Due to a work conflict, we had to cancel our Bib Gourmand lunch reservation in A Coruña, so I was looking forward to trying our luck in Pontevedra with Trasmallo. We sat upstairs with a few other tables and service was generally nice. However, can we stop with the QR code menus!? I hate being on my phone at a restaurant, plus much of their menu had only the names of the dishes with no descriptions. So if I order “maragota trasmallo” I am getting… what exactly? I know it’s a wrasse fish but prepared how? Does anything come with it? I shouldn’t have to ask about every menu item to make a decision for dinner.
OK, that said, we decided to stick with the menu items that had a bit of context, so I had two of the grilled oysters which had great flavor but one was still attached to the bottom shell. I followed that up with puff pastries with Lolín anchovies, Cebreiro cream and pickled onions (rich and also delicious). Eric got the least fishy thing on the menu, rice with beef cheeks! The risotto texture was perfect and the sauce had a rich, spiced flavor. We split a bottle of Sensum Laxas Albariño Espumoso (medium size bubbles, red apple, light honey, dust and hay with medium high acidity). Our first time trying a sparkling Albariño, it was surprisingly nice and went very well with the rich food.
Our only other meal out of the apartment was at Icewolf, which was empty when we arrived for our Sunday reservation just after 9pm. I had seen zamburinas (black scallops) at the local market and decided that this would be a good time to finally try them. We watched the chef torch them to order and they were absolutely delicious! Slightly sweet with a subtle sauce that complimented the scallops perfectly. This paired nicely with a rioja from Bodegas Azpilicueta. Eric opted for the Cubano sandwich, which was a nice portion size, not too big. He paired this with an Albariño from San Ero (good acidity, zippy and fresh. Lemon and minerals). I was still hungry, so we ordered a second round of drinks from Fraga DO Corvo, a Godello for Eric (tropical, white peach, tea, medium lush body, quite pleasant) and a Mencia for me (red twizzlers!) with an order of smokey cheese (san simon da costa) and mushroom croquettes. Service and vibe were great throughout.
