It seemed I’d been planning this trip for years, or at least ever since my friend Anna @annalibera moved from Sevilla to Galicia with her Gallego partner Jorge @jorgeguitian. Since then they have been working together as food and travel consultants on various gastronomy-related projects, including The KilomEATers @thekilometers. But finally a date was set last June when I impulsively booked a plane ticket and an AirBnB apartment – it was now or never – and my Galicia Getaway was set for August 21-28.
A lot happened between then and August 21st, including an impromptu 10-day trip to London and a shorter unplanned visit to Madrid, so by the time August 21 came along I was actually feeling a bit travelled out. But Galicia was unknown territory for me, and I had never been with Anna and Jorge on their “home turf” in Santiago de Compostela, so when my bags were finally packed I was also full of enthusiasm again.
After picking me up at the airport, Anna and Jorge made a quick stop at my AirBnB place to drop my bags, then – of course – it was off for some lunch. The place they chose for me, Deulpo, couldn’t have been a better introduction to traditional Galician food.
We had pulpo a feira (natch) and pimientos de padrón (ALL of them fiery hot), both of which I’d tried before, many times. But then we moved on to a couple of new dishes for me: zorza (think “prueba de chorizo” – pork mixed with garlic, smoked pimentón, oregano) and raxo (marinated pork sautéed with garlic). Both were super rich and super delicious. Anna ordered some local wine served in bowls, Galician style, which later fusioned into an Italian custom of dipping bread into the red wine. I loved this spot and went back to it later on my own.
That evening I was in for another gastronomical treat – and a homemade one too – when I was invited to Anna & Jorge’s for a traditional dish of Lacón (pork again!), all boiled up together and served with garbanzo beans, grelos, chorizo and potatoes. This was untraditionally washed down with two types of sherry: first a fabulous fino in rama and then a lovely palo cortado. And well, since sherry is so versatile, they were excellent pairings.
That evening Anna also helped with organising my week (we both LOVE lists) and we came up with a good variety of things for me to do, both on my own and with them as my trusty guides (including two day trips) which really made things easier for me. In fact, I would have been lost without them. Can’t stress enough how insider knowledge like this enhances a visit, so do get in touch with the KilomEATers if you are planning a trip to Santiago or pretty much anywhere in Galicia.
This was the second BIG EVENT in terms of friends meeting up for a special meal in the evening, but first I was meeting my friend Thane 
John 
Delicious tasting menu, though with cocktails and several glasses of wine we certainly drank more than we ate. We finished the evening at a pub around the corner, which is where things go a bit fuzzy for me, other than the boys putting me into an Uber after the pub closed.
Arancini… give them a miss, devoid of flavour and 2 pounds EACH (srsly?)
tasty and spicy pork meatballs
view of MY SHARD from Oli’s apartment
rooftop dinner 
The 
Philip Morton runs
Brothers Dan Anton and Jono serving up fab Burmese street food.
Tealeaf salad and prawn curry. Burmese street by Lahpet
By now the market was beginning to shut down so I had a last glass of wine with Philip and made my way back towards Tower Bridge… and then I saw a sign for something called the 
Finally it was time to head home and I made my way back over Tower Bridge. This was my one “totally on my own day” without meeting up with any friends. But the whole experience at Maltby made me feel so at home, so much in my element (chatting away with everybody) that I never felt like I was on my own. It was a lovely Sunday afternoon, followed by a cosy Sunday evening in.
