Ship to shore
Franck Garanger, Oceania Cruises’ culinary maestro, shares his top picks for where to eat when disembarking in his adopted home
Spain’s Costa Blanca is a radiant part of the world – and the place that I have called home for 12 years. It’s hardly surprising that more than a dozen Oceania itineraries include port calls here, with shore excursions allowing travellers to take in Valencia’s hundred-year-old wine cellars and gothic architecture, and explore Alicante’s beautiful baroque buildings, marble plazas and broad waterfront boulevard. And then, of course, there’s the fabulous food.
Local chefs are spoilt for choice with the wonderful tomatoes and oranges grown in Valencia, the olives and almonds, Albufera rice and exquisite seafood that’s found the length of the coast. Popular year-round, there are plenty of reasons to consider extending a stay, with days spent sightseeing or on the beach rounded off with a glass of sangria and – the hardest decision of the day – choosing which restaurant to dine in.
When I’m in Valencia, Casa Montaña – a traditional turn-of-the-century tavern in the Cabañal district – is always first on my list. Menu highlights include their boquerones and crostini of bacalao (salted cod with potatoes, onions, tomatoes and olives) and the top-quality Ibérico de bellota. Their patatas
bravas is among the best I’ve ever had and the local wine is excellent. I like to take friends there to show them what a real Valencian restaurant is. Almalibre Açaí House, a convivial restaurant specialising in vegetarian dishes, including knockout vegan burgers, avocado toast, açaí bowls, smoothies and juices, is another favourite. It’s the perfect place to go for lunch and ingredients are sourced straight from Valencia’s central market. For a typical paella – of the likes that you won’t have tried anywhere else before – a visit to Albufera is a must.
Albufera Natural Park is home to Spain’s largest lake and one of the most important wetlands of the Spanish Peninsula. A green oasis, it is surrounded by rice fields and forests. You can take a boat trips on the lagoon, where the bird-watching is superb, before heading to one of the many waterfront restaurants. Or, make the trip to Dénia, between Valencia and Alicante, and I’ll cook you my own signature paella, myself.