Fresh whole fish and panoramic views at Sobreposta, O Barqueiro

My lunch at Sobreposta has got to be one of the most relaxing meals I’ve ever had.

I arrived in the town of O Barqueiro from the Esteiro station on the FEVE narrow gauge rail (more on that in a future post!). Unlike most rail lines in Spain, the FEVE stations seem to drop you off in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nature, instead of an actual town.

But looking around, I saw that I could cross the railway tracks and get onto a hiking path.

And this is where I really got a sense that O Barqueiro was a magical place. I was immediately put at ease.

At the end of the path, I climbed down steps and reached this deck, looking over the town.

I climbed down the deck and walked around, checking out restaurant menus. Eventually, I realized that the deck where I was deposited at the end of the short hike was part of the restaurant Sobreposta, which the girl at the hotel I was staying at this night had recommended.

So I climbed back up, and hoped they had a table for me. The couple in front of me were told that there was only one table for them, in a corner with no views, since the others were reserved. I would have been willing to wait or sit at the bar.

But then when I asked for a table, the waitresses consulted among themselves and gave me this wonderful table, also in a corner but with glass walls, overlooking the docks!

Their menu is quite simple, and many of the fish they list don’t have prices because availability and cost depends on seasonality (“según temporada”). So you do have to ask what they have.

Unlike in American restaurants, where they routinely refer to whatever fish they have, whether it’s tilapia or pollock, as “Catch of the day” (just like “seasonal fruit salad” always seems to include grapes and pineapple regardless of the season), I really do believe that the fish at this restaurant were freshly caught.

The waitress said that for one person, the options would be Sargo for 15€, or San Martiño for about 25€. I went for the Sargo, which she said was more tender. I was going to order a starter, but the waitress told me that the fish was pretty “completo,” i.e. I would be filled up with ordering just that.

And I’m so glad she gave me that advice, because out came a whole Pyrex baking dish with a whole fish, on top of a bed of potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and onions.

Indeed, this plate was quite “completo.” I’m not sure why, but I wasn’t expecting a whole fish. And there must have been a couple of potatoes down there, a quite a lot of vegetables which were very welcome after a few days without really eating veggies. The fish was fresh with a soft flesh, kind of reminding me of hake. Just some nice, crusty bread to mop up the sauces completed the meal.