Alison and I went to Valencia. For four wonderful days.
We arrived back on a terrible Ryanair flight about 2am on Wednesday morning.
It was one of those things where Alison felt a bit sorry for me when I wasn’t very well with Shingles and so she booked some cheap flights to Valencia for later in the year, but when the time came it seemed all a little bit too much. But on the Friday before the Saturday morning flight, we decided to go.
We didn’t even book a hotel – we just landed, turned up, took the Metro into the centre of Valencia, got an ice cream and figured out where we might be able to stay.
Life has been such that it has been a long time since we have done anything like this; since we felt like we’ve had the ability to leave the kids, the animals and everything else unattended by at least one of us.
So, it became an extraordinary few days where we had nothing to do but whatever we wanted to do.
A lot of the happiness in our lives centres around food and sharing food with each other and other people, so it was a joy to find a place to have breakfast or to find a place that sold ice cream, or a place to go for dinner.
The first night (typically for us) we never made it for dinner because one jug of Agua de Valencia, a pint and a cocktail and we were asleep at about 8pm for about 12 hours!
The next night though I researched restaurants, mostly based on Google reviews, because I had enough time to be able to do that – it was a joy!
I decided to take a punt and went to the first one called Restaurant Secret but they were fully booked and we couldn’t get in.
So, we went to my second choice, which was a little restaurant on one of the main squares. The reviews were good, and people seemed to like it… but it wasn’t.
I asked for a table outside and they sat us there, but they were really inattentive, we were a real nuisance. The menu was terrible actually. I chose a Spanish meat and cheese board, and Alison has something else that she said was “OK”
The other stuff we ordered never came and the drinks came way after the food came. In the end I suggested to Alison that we should just do a runner and not pay because nobody would come to give us the bill (she was never going to do that, and I probably wasn’t either!)
During the meal I went to the bathroom and there was a whole floor upstairs which was empty with the tables set. It was completely ‘all fur coat and no knickers’
It was an amazing location for a restaurant and so there was tons and tons of passing trade, but it won’t be there for much longer if they continue to look after customers like that.
If I could be bothered, I would hammer them on Google, but I can’t be bothered!
So, the next night, having no meal the first night and a poor meal the second night, the pressure was on.
We took the advice of my daughter, Grace who had been to Valencia last year, who said to go off the beaten track.
We found a place called ‘Clann’
One of the most extraordinary things about this place was the ability to book via WhatsApp.
I clicked on the website, opened my WhatsApp and asked if they had a table. He came back and asked me if I wanted inside or outside. I asked for outside and he said, yes. He asked me what time, and I told him. He asked for my name, and I told him. He said “see you soon” with a couple of emojis. It all took about 90 seconds.
Even better than that, when we turned up, he walked out of the restaurant and said “You must be Colin”
I asked how he knew that, and he said he recognised me from my WhatsApp profile photo!
It was sensational.
Local food from the mercado central.
He told us what to order. He told us what was good. He told us what the best things on the menu were.
Alison asked for Sangria, he said “white or red?” Alison replied, “that’s interesting, I might try white” he shook his head and said “don’t!”
She had red.
The service was great but not in your face. It wasn’t expensive. It was one of “those meals” that we’ll never forget in our lives.
And so, what was the difference?
One is a group of people who really give a s*&t about what they’re doing (all of them really did, the team were amazing)
The location wasn’t right in the middle of town, so you had to find it but if you sought them out they made it easy for you to book and made you feel very welcome when you came.
The used their expertise to give you great advice and the delivered on what they said.
The other, a behemoth in the right location.
Those two meals are the difference between an independently owned business and a supermarket. I am sure you understand and get the difference but always remember you get to choose which one you are but, once you’ve chosen, then stick with it.
Blog Post Number - 4276