Vigo: Tapas @ Maria Manuela

Mui was debating between grilled octopus and tapas for lunch. Tapas won out. But where to go then became the question.

The woman at the Visitor Center had suggested that one of the places on Compostela Square might suit us. So, we huddled under the umbrella and headed in that direction.

Sure, there were plenty of places at the square … but some were closed until dinner time … some were seating only those with advance reservations … some had kitchens closing within the hour … and some just didn’t have an acceptable rating.

Just as we were about to give up, the stars aligned and we found a small eatery named Maria Manuela. What a gem it turned out to be … all the more so because it obviously catered more to the locals than to tourists.

Seated at a bistro table near the bar, we perused the menu as we sipped our beverages of choice — Mencia, a local red for Mui; Estrella Galicia, a local beer for me. The menu wasn’t typically Spanish, but we found plenty of options that sounded very appetizing.

After going back and forth a few times, we settled on four small plates — shrimp egg rolls with a Thai sauce; a green salad garnished with pomegranate seeds and walnuts; Jamon Iberico croquettes with an incredibly gooey center; and tacos pastor with pork and pineapple … served with a sauce that the waitress warned us was “muy picante.” Each dish, made to order, was brought individually and only after the previous dish was finished … every bite delicious. We almost skipped dessert … glad we didn’t. The French toast — caramelized a la crème brûlée — was served with dollops of chocolate ganache and mango sauce. Yummy … yummy.

It was well past 3:30p when we left the restaurant. We still had two hours before all aboard. The rain had dried up while we were enjoying our late lunch. It was still overcast, however, and the temp had turned chilly … felt all the more because of the damp air. Nonetheless, we took our time returning to the ship … a slow stroll the perfect wrap up to our day.Read more