Residents and tourists are being invited to savour traditional Alicante cuisine in the lead up to Easter. Alicante City Hall has launched two culinary initiatives, a “Brotherhood Tapas Route” and “Lent Friday Menus”, to showcase typical Easter gastronomy.
At the same time, Alicante-Elche Airport’s own restaurant services have been enhanced with the opening of two top chain outlets: EXKi and Enrique Tomás Experience.
The aim of the Alicante municipal initiatives is, according to councillors Mari Carmen Sánchez and Lidia López, to offer Alicante locals and visitors a taste of typical Lent seasonal cuisine, and reunite them with traditional recipes through imaginative culinary options created by Alicante restaurants.
“We want to link our traditions and customs with culinary art, and promote products, recipes and dishes that are traditional during the Easter period.”
The second edition of “La Tapa Cofrade” (“The Brotherhood Tapa”) continues until 27 March and involves several establishments offering a tapa created using local products and Lent cuisine and a beer for €3. The route includes Chapeau Alicante, Café Restaurante La Cigarra, Chapeau San Juan, El Colmado, Tres Bandas, Café Carvi, Restaurante Dhammas, Provenzal Alicante and Taberna La Vendimia.
“Menús de los Viernes de Cuaresma” (“Lent Friday Menus”), held every Friday until 27 March, offers menus ranging from €10 to €20 and including hot-pot dishes, anchovies, grouper meatballs, chickpea and cod stews, lasagna with fish bolognese, fish stew, grouper gazpacho (cold soup), Alicante “borreta” (a dish comprising cod, spinach, potatoes, garlic, “ñora” capsicum, onions and eggs), traditional French toast, fried milk and fig sorbets.
The restaurants involved include El Caldero, Restaurante El Francés, Antiguos Sabores Da Luigi, Hotel Leuka, Café Carvi, Taberna La Vendimia, Café Restaurante La Cigarra, Restaurante Chapeau, El Colmado, Cafetería El Corte Inglés, Costablanca Eventos, Casa Riquelme, Restaurante Dhammas, El Suquet de Castaños, ToBar Tapas , Cervecería Chapeau, Blacky Restaurante and Tres Bandas.
New Gourmet Options at Alicante-Elche Airport
Areas, a leading food and beverage and travel retail company, has opened its first EXKi outlet at the airport. The Belgian chain has more than 100 outlets throughout Europe – in Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands – focusing on “fresh natural products that are organic and/or fair trade whenever possible”, including a broad selection of organic coffees and teas, and “an extensive line of balanced, healthy meals created with quality ingredients”.
The outlet is Areas’ third EXKi at Spanish airports (the other two are in Barcelona) and forms part of the contract it has been awarded for eight new food and drink outlets at the Alicante-Elche Airport. Three others also already opened are the Santagloria café and bakery, Carlsberg pub and Lavazza café; and due to open soon are Deli&Cia (“the world’s first Tagliatella in an airport”), Subway and Starbucks.
Meanwhile, inaugurated in December was an Enrique Tomás Experience gourmet bar, specialising in Iberian products, tapas and wines. Passengers can enjoy 100 per cent Iberian acorn-fed ham (from Guijuelo, Extremadura, Jabugo and Pedroches Valley), as well as chorizo, salchichón and loin fillet.
Click here for more information about bars, coffee shops and restaurants at Alicante-Elche Airport.