Tuesday 26 August 2014

One-foot-long sandwiches in Pasai Donibane

Continued from Pasai Donibane, how to get there and other information

What I didn't have information for was the boat ride. The bus stops about half a kilometre from the jetty. Basically, if you keep the estuary to your right, you'll eventually find it. I don't recall seeing any sign, but you're likely to see people waiting for the boat. It's a small boat, with one boatman. Like I'd mentioned before in the previous post, he provides the service until late and he goes back and forth. The ride is only a couple of minutes so you don't usually have long to wait.

By the time we arrived, light was getting low. If we had been an hour or so earlier, it might have been perfect. To add to the darkness, it was also drizzling. It was almost a miracle that I'd managed to get as many decent shots as I did.

Pasai Donibane, Pasaia, San Sebastián
Pasai Donibane from the boat
Pasai Donibane, Pasaia, San Sebastián
That's the boat, leaving the jetty
 As you can see, they're small boats. You can see people on the boat on the right. There's a similar green one on the left. I don't know if it belongs to the same boatman or someone else also works the route when there are more passengers.

Pasai Donibane, Pasaia, San Sebastián
Pasai Donibane, from its jetty
Pasai Donibane, Pasaia, San Sebastián
San Pedro, from Pasai Donibane
Like I mentioned, it was almost night and it was drizzling, so we didn't get to look around as much as we would have liked. There wasn't much activity and it looks like a fairly laid-back and tranquil village. Do be careful when walking along the cobbled streets if it's raining!

To know more about Pasai Donibane, I suggest reading the Euskadi Tourism website. There's some useful information there.

Pasai Donibane, Pasaia, San Sebastián
50 shades of brown
Pasai Donibane, Pasaia, San Sebastián
Rooftop-to-rooftop
Pasai Donibane, Pasaia, San Sebastián
Hanging out at the local square
Pasai Donibane, Pasaia, San Sebastián
Pink flags abound
You must be wondering, as I did, about those pink flags. It was hard to find any information, but I think it's got something to do with the regatta, and their rowing team is represented by this shade of pink. Of course, I may be wrong and it's more political than a day of fun. You would have also noticed that a lot of these pink banners are alongside the more ominous Presoak-Etxera ones, so perhaps there's more behind the scenes than the calm façades would have us believe...

Pasai Donibane, Pasaia, San Sebastián
The village square
After a quick walk-through, we came to the decision to have dinner here rather than back in San Sebastián. We'd previously seen a rather busy restaurant up the hill for budget-conscious customers like us, so back up we treaded. Actually, we found a lift! Since it was raining, in and up we went.

Name: Ontziola Taberna Jatetxea
Type: café, bar, restaurant; casual; budget
Location: Juan XXIII, 34; slightly up the hill - you can take the lift or walk (only a minute or two)
Verdict: Recommended! Their speciality seems to be bocadillos!

Don't expect beautiful, arty pintxos or exquisite dishes. Here, you'll find tasty, no-frills, you-get-what-you-pay-for type of food. We had two bocadillos, one full, the other, half, a salad, and baby squids (chipirones). These plus 3 drinks, all for less than €30. Service was casual, friendly, superb. There were two waitresses, one was stuck behind the bar, the place was full, this other was going back and forth non-stop, and she was loving it all.

These are photos taken on a Samsung S3 mini mobile phone camera, so don't expect the quality of my other photos.

To be honest, when we placed our orders, we didn't know what to expect. The food took longer than it should - there might have been some confusion in the kitchen, perhaps, but, sometimes they are to be expected in places that are caught by surprise and find themselves unexpectedly busy. If I remember correctly - I'd ask them if you're having something similar - their sandwiches are what the Spanish would call bocadillo, though not a foot long like here! Their bocadillo would be what the Spanish call montadito, a one-sided open baguette sandwich, though, again, not a foot long!

Squid and ali-oli, and other wholesome goodness!
Anchovies and ham
The grated goat's cheese salad tasted better than it looked. Loads of goodies in it. Reminded me of the pathetic one we had in Egosari.

Salad with grated goat's cheese
I had to have the healthiest, most boring dish LOL! Grilled baby squid. In any case, I stole some calamares, hehe!

Grilled chipirones

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