Cafe Royalty, Cadiz, Spain.

A most elegant eatery, Monsieur.

You could be forgiven for thinking you had been transported to fin-de-siècle Paris in this elegant dining hall. A relaxed jazz pianist tickled out a few laid back tunes while we sipped on a cool fino and chose our meal. Tuna is very important round here and my tuna tartare showed the right respect to the fresh fish and lime juice dressing. I wasn’t prepared for the next course though. I expected it to be good, but I still daydream about the oxtail I had. Pulled meat in a roll, a bit like a sushi roll, with thick, reduced-upon-reduced jus liberally coating it. I have never had such a rich, beautiful flavour in my life, and if I ever return to Cadiz I shall run, yes run to the Cafe Royal for another fix of their oxtail of the gods. Not the cheapest in town (100 Eu for two courses, drinks and wine) but not to be missed if you want the gastronomic experience of a lifetime. I’m not kidding here.

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Barrasie7e, Cadiz, Spain

Something different comes my way.

I think most “tourists” stay in Cadiz old town and the sun-seeking holiday-makers stay on the southern strip of coast fronted by the Hotel Victoria and the beach. We stayed in town, but I took a wander down the strip and found Barrasie7e, a modern yet unobtrusive place until you look at the menu. As well as a paper menu, you are given your own Android tablet so you can see lovely pictures of all the dishes. Novel presentation, yes, but a very imaginative bill of Eastern fusion fare too! Bream or cod tempura, veal shank, black rice with squid and the beautifully translated “soupy rice the sailor style”. (why don’t they get an English-as-a-first-language person to proof-read it?). I opted for tuna tataki which was a block of raw tuna, flash-fried to brown the outside and keep the centre raw. Sweet soy and wasabi to serve. Top dog.

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Gadisushi, Central market, Cadiz, Spain

Its crazy, but it just might work!

I stopped at the Gadisushi stall in Mercado Central and had a huge “Sushi Lovers” tray of fresh sushi and sashimi, rolled that morning, with a small cold Cruz to help me out. Lovely, fresh, low-key Japanese food, great for a pre-lunch snack or a nibble before dinner. I was a bit taken aback when my server offered me two pairs of chopsticks with my tray- I think they usually sell that order as a sharing platter, but when it comes to sushi I can always eat for two.