Every trip there´s a foodie experience that stands out.

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Like last year and the pan fried calamari in Split, Croatia, it´s happened again, who would have thought that you would get pasta so amazing in Spain that it is just plain good.

Before stepping out tonight I did a little research and this little Italian place came up as a possibility. I got there a little early at a quarter to nine and all the staff were sharing a meal at a communal table (good sign). Through broken Spanish, Italian and English I worked out that they opened at 9pm, so come back later.

After resisting the temptation of paella along the streets I returned to the welcome arms of the little Italian joint. The waiter on ´L´plates gave me the menu in English and after much deliberation I decided to go for the half crescent meat pasta in a creamy mushroom with italian pork sausage sauce. A bit of bread and some homemade Italian wine and you can´t go wrong, right.

Well meal arrives, a quick taste of the sauce and oh yeah this is going to be good. Don´t know why I got my wine in a cut down tumbler and everyone else had there´s in a wine glass though. Apart from that little aside, the pasta, how good was it? almost as good as Carmel´s. The delicate mushroom flavours coming through the creamy sauce, mixed with the robustness of the italian sausage (ok so a chef eg, Toby, may describe it different to that). Definately a meal to savour rather then just scoff down. Lucky the homemade red was not a bad drop either.

Who would have thought, a sensational and cheap Italian meal in Valencia Spain, now if only the coffee was up to Ricardo´s, Greer's or Mario´s standard I´d consider moving in. From there it was a little wonder down the street to a cafe that was rumoured to serve absynthe, well it was shut, so Jad is still the absythe master.

Oh and where was this little Italian joint, 5 Bordadores, just down the road from Plaza de la Reina, it´s called La Pappardella.

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