Pals beach is an expansive, crescent shaped, golden sand beach along the Costa Brava. Our brood was hungry for an array of water activities and this beach had it all: trampolines, jet skis, kayaks, paddle ball, soccer and rides on inflated tubes towed by speed boats. It’s a great family beach.
We were hungry for lunch, so we thought the mini golf, Foosball tables and pizza at the Sa Punta would keep everyone in the group happy. What we didn’t realize is that we were about to enjoy one of our favorite meals in Spain.
I was immediately intrigued by the label on the menu. As you may have read earlier, the town of Pals {just inland from the beach} is known for the rice it has been growing since the middle ages.
Like others in Spain, the Pals rice is a rounder shaped grain {hence the name Bomba rice, you can find it under that name in the US}. The more rounded shape gives each grain a greater surface to absorb the flavorful broth used to make paella.
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| Seafood Paella, Sa Punta, Pals beach, Costa Brava |
In addition to this Seafood Paella, Sa Punta offered a Black Paella, made with squid ink, a Seasonal Vegetable Paella, Venison and Mushroom Paella, Rabbit Paella and a Fish Paella, all following the standards of the Arrocerias de Alicante, or Master Rice Makers, and using Pals rice.
I loved the table presentation, a woven charger is placed on a short metal stand and the paella pan {which can be ordered for 2 or more} is rested on the charger, hot from the oven.
Paella is a great meal to make at home, click on Paella Splendide for favorite recipe, and for a quicker version, click on week night paella. To learn more about why I am so passionate for paella, click on saffron.
They also served a wonderful Salade Nicoise {under a Spanish name}, with plenty of fresh vegetables, chunky tuna and a light, simple dressing.
The side of asparagus was perfectly roasted and artfully arranged.
This was also the home of these marvelous mussels, featured on the earlier post on salsa romesco. For a simple, yet sublime way to serve mussels in a tomato sauce try this recipe from the Hampton Hostess. She was in Spain recently and when she returned, she recreated a mussel dish she enjoyed on her travels. This recipe “sounds” very much like what we were “tasted”, I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but will soon, click here for the recipe.
The manger tried to entice us to prolong our stay with a round of fruity drinks after lunch, dangling promises for the actual recipe for the heavenly sauce used to make the mussels.
We did enjoy the traditional digestif, Baines de Aronon. Imbibe magazine wrote the perfect description of this beverage:
“Imagine a sloe berry took a sunny Spanish holiday with a bottle of anisette and you’ll be close to envisioning this velvety, cranberry-pink liqueur from Spain’s Navarre region. Originally formulated centuries ago for Spanish royalty, but not commercially bottled until the mid-1950s, pacharán is made by macerating sloe berries in anisette with a touch of sugar. This particular pacharán from the Baines Licor Company is bright and fruit-forward with sweet and tart flavors of crushed red berries and cherry candy and a lingering trace of anise on the finish. Sip it slightly chilled and solo as a digestif, or mixed with gin, lemon juice and a touch of fresh spice in the Basque”
For their Basque Swizzle recipe, click here. To find a bottle of this unique, refreshing bev, google the name, it’s widely distributed.
We loved the Baines over ice, but this temptation could only hold us for so long….we had a shopping mission to complete.
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| Pacharan Baines de Aranon on ice, Pals beach, Costa Brava, Spain |
Sa Punta also offers food to go, so you could bring this goodness to the beach for a picnic. To round out the offering, there is a little store next door with a wide variety of good quality picnic foods and beverages.
Sa Punta Pizzaria/Mini-Golf
Platja de Pals – Begur
Costa Brava, Spain
Tel. 972 66 80 51
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| A successful day at Viva Bombay, Pals Beach, Costa Brava, Spain |
How great is that asparagus??!! And so easy to do at home…love that idea. Those shopping bags are so great too…and is that YOUR helmet next to them? 😉
Actually, a more rounded shape has less surface area for its volume. The sphere has the least surface area per unit volume.
Wow! Not the usual fare you expect from a mini golf course! I think I'm going to like Spain.
Looking forward to catching up next week!
oh, I stand corrected, thank you Rich.
Bonjour. Thank you for taking me back to La Costa Brava, where I spent a week last July. While I still lived in France, I would go every summer. My parents own a small place in a fishing town called La Escala. Do you know it? Loved your travelogue. Bon weekend! Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)
Oh my goodness, everything looks so appetizing. I could dig in and devour that paella. Thanks so much for sharing….now I need lunch. Thanks also for visiting with me:-)
Wow – looks like a delicious and successful day all around!! What a fantastic trip!!