Eating in Asturias: Koldo Miranda

Considering that to my mind, Koldo Miranda sits just off the road to the Hipercor, you wouldn't describe it as a beautifully located restaurant. But once inside, you feel like you're out in the country, in an old casona, far from Spanish-versions of Walmarts that sell tires not far from the canned tuna. It's a lovely place, with stone walls done up with glass insets and dark wood.

After many postponements, we finally ate there a couple of weeks ago. And it turns out it was too bad we hadn't made it earlier. Two amuse-bouche: one of squash soup with chorizo mousse, the other bread cut and fried to look like french fries, served with sauces that looked, but didn't taste, like ketchup, mayonnaise, and melted cheese. Then fat clams in green sauce, the best roast vegetables I've ever tasted, and a roast monkfish in saffron saboyan. Then a lot of delicious desserts, most of which we hadn't asked for (the best kind).

And if you had any doubts about the restaurant's ambitions, check out the wine list. Somewhere toward the middle is a Pingus 2001, priced at 1,125. Euros. Pretty good for a joint up the road from Walmart.