With just over 24 hours to spend in Cádiz, time was of the essence. As I was walking along the port, enjoying the sights and the breeze that made 31 degrees centigrade feel not-so-oppressive, I was hit with a pang of hunger. I had very low expectations for Cerveceria Nueva Ola, as my decision to dine here was based on my state of feeling pressed for time. To add insult to injury, I had a not-so-great food streak in Córdoba. In any case, the proximity to Plaza San Juan de Dios makes Nueva Ola the perfect spot for people-watching and of the restaurants in the area. Let me tell you, that half portion of albondigas de merluza and caña made up for every horrible meal that I had eaten in Córdoba. For me, the albondigas represented an Andalucian classic with one of Galicia’s most treasured fishes. It was as though a little piece of Vigo followed me on my travels to the south. Over the past few weeks, I’ve had a series of flashbacks involving a cazuela of these«seafood meatballs,» the composition of which was fish held together by a minimal amount of breadcrumbs.(Perfect, just the way they ought to be — without fillers!) I was delighted to see that potatoes were included — because it’s not a meal unless there are carbs involved. Is it possible for the salsa to trump the albondigas themselves? A fresh, slightly thick seafood sauce had plenty of mussels and clams. It was tasty enough to warrant use of the entire basket of bread(which they charge for in the south of Spain, by the way) to sop up whatever was stuck to the cazuela which I could not consume with a fork and knife. With a caña to wash everything down, I was refreshed, invigorated, and ready to explore the historical areas of Cádiz and put my paltry Spanish to work(oh, and eat some lightly fried seafood later that evening). 4.5 stars.
