PARIS Phõ Bánh Cuôn 14

This was Robert and Tiffany's last meal in Paris, as they have a flight to catch the next morning. They wanted something simple, as we were not too hungry, and we settled on Phõ Bánh Cuôn 14, a Vietnamese restaurant very close to our apartment.

We all ordered our usual favorites: dad and Robert went for the grilled pork vermicelli bowl, Tiffany went for a bowl of phõ, and Thanh went for bánh cuôn. The bánh cuôn texture was slightly different than what Thanh was used to, but everyone else's meals were as expected.

After the meal, we walked home, and relaxed while they packed. After Robert and Tiffany fly home, we will begin our road trip to Mont Saint Michel and the Loire Valley à nous deux.

Phǒ Bánh Cuôn 14

RECOMMENDATIONS: Average Vietnamese restaurant, serving the usual Vietnamese fares.

PARIS Le Cèdre

After coffee at Dose, we headed over to Le Cèdre, a Lebanese restaurant nearby. We all got the combos of Chawarma sandwiches, and they were simple and delicious.

Le Cèdre

RECOMMENDATIONS: Solid pick. The Chawarma sandwiches were excellent, and we saw the table next to us with many other different dishes that we would love to try another time. If you are looking for a simple, quick, and delicious meal, and you are in the area, stop by.

PARIS Dose Café (permanently closed)

We went to Dose Café on Rue Mouffetard, and it was a cute little place. But this location appears to have closed permanently.

Dose

NO RECOMMENDATIONS

PARIS Kei

We picked Kei, a three-Michelin star restaurant, for our fine dining experience on this trip. Kei serves Japanese-French fusion, and offers three tasting menus at three price points. Its location was conveniently a block away from our apartment, making it a perfect pick.

We prepared to make reservations about 2 months ahead of time, as soon as the reservations opened. The dress code was casual chic, so we packed a nice outfit for the occasion.

Kei Paris

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended. The service was top notched, as we have experienced at other three-Michelin star restaurants. The food was excellent, and in Thanh's opinion, was the best of the three-Michelin star restaurants she has been to. The portion was just perfect, not too small, so that the enjoyment lasted more than the initial taste. The lobster tail and wagyu steak were a solid surf and turf anchor to the creative dishes coming before and after them. It was great to be able to compare the preparation of lobster and steak at a fine dining to what we had at other restaurants.

Our other three-Michelin star restaurants:

Little Inn of Washington (Virginia) -- our first three-Michelin star restaurant

Geranium (Copenhagen) -- won Word's 50 Best Restaurants in 2022; Phil's top pick of the three-Michelin star restaurants; very fancy 23-course meal; very delicious but the portion was bite-size, making you miss what you just ate; the fanciest and best presented meal we had, and the non-alcoholic drink pairing elevated the meal, with fancy fruit and vegetable drinks

Eleven Madison Park (NYC) -- serving vegan food at the time we went; excellent non-alcoholic drink pairing that was grape-based and made to taste like wine

Robert/Tiff and Ricci/Amy have been to the French Laundry (San Francisco)

PARIS Lomi Specialty Coffee

Lomi, located in the 18th arrondissement, was a bit out of the way from our rental in the first arrondissement. Today the plan was to walk the Champs-Elysées, so we had plenty of time. We took the metro to and back from Lomi.

Lomi

RECOMMENDATIONS: Excellent, one of the top specialty coffee we had on this trip. Definitely stop by if you are in the area visiting Montmartre.

PARIS Cocorico

We made reservations at Cocorico based on Philippe's recommendations, as its location was very close to the Musée d'Orsay, and today was our museums day.

It turned out that we had a large gap between our last museum visit and our dinner reservations, so it was not as well planned as we thought. 

When we finally returned to the area after wandering off, we were ready for a good meal. Cocorico did not disappoint. We ordered their famous roasted chicken, whole to share, duck breast with honey and spices, a Caesar salad, and a side of fries. Everything was delicious.

Cocorico

RECOMMENDATIONS: Solid pick for a restaurant near the Louvre and the museums. 

PARIS La Pâtisserie du Meurice par Cedric Grolet

Robert wanted to try the famous pastry by Cedric Golet, who specializes in "Trompe-l'œil Fruits," or fruit look-alike's. The pastry shop is part of the high-end hotel Le Meurice, on Rue de Rivoli, near the Tuileries garden and the museums.

The first time we went, there was a very long line for a table. We decided instead to online order for pick up the next day when we would be back in the area visiting the museums.

We ordered the Collection of all five fruits, for 90 euros.

The next day, after visiting the Louvre, L'Orangerie and Musée d'Orsay, we walked over to pick up our pastry collection and came back to the Tuileries garden to eat on a park bench. The fruit look-alike pastries were amazing looking, and even better tasting. These were Michelin-star worthy desserts.

Collection by Cedric Golet

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended. The Collection was definitely not cheap, but this was one of those lifetime experiences that a foodie would not want to miss.

We had a pear look-alike at the Little Inn of Washington, a three-Michelin star restaurant in Virginia. This is quite an experience to share a whole collection of these desserts.

PARIS Le Soufflé

Today was a museum day. We made reservations ahead of time, for 9am at the Louvre, 2pm at L'Orangerie, and 3pm at Musée d'Orsay.

Lunch was reserved at 12:45pm at Le Soufflé, conveniently at walking distance from all the museums. We had been here before, on our previous trip, and enjoyed the soufflé very much. So we brought Robert and Tiffany here to taste the well-known French specialty.

Thanh and Tiff ordered the white asparagus soufflé, as they were in season. The Louis IV soufflé with chicken and mushroom sauce was another popular one that Phil and Robert ordered. They all came with a side gravy. We shared a dessert soufflé. 

Le Soufflé

RECOMMENDATIONS: This restaurant's main specialty is soufflé, and they serve both savory and sweet variants of soufflé. Their soufflé are very light and fluffy. If you want a good soufflé, this is the place to go. They do have other items on their menu, if you have other people in your party who do not want soufflé. Make reservations, as they do book up.

PARIS Au Pied de Cochon

Au Pied de Cochon was on the same block as our apartment, La Maison de Paris. The proximity to our rental was a plus today, after a long day visiting Versailles.

The restaurant can accommodate a large group, and is open very late through the night. The menu is also very extensive, ranging from seafood (including fresh oysters) to their specialty, various pork cuts (including pork trotters, aka pork feet.) There are also many classic French dishes, such as onion soups, escargots, frog legs, and French desserts like crêpes Suzette flambée, crème brûlée, café Liégeois.

Au Pied de Cochon

RECOMMENDATIONS: Solid for classic French fares and the ease of getting a table and the convenience of a late night meal. We came here on our last trip to Paris a few years ago, and came back on this trip with Tiff and Rob. We tried the pork trotters on our last trip, and did not like the texture. We enjoyed everything else.

PARIS, VERSAILLES Angelina

We took the train from Paris and spent the day visiting the Château de Versailles. We decided to have a nice late lunch at the famous Angelina Café, located inside the Château.

There was a long line, but it was worth the wait for a table, as we wanted the rest as much as the food. Phil ordered the exclusive dish, le Vol-au-vent, a dish of chicken and mushroom fillings topped with a light and airy puff pastry, something we had in Brussels that we loved. Tiffany had the smoked salmon gravlax with dill, and Robert had the Quiche Lorraine. We finished with Angelina's famous pastries, the Mont-Blanc and the Paris-Brest.

Angelina Versailles

RECOMMENDATIONS: There were multiple Angelina Café locations, and they all had a long line. They were famous for their pastries and their incredibly thick and rich hot chocolate. 

We discovered that NYC had two Angelina Café locations. If you did not have the time to wait in line for Angelina in Paris, you could always go to the ones in NYC.

PARIS Domenico's

After Substance Café, we did a little bit of shopping before dinner. Robert suggested an Italian restaurant called Domenico's for dinner. 

At 7pm, we were the only customers. The owner/waiter was very attentive to our needs. As soon as he saw us taking a selfie, he came out to offer his help. The food came quickly, and every dish we ordered was delicious.

Domenico's

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended. We are not sure why there aren't other customers, because the pasta tasted fresh and all the sauce was well made. An excellent Italian dinner in Paris.

PARIS Substance Café

Substance Café was truly the most unforgettable experience of our espresso journey with Robert and Tiffany. 

The business model was quite interesting. The café is open only by reservation, in a two-hour block: 12:30pm to 2:30pm, and 2:30pm to 4:30pm. Each two-hour block only had 8 to 10 seatings. Joachim, the owner, is a one-man operation. He takes the order, brews the coffee, explains his process, tells the stories behind his beans, and answers all your questions. He talks with you and finds out what you like so he can recommend the next drink that he thinks you will like. There is no minimum purchase required, but because he is so approachable and so good at his craft, you end up drinking more coffee than you thought you would.

On the day the four of us went, there were four other customers. We discovered to our dismay that we were the only casual coffee drinkers in the group, as one guy was a barista working in a coffee shop in NYC, one couple from the UK who worked in marketing for their roaster, and another regular who was also in the business of coffee.

Tiffany ordered the Ethiopia Gesha Village Oma #80 in a V60, Thanh ordered the Ethiopia Khalida Shifa Badaye in a cappuccino, Phil and Robert started with the Badaye in a double espresso shot, followed by the Panama Elida Estate 2023 Lona ASD also as a pure espresso shot. 

We ended with a cappuccino with freeze distillation milk (cryo-concentré) that Joachim said tasted like a dessert drink, because it was naturally sweetened by the freeze distillation milk.

As a parting gift, Joachim gave everyone a delicious cold brew on the house, that has been brewed for 60 hours.

Substance Café

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended if you are into coffee and you want to try championship level brews and chat coffee in an intimate experience. This is a one-in-a-lifetime coffee experience. Make sure you make reservations ahead of time.

PARIS Le Petit Vendôme

 Le Petit Vendôme was voted World's Best Sandwich by Time Out in 2025. Today was a good day to try their "jambon beurre," the classic ham and butter baguette.

They open for lunch at noon, but allowed us to get a table to order sandwiches. Most other customers ordered sandwiches to go.

We wanted to get a good brunch before our two-hour reservation at Substance Café, starting at 12:30pm. 

Le Petit Vendôme

RECOMMENDATIONS: This was not the best baguette sandwich for us. We still craved the Iberian ham baguette from Mercado Victoria in Cordoba, Spain. It was the baguette that made the difference: the baguette at the market place in Cordoba had a thinner crust yet very crispy, and this baguette had a thicker harder crust. This was still a classic and wonderful "jambon beurre," but did not qualify as "best in the world" in our humble opinion.

PARIS Hanoi 1988

We read good reviews about Hanoi 1988, a Northern Vietnamese phõ restaurant that typically had long lines. It had a great location of being on the Île de la Cité, near the major landmarks like Saint Chapelle and La Conciergerie.

We were interested in checking out the taste difference between a Northern Vietnamese pho versus the Southern Vietnamese style that we were used to. Tonight was a good night, because after our day spent in Montmartre, a bowl of hot phõ sounded good to us.

As soon as we arrived, Phil upped his pace to get in line. Fortunately, the line moved well, since the service was fast.

The inside of the restaurant was very cute and colorful. We got an outdoor table as it was the first one available to us. We ordered some egg rolls to share, and they were very crispy and excellent. Everyone ordered the phõ specialty, and we enjoyed the delicate broth very much. It was delicious.

Hanoi 1988

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended if you don't mind waiting in line. The wait was not bad, and their specialty phõ was light and tasty. An excellent choice if you want a light meal.

MONTMARTRE Le Poulbot

 On our day exploring Montmartre, we had reservations at Le Poulbot, a highly reviewed restaurant serving traditional French fares.

We ordered Steak Frites, Confit de Canard (Duck Confit), and Bœuf Bourguignon. Everything was delicious, and the bistro was very cute and cozy.

Le Poulbot

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended in the area of Montmartre. It is a good idea to make a reservation ahead of time. The inside is not very large, and the day we went, it was drizzling a bit so the outside seating was closed.

MONTMARTRE The Beans On Fire Specialty Coffee

Today was our day to spend exploring Montmartre. We had our Bo & Mie breakfast croissants at our apartment rental before heading out.

Taking the metro to les Abbesses, we had a beautiful view of the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur on our way to Le Mur des je t'aime. The Beans on Fire was our next stop for a nice coffee break.

The Beans on Fire

RECOMMENDATIONS: Very good. This is a good stop for coffee if you are in Montmartre.

PARIS Robert & Louise Steakhouse

This restaurant was a repeat from our last trip, where we enjoyed great steaks. So we booked again for Robert and Tiffany to enjoy with us.

The restaurant still looked the same as a few years ago. This time, instead of sharing a T-bone steak like we did last time, we all got our own steak.

The boys ordered a T-bone steak, and the girls ordered the ribeye, which appeared to be smaller. Unfortunately for Tiffany and Thanh, the ribeye cut was not the same as in the States, because it was very tough and not good. The T-bone steak was still excellent for Robert and Phil.

From their website, it appeared that Louise was no longer with us since the last time we came. On our way out, we again spotted Robert sitting at the bar, and said hello. He appeared to remember "Camille" and told us not to wait so long to come back again. He gave us some trinkets like he did last time.

Robert et Louise

RECOMMENDATIONS: Not as good as last time, due to the ribeye being a tough cut. The T-bone steak was still good. Possibly try a different steakhouse next time in Paris.

PARIS Terres de Café Specialty Coffee

More specialty coffee after the visit to Notre Dame and before dinner. We walked to the shopping area near our apartment to check out Loveramics, and stopped at Terres de Café. 

Thanh ordered a strawberry nectar by Alain Milliat, that turned out to be delicious. This got us hooked on nectar fruit drinks that we bought for breakfast to go with Bo & Mie croissants for the rest of our stay in Paris.

Terres de Café

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended for their espresso, pour over, and nectar fruit drink. A good stop next to Loveramics the fancy ceramics shop near Les Halles shopping mall.

PARIS Bistro Des Augustins

Before our time slot to visit Notre Dame, we went to Bistro Des Augustins for lunch, per Philippe's recommendation.

Their specialty is the potato au gratin, a classic French dish consisting of layers of thinly sliced potatoes, Swiss cheese, and creamy garlicky sauce. Thanh can make this at home, but we are very interested in tasting this at this highly reviewed restaurant.

Their menu included many different variations of the dish, and we chose the Paysan version that included bacon and egg. It was delicious, and it inspired us to try adding ingredients like pancetta at home.

Bistro des Augustins

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended. Plan for enough time to get the food and enjoy it. One order of potato au gratin is enough for two, perfect with a side of salad. Very close to the Ile de la Cité, where Saint Chapelle and Notre Dame are located.

PARIS Motors Specialty Coffee

Motors Coffee was highly reviewed, and very close to the area where we stayed in Paris. After a breakfast at Bo&Mie, we went in search for good coffee and ended up here.

There was no line when we arrived, and we easily found seating to enjoy our coffee. By the time we left, a long line has formed outside the shop.

Motors Coffee

RECOMMENDATIONS: Very good coffee, excellent latte art. Definitely stop by if you are in the area.

PARIS Bo & Mie

Bo & Mie was a wonderful boulangerie / patisserie that was only 6 minutes walking distance from our apartment rental My Maison in Paris.

We arrived to Paris by sleeper train from Perpignan, and after dropping off our luggages at the luggage storage room of our rental, we walked to Bo & Mie for a breakfast of croissants and baked goods. The line was long and slow, but we found a table to sit and relax.

We soon discovered that Bo & Mie has a pick up window, and by ordering online and picking up, there was no line and no wait. 

For the rest of our stay in Paris, every morning, Robert would wake up, pre-order our croissants and Kouing-amaan pastry, pick them up, reheat them in the oven, and the four of us would enjoy our breakfast in our apartment. What a thoughtful son we have.

Bo & Mie

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended. They have several locations in Paris, but the chocolate croissants at the Turbigo location did not look as flakey as the one at the Louvre-Tivoli. The Kouing-amaan was out of this world.

BARCELONA, SPAIN Universal Kiosk at the Mercat de la Boqueria

For our last meal in Barcelona, we went to the Mercat de la Boqueria, a wonderful market place very close to our apartment rental. As a matter of fact, we chose our booking based on how close it was to the market place.

Phil and Thanh had been to the Universal Kiosk during our last trip and really enjoyed the fresh seafood from this food stand.  Robert and Tiffany were excited to try it on this trip.

We ordered five tapas to share, and Robert and Tiffany were very impressed with the freshness of the ingredients, and the delicious taste of each dish. The pan-fried sole was particularly well made, and we were glad we accepted the recommendation of the chef.

After the wonderful lunch, we walked to the chocolate street, but many chocolatiers have closed shop since the last time we visited.

Later this evening, we would take the overnight train to Paris. The four of us enjoyed the food scene in Barcelona a lot, much more than in Madrid.

Universal Kiosk at the Mercat de la Boqueria

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended. This was our favorite food stand at the Mercat de la Boqueria. Everything we ordered was fresh and delicious.

BARCELONA, SPAIN Dalston Coffee

Today was our last day in Barcelona. We would catch a train in late afternoon from Barcelona to Perpignan, a small town just on the French side of the Spain-France border. Then from Perpignan, we would take the sleeper train from Perpignan to Paris Gare d'Austerlitz, arriving around 6am the next morning.

We went for a late morning coffee at Dalston Coffee. We had plans to eat at the Mercat de la Boqueria after coffee for an early lunch.

Dalston Coffee

RECOMMENDATIONS: Decent coffee, but did not stand out.

BARCELONA, SPAIN The Holy Cookie

After dinner, Robert proposed a couple options for dessert. One was pastries and one was cookies. We chose cookies.

We decided to walk to the Holy Cookie,  even though it was a 30-minute walk from our apartment rental, so we could walk off dinner.

The shop opened pretty late (until 10PM) and was located in a pretty quiet neighborhood. We were the only people there.

We intended to only buy a couple of cookies to share, but the girl convinced us to buy four cookies so they can fit into a box. We took an Uber home so we can share and dig into our cookies.

Once back at the apartment, we cut up the cookies nicely. Thanh and Tiffany could not finish their shares. The cookies were too sweet. We saved them for the next day's breakfast, but could not eat them the next morning either.

The Holy Cookie

RECOMMENDATIONS: Skip this. We still laugh at ourselves for walking 30 minutes to bad cookies.

BARCELONA, SPAIN La Gallega Tobogán

After spending the day at the Parc Güell, we were ready for a nice dinner. We chose La Gallega Tobogán at the Plaça Reial for its proximity to our apartment rental, and picked an outdoor table to people watch.

We were famished, and ordered several starter dishes and main entrées. We intended to save room for dessert afterwards, as Robert had a couple of dessert places in mind for us to choose from.

La Gallega Tobogán

RECOMMENDATIONS: Average. The food was good, but did not stand out. The proximity to where we stayed was the main reason we picked this.

BARCELONA, SPAIN Kafenion Specialty Coffee

After a lot of walking in the Parc Güell, we stopped for a coffee break at the Kafenion Specialty Coffee. 

The menu looked very interesting, and we ordered several coffees, hot and cold. The latte art was not very good.

Kafenion Specialty Coffee

RECOMMENDATIONS: Average. Drinks were pretty good, but did not stand out. Latte art was sub-par.

BARCELONA, SPAIN Güelly Sandwichpark

We took our time on this drizzling morning to go to Parc Güell, having not purchased entrance tickets ahead of time.

We had lunch at Güelly Sandwichpark, located near a side entrance of the park. The sandwiches were simple and cheap, perfect for a simple lunch at the park.

As we checked for tickets to the park, we noticed that they were timed tickets and the earliest available time to purchase for that day was 4pm. This did not feel like a good use of our time since it was only 1pm and we did not want to wait 3 hours outside the park. Luckily, we went to the park entrance to get more information, and learned that the park would let us in as long as we could show tickets for that day, no matter what time our tickets said.

We purchased our tickets and spent the afternoon exploring the park.

Güelly Sandwichpark

RECOMMENDATIONS: A good sandwich place if you want some simple lunch near Parc Güell. 

BARCELONA, SPAIN Be Chocolat

Still full from Teoric tasting menu at lunch, we decided to have ice cream for dinner at Be Chocolat, very close to our apartment rental. 

Robert and Tiffany shared one ice cream bar, while Phil and Thanh each got their own, as they could not agree on the same flavor. This was most unfortunate, as the ice cream was so rich and creamy that Thanh struggled to finish her ice cream bar and needed help.

Be Chocolat ice cream bars

RECOMMENDATIONS: Ice cream bars are very rich and creamy, so sharing one for two people would be what I recommend (lesson learned the hard way.) The shop also sells chocolate bars, and we bought some dark chocolate that is very smooth and excellent.

BARCELONA, SPAIN BLACKBIRD Coffee Corner

We stopped for a coffee break at BLACKBIRD Coffee Corner, very close to la Sagrada Familia.

Robert and Tiffany got a pour over, while Phil got a cortada.

BLACKBIRD Coffee Corner

RECOMMENDATIONS: Average, did not stand out.

BARCELONA, SPAIN Teoric Taverna Gastronomica

 Robert and Tiffany were excited they were able to make reservations at Teoric Taverna for lunch a couple days beforehand.

Their tasting menu comes in a "long" menu (around 65 euros) and a "short" menu (around 50 euros), with about 12 to 14 courses. The restaurant uses local and organic sourcing for their ingredients, are are known for the best tasting menu and excellent value in Barcelona.

We found the service to be attentive, and the food to be excellent. The dishes showcased the chef's creativity in the unexpected combination of ingredients into something delicious.

Teoric Taverna Tasting Menu

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended. We rank Teoric as the #2 best tasting menu of the trip (after Kei, the three-Michelin star restaurant in Paris). We find it to be a great deal for the experience. You should go out of your way to book a reservation here.

BARCELONA, SPAIN Nomad Specialty Coffee

Nomad Specialty Coffee was conveniently located within walking distance of our Barcelona apartment rental, and had very high internet reviews. We were excited to try their coffee.

The shop was small, with about 5 to 6 counter seatings, and a couple of benches by the wall. However, we were able to find seatings both times we went, allowing us to slowly savor our coffee each time.

On the first visit, Tiffany ordered a pour-over with the Colombia Mango beans, and was very impressed with the subtle mango flavor. Robert and Phil ordered the Ethiopian espresso and really enjoyed it. Thanh ordered a cappuccino with beans from Peru, with a chocolate and hazelnut flavor. It was perfect, with a nutty and chocolatey hint and natural sweetness. 

Nomad Visit Day 1

On the second visit, Thanh stopped by a little bakery and bought a mini pain de raisin to go with her cappuccino. Sadly she did not document the name of the bakery, because the pain de raisin was of the perfect size and sweetness and freshness to pair with the perfect cappuccino.

Nomad Visit Day 2

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended. Of the 3 1/2 days spent in Barcelona, we came to Nomad twice, that was how much we liked it. Robert and Tiffany bought a bag of the Colombia Mango beans to bring home for their pour-over, as they enjoyed the subtle mango so much at Nomad.

We rank Nomad the #2 best coffee of our entire Spain/France trip. A must go if you are a coffee lover.

BARCELONA, SPAIN Mercat de Santa Caterina

On our way to Nomad Coffee this morning, we walked by the Mercat de Santa Caterina. This market was built on the former site of the Convent of Santa Caterina. Part of the archaeological remains has been preserved and is visible from a public platform.

Archeological remains of the Convent of Santa Caterina

The roof of the market place was very beautiful, consisting of colorful hexagons that covered a warped surface formed by wood vaults that rested on steel beams.

Roof of the Mercat de Santa Caterina

As always, we enjoyed visiting market places in every city we went. We bought some fresh fruits to snack on. The strawberries were especially fresh and juicy as they were in season.

Mercat de Santa Caterina

RECOMMENDATIONS: Stop by if you are in the area. The market area was smaller than the Mercado de la Boqueria, but the archaeological remains of the old convent were very interesting to see.

BARCELONA, SPAIN Tapeo del Born

For our first dinner in Barcelona, Thanh made reservations at Tapeo del Born, a tapas restaurant we have been to on our previous visit three years ago. It was one of our favorite tapas restaurant, so we wanted to repeat the experience with Robert and Tiffany.

The restaurant was full, just as it was three years ago, and we were happy to have reservations. We sat back and let Robert and Tiffany get their picks from the menu. We ended up with a few of what we picked from three years ago, and new items that we happily tried. The only request Thanh had was that for dessert, each couple should order their own Crema Catalana, as the memory of it was so sweet Thanh wanted more than a quarter of it for herself.

Tapeo del Born

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended even three years later. Amazing tapas food, so much that Robert and Tiffany felt the pressure to find a tapas place to top this so that we do not leave Barcelona with a top pick that was a repeat. Stay tune for this.

MADRID, SPAIN HanSo Cafe

On our last morning in Madrid, we went for a nice big breakfast before catching the bullet train to Barcelona.

Robert and Tiffany chose the HanSo Cafe, a seven-minute walk from our rental at the Gran View Apartments on Gran Via.

The coffee menu was huge. In the picture from left to right, it was Thanh's an oatmilk caramel macchiato, Phil's cortado with a cute heart, Robert's red velvet latte with an amazing flying horse, and Tiffany's pour over. The latte art on Robert's red velvet latte blew us away. This was the best latte art we had on this trip (or any other trip.)

The food menu was so appetizing. Tiffany and Robert shared a salmon and cream cheese bagel, and a yogurt & granola bowl. Thanh and Phil shared a chocolate croissant and a B.L.A.T. sandwich (bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato, basil, mayo.)

Everything was so delicious, it turned out that we savored our meal a bit too slowly. Half of us ended up missing the train to Barcelona by just a couple minutes (each couple had to take a separate Uber to the train station because of luggage and we did not account for the morning traffic.) Fortunately, there were hourly trains going from Madrid to Barcelona, so we caught up easily at the apartment rental in Barcelona.

HanSo Cafe

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended. Everything was delicious. Breakfast food especially was amazing. The coffee drinks were good (if you like them sweet.)

SEVILLE, SPAIN El Pasaje Tapas Bar

After a self-guided walking tour of Seville, we wanted to grab an early dinner before catching the train back to Madrid.

Robert and Tiffany found a tapas bar right around the corner from the Catedral de Sevilla, El Pasaje Tapas. It was early enough that it was not crowded.

We were excited to order several small plates, ranging from burrata to a caprese salad, a tuna tartar, small grilled squid (obviously our favorite dish as we ordered this everywhere we went), a mushroom risotto, and three different desserts.

El Pasaje Tapas

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended. We were surprised to find such amazing food at such a good price in a touristy part of Seville. It came out to be about 23 euros per person, what an incredible deal. We enjoyed this very much and would definitely be back if we are in Seville.

SEVILLE, SPAIN Delatribu Specialty Coffee

Coffee break was at Delatribu Specialty Coffee, a carry-out shop. It was hot, so Robert and Tiffany got some cold brew, while Phil stuck with a cortado.

Delatribu Specialty Coffee

RECOMMENDATIONS: Good.

SEVILLE, SPAIN Mercado de Triana

We arrived to Seville by train from Cordoba. It was a short train ride, and from the train station, we took an Uber to the Plaza de Espana.

It was a short 30-minute scenic walk from the Plaza de Espana to the Mercado de Triana, along the river.

The European food halls were always a highlight on our food journey, and this market place did not disappoint.

We snacked on fresh strawberries and blueberries from the fruit stall, and grabbed a table at the Jose Luis Romero Jamoneria stall.

We decided on a light lunch, with an order of fresh raw oysters, and a tasting of three Jose Luis Romero selection. Our server explained the selections from increasing cost: Joselito Gran Reserva, 50% Iberian 50% Vietnamese origin; Jamon Bellota D.O., 100% Iberian; Jamon Bellota Sierra Mayor, acorn-fed 100% Iberian purebred pig shoulders.

Jose Luis Romero Jamoneria stall at the Mercado de Triana

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended. The oysters were delicious, but the ham was amazing. We started with the 50-50 Iberian-Vietnamese ham, and loved the soft and delicate flavor of the ham that almost melts in your mouth. The next two selections of the Bellota had a stronger after-taste that grew on us, and a more firm texture than the first selection. As we went back and forth between the three selections, it took us a little while to finally decide that the most expensive cut was the best tasting. We all agreed that had we not have tasted them side-by-side, we would have been very happy with any of the selections.

CORDOBA, SPAIN El Estribo

We had breakfast on our last morning in Cordoba at El Estribo, conveniently located by the train station. 

Sam recommended the Tostada Del Estribo (toast with chopped tomato and chopped Iberian ham and olive oil), and warned to share one order per couple.

RECOMMENDATIONS: A solid recommendation from Sam. A nice simple breakfast before the train ride back to Madrid. It was very cheap, and the convenience of being near the train station is also great.

CORDOBA, SPAIN El Churrasco

Dinner in Cordoba was at a steakhouse, El Churrasco.

We shared a couple steaks, with sides as potatoes, salad, and grilled mushrooms. 

El Churrasco steakhouse

RECOMMENDATIONS: Not a memorable meal. Pretty average.

CORDOBA, SPAIN Casa Rubio Bar

For our second lunch, we stopped at Casa Rubio Bar, driven by hunger and intrigued by the Michelin sign on their door. After checking out their menu, we decided to grab an outdoor table for five.

Sam had some specific Cordoba dishes in mind, and she was very excited about the cold cream soup of tomato from the Cordoba area.

We ordered several tapas to share, including croquettes, oxtail stew, rolls of pork loin.

Casa Rubio Bar

RECOMMENDATIONS: Everything was good, not exceptional. The oxtail stew was surprisingly good. Some of us enjoyed the pork loin rolls more than others. The cold soups were good, and so was the fresh tomato tuna salad.

CORDOBA, SPAIN Arabiga Specialty Coffee

The after-lunch coffee break was at Arabiga Specialty Coffee. Next door to Arabiga was a Pasteis de Nata shop called Arte+Nata. 

That sounded like a lovely combination. Both these shops were carry-out only, so we got our cappuccino and pasta de nata to go.

Arabiga Coffee and Arte+Nata Pasteis de Nata

RECOMMENDATIONS: The coffee was solid. The interaction with the shop owner at Arte+Nata was a bit awkward, with the shop owner lecturing Thanh when she tried to take a picture of him grabbing a pasta de nata that she ordered. Overall, an average experience.

CORDOBA, SPAIN Mercado Victoria

We were very lucky to catch the tail end of the Cordoba Patio Festival of 2025. The festival runs in parallel with a competition of Courtyards and Crosses, where the owners decorate their houses with many flowers planted in beds and pots. During the festival, the homeowners open up their patios to visitors, and the winners of the prestigious awards for various categories had the longest lines.

We took the 9:35am train from Madrid, arriving in Cordoba at 11:22am. We immediately walked to the Mercado Victoria for a lunch break.

The Ibericos stand with products from the Pedroches Valley by BEHER stood out to us. We first ordered an Iberian ham baguette. It was so good that we followed up with a plate of Iberian ham for snacking.

Iberian ham is sourced from pigs that are 100% acorn-fed, farmed in Los Pedroches and raised in Cordoba. The curing process is done exclusively in Guijuelo, Salamanca, for over 100 years.

Mercado Victoria: Ibericos stand

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended. The Iberian ham baguette was the best baguette we had on this trip: the baguette perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. We picked the best quality Iberian cut and what a heavenly combination it was.

MADRID, SPAIN Valor Chocolatier

We left room for some churros finally, because this was on our bucket list of things for Rob and Tiff to try in Madrid.

On our last visit to Madrid, we went to the famous Chocolatier San Ginés, but we remembered not being so impressed with the chocolate dip.

This time, we did a little bit of research, and decided to check out Valor Chocolatier. We were drawn to the fact that Valor offered a wide range from white chocolate to milk chocolate to 70% dark chocolate, even chocolate with hazelnut, to go with their churros.

Phil and Thanh went for the 70% dark chocolate while Rob and Tiff went for the traditional chocolate drink, served thick and hot. The churros came out piping hot and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The combination was heavenly!

Valor churros and chocolate

RECOMMENDATIONS: We highly recommend Valor for the best churros in Madrid, over the overly-hyped San Ginés. The best part was that they closed very late, so there are plenty of time to go for an after-dinner dessert.

MADRID, SPAIN Takos Al Pastor

 Sam asked if we were willing to wait in line for good food, and of course we were! We were not that hungry yet, so we lined up at the end of a long line at Takos Al Pastor. 

By the time we got to the front of the line, our appetite had kicked up, and we were ready for some amazing tacos.

Sam treated us all to dinner, which made the food even better! The spicy green sauce was a great accompaniment to the tacos we picked.

Takos Al Pastor

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended. Great tasting and cheap is a win-win combination. The line moves pretty fast, and the food comes out fast. Really good salsa to go with the tacos. Sam gets our approval on this recommendation.

MADRID, SPAIN Dabov Specialty Coffee

 Afternoon coffee break was at Dabov Specialty Coffee. 

Dabov Specialty Coffee

RECOMMENDATIONS: Solid, but not the best in Spain, and not the top three of our Spain/France trip.