fried foods, such as appetizers of sardines or artichokes, and sometimes turned to classics from other regions, such as the judiones de la granja, the giant beans and sausage we first encountered in Segovia.
Viva Mascaraque heirloom tomato
Viva Mascaraque cod fritter
Namua panko-crusted cod atop tuna tomato sauce
Viva Mascaraque eggs. mujol chips with truffle paste
Refugio brownie and orange meringue
Refugio duck flautas
Namua strawberries wih lemon sorbet
Mythos baby beans in a basket
Refugio sea bass
Mythos sea bass atop quinoa-couscous
Refugio pumpkin guiso
Viva Mascaraque crispy eggplant
Viva Mascaraque chorizo with gooseberry sauce
Namua fried sardines
Namua pork with mushroom puree
Refugio fish and langostino suquet
Viva Mascaraque fried artichokes with goat cheese
Refugio curried vegetable crujinete
Viva mascaraque coffee mousse
Refugio grandmother’s cake with crema anglaise
Namua fried artichokes
Mythos salad with goat cheese
Refugio roasted eggplant salad
Viva Mascaraque amuse bouche of melon soup with pine nut brittle
Refugio seafood-filled tomato
Refugio ox
Refugio calabacita flan
Refugio curried garbanzos
Viva Mascaraque desserts
Refugio salad with tuna
Namua heirloom tomatoes atop fish puree
Namua Russian potato salad
Namua judiones de la granja
Refugio apple pear turnover
Viva Mascaraque mushroom salad
Lunches at Viva Mascaraque were a little more extended affairs, with an amuse bouche – a light melon soup on one day – arriving before three courses of appetizers, a main course and dessert. For the main course, we often were seduced by the paellas. Chef Mascaraque was head chef at the Hotel Ritz in Madrid and at the Spanish restaurant at Harrods in London; yet this restaurant was still almost as comfortably casual as the two above and only a few dollars more. As I clicked on the website, I did notice Viva Mascaraque now offers a shorter weekday menu eliminating two of the appetizer courses for about 13 Euros.
While the first three restaurants were all in the Carmen neighborhood, Mythos Tapas y Mas was on a shady tree-lined street in Canovas. The lunch menus did not vary as much from day to day, but the sea bass was wonderful and it was hard to resist the baby beans in a lacy thin crepe basket. And sitting outside on the quiet street was well worth the walk.
Definitely missing the personal implication of that Refugio sign now that we are back in San Antonio.
Postcards from Barton Springs 