food & drink Loathe it? Queue up at another stand for a different bite — or a glass of wine to wash it down! This way, though, people will be able to get acquainted with a wide variety of delicacies which they never dared order in a restaurant, if they aren’t the adventurous kind, or perhaps they never found on a restaurant’s menu, for they are specialities served only in their homeland, or homemade by the few in the know. Expect the most epitomic Gibraltarian foods, like Calentita, which the festival is named after, because this dish evokes the very nature of its keenest eaters with its golden, warm, soft and compact texture — but also paella, fish and chips and pinchitos galore. Indian tandoori and Moroccan tajine will be stars of the show — in previous years they sold out literally like hotcakes — but ‘Calentita’ will be the perfect venue to familiarise yourself with Maltese, Genoese, Nepalese, Chinese and German treats that represent a cross-section of all immigrants old and new who have contributed to Gibraltar’s social fabric. Expect rosto, spring rolls and sauerkraut, but also a lot of finger-licking surprises! Cherry on the cake? An entire stall will be dedicated to Gibraltarian desserts, which is welcome news, for they’re too often kept jealously secret at private banquets, and too seldom featured on the average cafeteria menu. If you aren’t a domestic god or goddess whose Bienmesabe makes you exclaim “¡Qué bien me sale!”, you can always pop to Casemates, learn how it’s done, and gorge yourself! Although stalls aren’t encouraged to sell drinks, unless they have an ethnic feel, they
will provide typical beverages like mint tea or sangria — for soft drinks, beer and shots, bars and restaurants in the square will be happy to oblige. Wannabe sommeliers will welcome the introduction of one stall solely devoted to wine tasting, where a wide selection of vintages will inebriate your taste buds. Far from being just a wine and dine experience, entertainment will form a central part with traditions from faraway lands and faraway eras, dances, street theatre and sing-alongs. Casemates Square will become the dance floor for improvised, spontaneous outbursts of exuberance prompted by a combination of zesty food and oozing booze, with the notes of traditional music in the background. Because most cultures seal friendships with convivial dinners and toasts with their festive beverages, event coordinator Owen Smith is confident he will make even more friends this year among people one wouldn’t typically imagine hanging out in Casemates on a Friday night. n
Far from being just a wine and dine experience, entertainment will form a central part with traditions from faraway lands and faraway eras, dances, street theatre and sing-alongs
enjoy relax
Contemporary Mediterranean Dining
Tandoori Prawns
14
on the QUAY
Queensway Quay Marina Tel: 200 43731
Enjoy exemplary food with exceptional value in the relaxed atmosphere of Queensway Quay Marina
enjoy relax delicious Grand Casemates Square
FREE WiFi
Tel:
200 44449
GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009
lunch afternoon tea dinner cocktails
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