Menú del día at Monviso Italian Café
I am super happy that a wonderful new Italian restaurant has opened in my neighborhood. Called Monviso Italian Cafe, the folks specialize in food from the Piedmont region of Italy. It's tucked in a little pedestrian street, making it pleasant to eat outside on the "terrace" as they call any outdoor seating in Spain.
Monviso offers a menú del día of €10, including a starter, main course, and beverage, and a choice of dessert or coffee. What I like about Monviso is that they make everything themselves, including pasta and even the Nutella-like chocolate and hazelnut sauce.
For starters, they usually have a salad and soup as options, like this cream of broccoli.
They also occasionally offer this "spinach flan." Here it is covered in cheese sauce
Cut inside, and there something that looks solidly packed with spinach, yet is light in texture. I've never seen anything like this before!
There's always a fresh pasta choice or two for the main course. Here is one with a simple basil and tomato sauce.
And another with ground meat and thyme.
I also once had a delightful quiche, filled with chunky cheese and vegetables. Served with a simple salad.
Their desserts are also home made, of course. Here's a hazelnut cake, with their homemade chocolate and hazelnut sauce.
This cake below is from garbanzos - interesting! This was served at breakfast.
And a light and refreshing panna cotta.
Their coffee deserve a special mention. Their coffee beans are specially roasted, I believe in Piedmont, and have a wonderful, robust, and slightly fruity flavor. It's good without sugar, but a treat is the marocchino with the chocolate hazelnut sauce!
For breakfast, they also have homemade focaccia with various cheeses and hams.
I love Monviso. One of my complaints about Spanish food culture is that the desserts are often store bought, the bread is industrial par-baked product that is reheated in store, and the coffee is often just so so. The restaurant that used to be in this same spot, actually, bought a lot of their ingredients from the Mercadona supermarket, like the bread they served. Monviso raises everything to the next level, showing care and attention to every detail. And top of the food quality, the folks who run the place, cook, and serve here are fantastic!
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Monviso Italian Café
Calle Barcelona 17, bajo
46003 Valencia
