Restaurants/Dining Travel

Spanish Style Tapas at Mundaka in Carmel

Spanish Style Tapas at Mundaka in Carmel

Mundaka is a small restaurant that serves Spanish style tapas. I learned what tapas actually is! Did you know that tapas are actually small dishes? Our family had the privilege of dining at Mundaka after we first arrived in Carmel by the Sea, last week.  It was tucked in behind trees and buildings, away from the road. I admit I was a little skeptical when my wife (Clever Housewife) starting reading to me the description, the night before.  When we arrived, the restaurant was small but busy. The staff was very accommodating even though there seemed to not be enough room for our family of 6.  To make a long story short, they made room for us just a few minutes after we arrived. Our table was very comfortable, and we were accompanied by live music, which was very fun. Because it was tapas, they recommended trying several small dishes.

One of the first things the waiter decided to do was get the kids’ orders in.  Never in my experience with restaurants has any waiter thought to do that.  Because the menu was unfamiliar to us, the waiter was great at helping us decide what would work best for the kids. He settled on a hamburguesa, without all of the extras that kids don’t typically like. With my oldest son’s complaint of cauliflower, the waiter reassured him that he would make the hamburger meal very friendly and his promise was kept.  He started the kids off with some Bravas, which tastes like a classy spin on cheesy potatoes. We all enjoyed these. The mini hamburgers almost tasted like sausage – so yummy! The french fries were also very fresh.

Then our waiter took care of my wife and me.  Unlike my typical self, I decided to go out on a limb and try something new.  Maybe I felt like I could trust the waiter since he had done so well with the kids.  He recommended a dish that had lamb chops and fries, called “Cordero”. When I saw it I was concerned with the green sauce called “mojo verde”, but it was one of the most scrumptious tastes I have ever enjoyed. I had never tried lamb chops before either, but I was pleasantly surprised. The lamb chops were very tender and satisfying.

My wife and I also shared a leafy green dish with grapes and chorizo, as well as some Canelons. These were my Emily’s favorite! I don’t recall all of the ingredients, but it was a creamy squash and housemade ricotta type of dish. Oh, and I can’t forget about all of the roasted slivered almonds. I think those really made the dish. I couldn’t even tell it had squash in it – it was that good!

We left the restaurant in good spirits and with full bellies. Thanks Mundaka!

 

I received a comped meal, in exchange for my review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

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Emily Buys

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