Costa Calida Property - Murcia Property

 

Villa España ­ In perfect Harmony

We are on the terrace of El Pez Rojo restaurant in the pretty harbour of Cabo de Palos, contentedly gazing across the Med. Sunday lunch on the Costa Calida, like most meals in Murcia, is a leisurely affair - and perhaps it's just as well. We've ordered the special "long and narrow" trial menu.In theory, this is "many dishes, small quantities" but in reality, generous portions of everything the restaurant serves, keep on coming and coming.The array of local specialities begins with marinated sliced courgettes, topped with blue cheese and diced tomato. Then there's fresh hijada de la tuna, followed by Murcian salad, prawn chanquetas, pasta in a cream sauce, potato salad with cumin, caldero with lobster, foie gras, fresh anchovies... and that's just for starters.

The gastronomic marathon comes to an end with creme Catalana, fig sorbet and pastel cake with chocolate sauce. "Phew," says my friend Harry. "That was sensational." The food of Murcia is deliciously different. Known as the Huerta de Europa (market garden of Europe) the region's vegetables and fruit, famous for their rich flavour and colour, are grown in sunny valleys and on fertile coastal plains.

Plump tomatoes, red peppers, olives, lemons, almonds and saffron are combined with fabulously fresh fish, seafood and meat to create a unique style of Mediterranean cuisine, enriched by centuries of Roman and Moorish influence. The intense sun of the inland areas also helps to produce fruity Jumilla, Yecla and Bullas wines.

You can sample the region's delights in an astounding variety of tantalising restaurants. One of the best - and not to be missed - is Asador la Casa del Reloj (House of the Clocks) at San Pedro Del Pinatar, close to the coast at the top end of the Mar Menor. This famous old manor house is a national monument with a mouth-wateringmenu that more than matches its grand, historic setting.

Our lunch began with a series of tapas, including the famous langoustines of the Mar Menor and scrambled eggs with asparagus and prawns, another Murcian favourite. Next came seabass served with a variety of shellfish in a rich tomato and seafood sauce, and a dish of "la bomba" rice with seafood - all washed down with a delicious Casa de la Ermita 2001, Petit Verdot Jumilla.

Little wonder that we opted for a lighter meal that evening in the city of Murcia.Lively tapas bars make this one of the most buzzing spots in south-east Spain and El Churra, on Av Marques de los Vèlez, has one of the most famous bars.Highlights of our meal were chorizo sausage and cured ham, artichokes and pine nuts bathed in olive oil, and mushrooms and asparagus with clams.

To adjust our body clocks to a Spanish night out, we put our watches back two hours - going to a bar before 11pm is clearly for wimps. Before that, a coffee or a beer is recommended - with tasty snacks, of course - in Plaza Cardenal Belluga, where you can sit, people-watch and admire the floodlit cathedral.

We strolled to the Hotel Rincón de Pepe (Apostoles, 34) for a nightcap in La Muralla cocktail bar - friendly, atmospheric and unique in that its decor consists of the remains of part of the city's historic Arab walls.