Vegetarian Win!

While roaming through the city, I found a new restaurant entirely by chance. I’m glad I did, though, because eating lunch there pretty much made my day. Why, gentle readers, do you ask that? Well, first, becausethe menu was extremely appealing. I knew they had a regular menu, but honestly, when the chef is recommending a complete meal for a reasonable price, why not make my choices from the menú? Here’s the beautiful thing: this is the only money I spent while I was out walking for four hours. I had built up an appetite, and, when my food arrived, I was extremely pleased with the service, the food, and the ambiance.

Ambiance, you ask? Well, many of the restaurants I have visited have been very close to busy streets. This restaurant was on a side street with plenty of trees, a few outdoor tables, and a calm demeanor. In short, I needed a break, and I found it here, at La Tasta Olletes.

I chose the Flan de rúcola y parmesano (savory flan or custard with a pesto finish), Burrito de soya y porotos (a burrito with something made with soy and what you would call in Mexico “pot beans” or whole bean stew), and, for dessert, Tarta vegana de cacao y pera (vegan tart with pear and chocolate). Although they ran out of this dish before I arrived, I was hoping to try the Ollita de la abuela, con kamut, acelgas, y calabaza (My grandmother’s stew with kamut, an ancient grain, chard, and squash/pumpkin. Read this about kamut, and you will understand why I wanted to try it!).

The flan was delicious, almost like a cottage cheese and ricotta texture, seasoned by the parmesan and the pesto. I almost licked the plate. The burrito was amazing, and, if you have read my previous posts, you will understand how much I like to try American favorites in other countries. I was not disappointed, especially when I found that fresh lettuce had also been mixed into the folding process. The beans were delicious and perfectly tender, seasoned so that you could taste the beans without overpowering the flavors of each ingredient. The dessert…. oh, my. This treat was not very sweet, which allowed the chocolate flavors to shine through. Between the massive chunks of sweet baked pear, the chocolate cake was texturally somewhere between a brownie, a chocolate cake, and happiness. To steal a line from Mary Poppins, this was “practically perfect in every way.”