Everything about Orient Xpress, from its name, to the benches, to the menu printed on your paper place mat, suggests a quick meal on the cheap. It doesn’t even bother to peg itself down to a particular region of Asia… “Orient! Yep, we cover it all”.

But forget anything you know about judging a restaurant by its appearance, because Orient Xpress is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

We’ll start with the good — the food is excellent. Far better than I had expected. I started with a salad followed by yaki udon noodles with beef, and both dishes were delicious. Fresh ingredients in the salad and a perfect blend of spices & sauce in the noodles — and large quantities of both. I enjoyed every bite, and there was no room for dessert.

Juergen had Gyoza dumplings and spicy laksa soup.

But Orient Xpress was more expensive that what I had been expecting: lunch for €20, about $25, per person may be standard fare for some, but is well over our day-to-day budget. (It’s worth nothing that there’s a work-week menú del día starting at €13,50).

Another negative was the restaurant’s “too cool for school” vibe. Our aloof, whistling waitress started to walk away before we’d even finished ordering. When she asked if I wanted beef or chicken in my noodle dish, she didn’t mention that meat was an extra, and would cost €5 more. Nice. And the loud electronic music was difficult to talk over, more appropriate for a club than a pricey Asian noodle place.

The obvious influence is the popular Wagamama Japanese noodle chain — everything in white, open kitchen and an emphasis on “healthy” eating. Orient Xpress, in my experience, surpasses Wagamama in terms of the quality of food. As long as you’re prepared for it, you can enjoy a great meal there.

Orient Xpress
Calle Roteros 12
963 065 166
Their Website: orientxpress.info
Location on our Valencia Map

Tucked inside the massive Cathedral of Valencia, you can find the Diocesan Cathedral Museum — a set of exhibition rooms filled with art and artifacts not used for worship.

The most difficult part of visiting the museum is finding it. Following the cryptic instructions of the information lady, I felt almost transported into The DaVinci Code. “The golden sun … can be found… through a door in the chapel of St. Frances Borgia … look for it under the Goya, but not that of the demons … and hurry, my love: They’re after you“.

Once you find the museum (and elude the murderous monk on your tail), the first thing you’ll see is a huge golden sun. This is the largest monstrance (vessel for the Eucharistic host) in the world. Impressive.

The rest of the museum is small but filled with interesting works, including the original sculptures from the Door of the Apostles, and paintings by Juan de Juanes. A curious exhibit features small sculptures from a scene depicting the circumcision of Christ.

However the highlight of visiting the museum is not literally found inside of it — the huge paintings by Goya occupying the lateral walls of the Chapel of St. Francis Borgia. Particularly of interest is the painting on the right-hand wall, showing St. Francis attempting to convert an unrepentant man on his death bed. This is the first appearance of demons in Goya’s work.

The museum can be visited in conjunction with the rest of the Cathedral — the entrance costs €4 and includes an audio guide (available in English). It’d be easy to visit the Cathedral and never know the museum exists, since it’s so hidden.

Diocesan Cathedral Museum – More Info from the Cathedral’s Official Website

Near the Mercado Central, you’ll find a great little Indian restaurant and cocktail bar named Dhaba in the Plaza Don Juan de Villarrasa (location).

We went last week for the Menú del Día, for €10 a head, and really enjoyed the food — served under a concept called “Thali”:

Thali is a concept created for people who want to sample the wide array of Hindu cooking. Thali consists of various dishes, called “Kaulis”. Our Thalis include seven Kaulis which are… salad, yellow lentils, salted vegetables, basmati rice, curry, raita, and a dessert. You can choose between 4 different Thalis: Fish, Vegetarian, Chicken and Lamb (translated from Dhaba’s menu)

We tried the chicken and the lamb, and everything was delicious, particularly the curry and dessert. 7 dishes sounds daunting, but each one is small, and we didn’t feel overly full after the meal was done.

The interior is modestly and tastefully decorated, and the service is good. The person serving us came from Britain (we’re guessing), so non-Spanish speakers should have nothing to fear here. Dhaba is also open at night for dinner and drinks.

Dhaba
Plaza Don Juan de Villarrasa 6.
96 391 0019
Location on our Valencia Map
€10 Menú from Monday to Friday, 13:00 – 16:00

Blink and you’ll miss it, as you’re walking away from the heavy traffic and commotion of Calle La Paz towards the relative tranquility of the Plaza del Colegio del Patriarca. In fact, even if you do see Bar Damas, tucked away on an nondescript little alley, you’d be forgiven for walking briskly by it. We encourage you, however, not to do so. This tiny bar is one of the area’s highlights — the leisure and comfort of a village pub, in a neighborhood otherwise too busy to rest.

Every morning this bar is packed full with people on their way to work. Everyone seems to know each other, and nobody minds the somewhat grimy ambiance of the alley. In the summer, you’ll be lucky to find a place to sit outside, even though Bar Damas offers no view apart from the brick building just a couple meters away.

As to why it’s so popular… it’s difficult to say! The coffee is extremely good, the breakfasts are cheap, the service is friendly. Maybe it’s the combination which encourages patrons to keep returning. It worked on us.

We recently went for lunch, for the first time. It was as delicious and simple as we expected it to be — paella, arroz del horno (rice from the oven), grilled chicken, wine — all the staples of a basic Valencian diet, present and accounted for. Bar Damas isn’t a restaurant of surprises, but of familiar, comfortable food in cozy surroundings. To find the dining room, you have to go into the bar, towards the back, and up a clandestine flight of stairs. Once on the second floor, you’d wonder whether you’ve walked into the proprietor’s living room, if not for the tables.

The menú del día is €9.50, and includes everything you’d probably expect — two plates, drink, bread, dessert and coffee. It’s an excellent escape for busy people, and highly recommended.

Location on our Valencia Map

Calle De Las Damas
46002 Valencia

According to Levante, the New Year’s mascletà is going to be the biggest of the entire year, including those of Fallas.

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… sorry, just thinking of the appropriate response…

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Deafening, pointless noise fireworks! I love it. This mascletà will be taking place at 2pm in the Paseo de la Alameda (the huge boulevard on the northern side of the Turia riverbed), rather than the Ayuntamiento. Be there!

Source: Levante