Murcia: CaféLab, KEKI, and other things on my mind.
I remember the first time I went to Murcia was after a gig in Cabo Roig with Paddy Casey. We went there for one night and stayed a whole week. I’d like to blame Paddy’s charm. I don’t know how he does it but we keep postponing life whenever we’re near him. Of course, I’d like to make clear i’m saying this in a very good way.
I had some friends there, in Murcia, and I remember one of them (Nahún) owed me a dinner after he lost a bet trying to contradict me. We were singing Jesus Christ Superstar‘s “Heaven on Their Minds” and he was sure he said “The man from the myth” because it rhymes with the next sentence “You will see where we all soon will be”. I, on the other hand, was totally convinced that he was wrong. “The myth from the man” because it rhymes with the previous sentence “If you strip away”. I know it’s not a perfect rhyme, but I knew (and still know) the lyrics by heart. I must say we were contradicting each other in a very cool way, because we both are kind of cool. But, I’m the coolest, because I won… and the dinner took a really long time to come.
We made a trip to London together, and we joked about it, but finally we had to wait for a couple of years, after he moved to Murcia with Raquel (now his lovely wife) in order to get that nice dinner. I couldn’t remember the name of the place, but I’ve searched for it and it was KEKI. I remember eating a couple of different things, I trusted the locals to order our food.
https://www.instagram.com/p/44pGYQwlEF/
It was my first time eating tataki. Although I’ve always been a proud sashimi addict, until that day in Summer 2013, I had never know about tataki’s existence. My mouth felt confused because it tasted like half-cooked sashimi, and that was a good thing. I’ve been cooking tataki with very different sauces and garnishes ever since. My favourite one, probably, would be serving it coated with sesame seeds and garnishing with wakame salad. This place served really nice food, but I can only remember the tuna tataki. You never forget your first time.
After that, we went for an ice-cream because it was Summer in Murcia, so the weather is perfect for a walk and an ice-cream. We went to this frozen yogurt chain places born in Murcia, and Raquel told us the story that they were from different members of the same family, and wherever one of them opened one shop, the other would do the same next to it. So I guess they weren’t in very good terms. I found the story amusing, and I felt tempted to order one in each place, just to taste the differences. But I was so pleased with the dinner we had before that I just went for one of them. I must say both are equally good, and also very similar to any other frozen yogurt, so I hope both sides of the family are getting along well and enjoying each other’s ice-cream. I really do. In my head I have some still images of that night (appart from the dinner, of course) and I remember enjoying the city more than I expected.
This feeling came to me again two weeks ago, when I went back to Murcia. Unfortunately, work made me postpone another lunch/dinner with Nahún and Raquel, which I’m sure will happen as soon as they come to Galicia, or as soon as the tour take us there again.
Both times, it has been a very short visit and I’ve always thought I’d like to stay there at least for a couple of days. It doesn’t happen with every city I go to, and some of them make me want to come back, but the feeling with Murcia is very different. There’s something familiar about it. The people, the places, the cafés and restaurants…
So, there I was. March, 26th. I had to play at Teatro Circo. Wow! Probably the most beautiful theater I’ve ever seen. Such a lovely place. I’m this kind of person that never looks at the ceiling when I enter a room. Well, I could’t help but raising my head again and again. The acoustics made me think about leaving the drums, amps and everything aside and just sing acapella.
The day after the gig, I had to be in a café with Carlos in order to assist a “not-so-informal” chat. We were two of the three people talking to a lovely crowd of entrepreneurs. Apparently, my job can be inspiring to others and it can be useful for creating new business. The organizer, Fernando Garrido (@estrelaselimons), is a very nice guy who likes the way we work and he was the one who thought it would be a good idea. It’s funny because after answering their questions and singing a couple of songs, I noticed I’ve never seen music as a business in the way other people sees it. All that we do, we do it because our common sense or our heart tells us to do it. I felt like guiding people and telling them how to do their job was something I couldn’t do, but on the other hand, I’ve been a musician for ten years, and everyone has a story that can guide other people in many different ways.
I was very glad they chose CaféLab for this event. I woke up early at a hotel room in Tryp Rincón de Pepe, which is just next to it. I only had to walk for a minute and there it was, a clear door with a nice logo printed on it stating “CaféLab”
A soon as I enter the room, I notice the decoration. It is beautiful, cozy and full of coffee related items. I discover, after listening to one of the owners, that all of the furniture and decorations are either antiques or recycled material, which makes it even more special. There are moka pots hanging on the ceiling acting as lamps (again Murcia made me look up again and again). It is obvious, not just because of the name and the decoration, but also the smell. Coffee is everywhere.
I am new to the coffee world. I enjoy strong coffee withouth anything else, and I love it. As soon as I’m inside, a barista approaches me. I tell him I’d rather go for bitter flavours than sour, but he starts explaining the story of their coffees, and forgets about what I’ve said to him. He’s very passionate about what he is doing, so I just wait until he explains everything and try whatever he has to offer. If I’m in a place where they treat coffee in such a passionate way, I must try whatever they think is best.
He tells me that this coffee is not bitter, but sour in a way that reminds of lime. Also, he tells me that in order to have a good espresso, you should clean your palate first with water. Instead of water, they offer me a very weak infusion that enhances the flavour of the coffee I’m going to drink. I take my infusion shot and discover this acidity he was talking about. I must say it doesn’t make me think of lime, nor the smell nor the flavour. I think about apricot and peach. This is only confirmed when I drink the coffee. Apricot and fruity flavours are there perfectly mixed with a not very strong coffee, that despite the fact of being sour instead of bitter, I really enjoy.
I listened to their story and I tried their coffee husks tea, which also came with as story. Everything seemed to come with a story: the toilets, the furniture, the coffee, the family. And I enjoyed sipping my coffee and discovering new flavours I’m not that used to. I totally recommend this place to anyone that goes to Murcia or lives there. They also have food. So check it out if you have the oportunity. If anyone was curious about that photo I was taking to a sandwich, here it is:
Have fun!