Food Review: La Leyanda

Since we are literally “eating our way through Europe,” I would be remiss not to mention our favorite tapas restaurant in Sevilla, La Leyenda. I knew before visiting Andalucia that we would eat well, but how well I was not prepared for. The food at La Leyenda, as was the case in a few establishments in Cordoba and Granada, was what I like to call “special”. On our first visit to La Leyenda we had the baked goat cheese on pineapple sprinkled with raisins and duck pate with raspberry confit to start. The baked goat cheese was exquisite and the duck pate everything expected and more—cold, creamy, and sweet. We also had the Moroccan chicken on a bed of couscous seasoned with raisins, and the sirloin served with creamed rice cooked in a fruity sauce. The sweetened couscous and cold sirloin were satiating while leaving us wanting more. Another visit we tried the carpaccio in walnut oil with almond crocant and Manchego cheese which was a cold dish with a twang of spiciness. The moussaka was filling, but it didn’t approach the goodness of the same dish in NYC’s Uncle Nick’s, and the duck on a bed of zucchini and leaks did not challenge my strong bias that duck dishes should be sweet. For our final meal in Sevilla we returned to La Leyanda and had the boletus mushrooms fritter cooked in provolone cheese and prawns and smoked cod cooked in tomatoes, guacamole, and garlic. It was a perfect last meal.

London’s Venues for Conspicuous Consumption

Visitors and locals alike have so much to see and do in London that shopping is an unnecessary distraction from the cultural life the city has to offer. However, here is my attempt to describe the shopping landscape in London for anyone who is interested. Although I found the high-end clothing stores a bit vapid, I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Fortnum & Mason, the luxury food store on Piccadilly. Needless to say, I could spend hours examining the exquisitely designed and packaged exotic foodstuffs Fortnum & Mason has to offer.

As I described earlier in my Covent Garden blog entry, visit Covent Square for middle of the range shopping. Many American and British clothing store chains have locations at Covent Garden including the Gap, French Connection, Benetton, and Monsoon. New Bond Street and Oxford Street are also popular among shoppers who buy clothing at mainstream stores such as H&M, Zara, and The Body Shop. New Bond Street turns into Old Bond Street as you walk south towards Piccadilly. Old Bond Street is for high-end shoppers. DeBeers, Dolce & Gabanna, Donna Karen, Ralph Lauren and Rolex all have shops on Old Bond Street. Running parallel to Piccadilly is Jermyn Street, which is known for having expert tailors. Jermyn Street is the place to go to buy suits, ties and business shirts for both men and women. Walk west to Knightsbridge where both Harrod’s and Harvey Nichols offer the same luxury clothes shopping as Bergdorf Goodman or Bloomingdales in New York. Harrod’s and Harvey Nichols are large department stores, and shoppers in both stores exhibit the same shopping fervor that used to make me walk in and directly out the revolving doors of Saks Fifth Avenue in New York. I find calmness and relaxation at Hyde Park where the simple landscaping, open air and natural environment are a welcome departure from the artificial smell of perfumes, the claustrophobic clothing racks and confusing maze-layouts of Harrod’s and Harvey Nichols.

Fortnum & Mason sits on Piccadilly and resembles Saks Fifth Avenue during the holiday season; the windows are colorful and entertaining, and the staff is slowly replacing the Christmas decorations. Uniformed doormen like the ones at the Ritz or any other upscale hotel open and close the doors for tourists and food-shoppers alike. Featured in some windows are expensive bottles of wine standing amongst golden chandeliers with the backdrop of ribbons and silk strewn to create a festive yet artistic feel. The store’s customers are respectfully quiet, like that of patrons at Dona Karan rather than shoppers at the chaotic H&M. A favorite brand in London and especially at Fortnum & Mason is Molton Brown whose products are frequently displayed in the store’s windows. Some unique products sold at Fortnum & Mason are the following: beef-flavored tea, jelly made with rose petals, orange marmalade with a tinge of rum, hand-picked Darjeeling tea, and hazelnut flavored chocolate spread. The chocolate counter separates the chocolates into three categories: glace fruits, English creams & mints, and enrobed fruits & nuts. (I discovered the 50% off chocolate counter where one can buy two pieces of individual chocolate for less than a pound!) One is not only paying for the rare products and high-end brands, but also for the packaging. The boxes are a Tiffany powder blue with yellow script and exude money and luxury. Finally, Fortnum & Mason has a restaurant on its ground floor popular among its always stylish and formally clad customers.

A Walk Through Marylebone

Marylebone High Street resembles Main Street, America but with much nicer architecture. Rather than contain H&M, Top Shop and other big name corporate stores, small and independent coffee shops, cafes, chocolate shops, clothing boutiques, brunch places and restaurants make MHS a colorful and vibrant street. We stopped by the Patisserie Valerie which serves chocolates and deserts, kind of a cross between a Godiva and Alpine Bakery. The interior resembles that of one of the Four Corner Cafes on Bleecker Street in New York’s West Village—cozy, casual, and always busy.

We made a left onto Moxon St., a small side street well-known for their exclusive upscale food shops. Total Organics sits to the immediate left of La Fromagerie, an internationally re-known cheese store. All kinds of cheeses ranging from goat cheese, my favorite, to cheddar to brie to feta and beyond are sold at Old Bond Street prices, making it a designer cheese store for those desiring upscale cheeses.

A Brief Visit to Covent Garden

Covent Square is a plaza whose central building is open-air with a glass ceiling. Any London tour guide will recommend Covent Garden as a prime shopping area. And it is. You name it, it’s there. Anything, from popular American clothing stores like French Connection and the Gap to UK-specific stores like Monsoon and Fresh to skin and hair care shops surround the plaza. Covent Garden is teeming with shoppers on the weekend, locals and tourists alike. Visit Covent Garden expecting to fight the crowds.

I found the shopping at Covent Garden dull and distracting. Its real attraction is the live music. Music is everywhere, but the bargain sales and big crowds can overwhelm the senses. Covent Garden has no “garden” to speak of; it is a center for conspicuous consumption.

Walking through the center of Covent Garden amidst the throngs of shoppers and heading towards the “Pizza Café”, a poor excuse for a restaurant that caters to American tourists eager for a cheap meal, I instantly recognized Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” floating through the air. I turned to my husband and asked, “Who’s getting married?” What we saw wasn’t a bride walking towards her groom but a roaming string quartet. Four young, hip Londoners entertained the crowds by serenading single tourists with classical music. Outside Covent Square, on all four sides of the center was a musician entertaining anyone that wasn’t shopping.