Day 6 was an extra full day for us. We didn't have any plans, but breakfast naturally came first. We tried Coco Social House, a breakfast restaurant near our hotel. I chose Blueberry Pancakes - "Healthy pancakes with a delicate touch of natural sweetness and high natural protein content, served with our homemade blueberry sauce and Coco social House granola, vanilla cream, and fresh blueberries." As described, the pancake part was not so sweet, full with grains, which seemed healthy. The blueberry sauce was a bit too sweet and jammy for my taste. It would have been better if the sauce was served on the side so that I could control the amount. J ordered Protein Turkish Eggs - "Two perfectly poached eggs seasoned with our red pepper oil and spring onions, swimming on top of our smooth romesco-yogurt blend — where a delicate touch of sweetness and spices meets a gentle hint of heat, subtly woven into the romesco sauce for a perfectly balanced, mildly spicy finish." I thought J was happy with a hot dish, but he told me that the yogurt was too sour.
We checked out the Central Market again but didn't buy anything. We were still too full to think about foods at that time, I guess.
After wandering around the city center every day during our stay, we have become familiar with some streets and squares.
We visited Palacio del Marqués de Campo, originally the palace of the Duke of Villahermosa. Google described the place as a local history museum, but it was rather an art museum. Two exhibitions were held when we visited. On the upstair floor, works by the renowned Valencian painter Manuel Benedito (1875–1963), known for a refined, academic realism; on the ground floor, works by Elena Asins (1940-2015), a pioneering Spanish artist in the field of digital art and computer art, born in Madrid. Both were nice, particularly the latter. It showcased "Asins' formal and conceptual research, where music, mathematics and geometry are transformed into visual structures." Contemporary art is usually not my taste, but her works were fascinating.
We reached the Turia Garden and headed west through the long park, in the opposite direction to the aquarium. It was a nice exercise!
We came to a large green area with a river. It would be a nice spot to have a picnic and relax.
Since we didn't have a picnic basket, we took an Uber to a restaurant called Fum de Llum, located near Mercado de Colón. Claiming "Valencia is rice and rice is Valencia," the restaurant specializes in rice dishes, including paella. We both ordered their lunch special, consisting of three kinds of appetizers, one rice dish, and assortment of homemade pastries for two to share. While we were waiting for our appetizers, amuse-bouches were brought to our table. I think it was hummus with beats.
One of the three appetizers was Valencian tomato salad with persimmon. Oh NO! Mayonnaise! If we knew it was served with mayo, we could have chosen a different appetizer...
Shrimp croquettes were pretty good!
Tuna tartar was fine, too.
Our rice dish was Arroz de Pato, or duck rice. Layered with the rice and succulent shredded duck, sautéed spring onion and asparagus were incorporated for a modern twist. It was simple but flavorful.
J had Yzaguirre Vermouth, prepared in a local way. Classic servings feature a slice of orange or a few anchovy-stuffed olives. I saw orange and olives but I don't know whether the olives were anchovy-stuffed...
The assorted desserts were fresh pineapple, white chocolate mousse, and cheese cake. It was a lovely lunch and I was very glad to taste another Valencian rice dish, which was totally different from seafood paella we had a few days ago. In fact, paella was originally a humble meal prepared by farmers using land-based ingredients, such as chicken, rabbit, snail, and beans; seafood is a 'modern' ingredient. In that case, the duck rice was actually closer to the original.
We explored the city center a bit more before heading back to the hotel, taking advantage of the gorgeous weather.
To be continued...
