We arrived in Valencia late in the evening, and by the time we got picked up at the airport, checked into the hotel, and got ready for dinner, it was nearly midnight. From past trips to Spain, we knew dinner tends to be late, so we just relaxed with a bottle of wine as we prepared for our plans.
After enjoying our wine, we headed into Valencia for a delightful dinner at Casa Montana. This iconic spot has been around since 1836 and is popular with everyone from Prime Ministers to celebrities and locals alike. Locals often bring their own bottles to fill with wine or vermouth, a tradition that goes back almost a hundred years. The restaurant’s owners personally source their ingredients from farms all over Europe, ensuring everything is of top quality. They’re so dedicated that they even visit these farms in person to ensure the ingredients meet their standards.
Casa Montana takes pride in knowing exactly where their ingredients come from and can even share some interesting stories about them. Their wine collection is impressive, with some bottles priced as high as £5,000. This is also the place that changed my perspective on ham! I’ve never tasted ham as delicious as what they serve here, especially Iberian ham from acorn-fed pigs. It melts in your mouth, unlike the store-bought varieties we’re used to.
Before dinner, we enjoyed an excellent wine tasting. Unlike my previous experiences, this session was enlightening, even though the guide spoke only Spanish. Despite my limited Spanish, he effectively communicated how to appreciate wine properly.
The experience taught me that chugging wine is not the way to go. After the tasting, we headed to dinner at Casa Montana, enjoying a variety of delicious Spanish tapas, with the steak, beans, and patatas bravas being standout dishes. As expected, every ingredient was carefully selected, making the meal exceptional.
We spent the rest of the evening savoring delicious wines and indulging in desserts, which is definitely my favorite activity. By the time we left, the streets were quiet, but we were happily full. It was just the beginning of our time in Valencia!