Isn’t it ironic? A city where they offer you a free tapa with each drink anywhere holding a contest in which you have to pay for the tapas. Well, maybe not ironic, but your belly has to be ready for something like that. I’ve visited the city twice while this happened, they still offered you the free tapa even after ordering a paid one.

I really wanted to try as many places as possible. It wasn’t possible to try more than nine of the forty participants. A pity, I know, but still a great experience.

The level of some of them surprised me in a very mouthwatering way. I want to say that, although most of them were good, two of them were outstanding, and before they announce a winner next week, I want to name my winners here. I think it can be fun, and see if I choose the same restaurants.

To begin with, I was really tempted by 3 Pés. The tapa they offered was grilled razor clams, a mussel and a mushroom. Although the mussel and the mushroom were there, the razor clams on their own were more than enough. I mean…three well cooked razor clams for 2,80€. They weren’t chewy, and had an intense, nice flavour. But you are still in Lugo, so they gave me some complementary tapas and I felt full already.

That same day, I tried the smoked sardines with strawberry tartar and seaweed. The place was Bulló Xantar. I already loved this place from previous visits. They have a tender wheat salad that is really refreshing, and the staff is really nice.

In terms of presentation, the dish was beautiful and clean. It really doesn’t look as good on the picture as it did there. It was divided in three sections, one with seaweed bread, another with dead man’s fingers seaweed and one with glasswort seaweed and pea foam. I can’t choose which one was better, but although very similar all of them had something distinctive. Maybe the falvour of the dead man’s fingers was something I’ll remember. The texture of the sardines was incredibly nice and the tartar made everything stand out. It was a ten out of ten. Really good.

The next place, Campos, was very good also. I love gyozas, and this one filled with pork feet and butifarra was served in a very intense broth with sea flavours. Amazing. Very well cooked, and very beautifully presented. I really enjoyed it. It had a lot of flavour and different textures. The wrapping was thick enough to balance the strong pork filling. Very, very good.

Three out of three. I was thinking maybe I was unconscious and I was dreaming of food heaven…

Though I would have loved paying for a bigger stomach, I had to go to the last place. I needed a coffee to drive home safely after such a substantial meal. I chose Canela Bakery Coffee. I was sure they had coffee if they had that name. I ordered an americano and they brought me a nice sponge to go with it.

But they had a tapa for the contest, so I had to try it. Even if I couldn’t fit anything else in my stomach. But then you read three magic words: Bao, Kimchi & Ribs and you make a tiny spot for “dessert”.

Low-temperature cooked pork rib melted in my mouth with that nice kimchi sauce dripping through my fingers. The bao was merely a way to hold the deliciousness altogether. Very nice tapa. A great ending for a great tapas day.

Oh! I almost forgot. They had homemade escabeche mussels that I loved (I had to try the free tapa too, don’t judge me!)

One new day, a bunch of new tapas. The first place I went into was España. The tapa was a “Ox pancake/fajita with Padrón pepper caviar, chili, pickled onion and crunchy veggies” I was doubtful about the Padrón pepper caviar, but you could notice the distinctive bitter flavour of the peppers (in a nice way)

Next place, La Encina. A traditional place serving an “oxtail canellone with Spanish sauce”. You could feel the pungent oxtail smell and flavour.

The sauce was nice. The meat was well cooked. The pasta al dente…No complaints.

Third place: Cunca do Cantiño. Their tapa was simply called “Cheese, Pork and Honey”

I felt intrigued because it is an unusual combination (especially pork and honey) and I really wanted to try this one.

They already made clear they knew how to make food with their complimentary tapas. I tried the raxo (Galician style pork) and their pork rib and both were very flavourful.

But then, the tapa from the contest left me with a feeling almost unexplicable. The tenderness of the pork belly cooked low temperature combined with the intense crisp of its own skin. Combined with a Cebreiro cheese foam that was so flavourful you couldn’t even understand how air can taste so good. And the potato parmentier with just the right amount of demi-glace in order not to spoil the flavour of the foam. And then the caramelised honeycomb just added the perfect amount of sweetness to combine with the acidity of the cheese, the saltiness of the dish and the fat of the pork. Amazing. I would really love to eat that again.

The next place had to be amazing to be better. I knew after this dish, every place would have a really tough time. I went to O Figón in order to try, what looked like a very elaborated dish: “Hake on a spider crab and scallop mousse, extra virgin olive oil and mini galician loaf of bread” A lot to swallow in a small tapa.

I think the textures of this dish were the main thing going on. Although the hake was perfectly cooked, it tasted a bit off. Not so much, but I could notice it. I guess it was bad luck, as the rest of the ingredients were OK. The crab and scallop foam was the most flavourful item.

The “fake scallop” was nicely presented. When I cut it, it burst open. A nice trick. Although, I would have loved if it tasted a bit like seafood. They suggested eating it last because of its refreshing citrus flavour, but I couldn’t notice that much citrus, although it was refreshingly cold. Maybe it was a way to cleanse the palate after eating the rest of the food.

A very complex dish, but the bread deserves a mention. Such a cute tiny loaf and still a great texture and crispy crust. The best thing on the plate, for sure.

And finally, I tried O mercado Street Food “Quail, leek, escabeche and green mojo with jalapeños”. The textures were nice, it had a lot of flavour. The sauce was a bit acidic if you tried it on its own, but once you combined it with the leek, its sweetness balanced the sauce in your mouth. I like acidic food though, so I didn’t mind.

The coriander was a great touch of freshness. Beautiful presentation and nice staff.

And after trying these places, my two winners would be Bulló Xantar and Cunca do Cantiño.

Both tapas are so different that none deserves to be called better than the other. Actually, they would be two perfect dishes for a set menu in a very nice restaurant. They show effort and technique, without forgetting flavour in order to make them look beautiful and impressive. Congrats to both places because they cooked amazing dishes.

A especial mention to the Gyoza in Campos because it was probably as good as them, but maybe I was a bit more surprised by the other two. Anyway, as far as flavour, technique and texture is concerned, the three of them were a 10.

A great experience at a great city that I’ll be visiting this Saturday for the Festival do Leite (Milk Festival, looks like it’s made for me…food & music). I was not intending to make promo though, it’s just something I’ll be doing 🙂 So, see you soon Lugo! Have fun and keep fooding!