Tag Archives: food

Fun Food Friday — Manofica — Best Pizza in Toulon, or Best Anywhere?


Munching at Manofica

Ursula and I had earlier passed an establishment back on Quai Cronstadt that had what looked to be some very delectable pizza. Today I’m going to introduce you to what could be the best pizza we’ve ever had at a place called Manofica. The charming restaurant also gives you options to dine either inside or out, and offers up some exquisite views of Toulon Harbor and the marina just outside.

Looks good!

Some fellow Vision of the Seas passengers were dining there, and they told us we were in for a treat. We were.

Ursula at Manofica

While looking at pizzas already served gave us our first clue that we were in a real pizzeria, the fire oven gave us a second:

Manofica’s fire pizza oven

If you’re in for a little imbibing, it appears Manofica has you covered there as well:

Manofica’s well-stocked bar

Time to peruse the menu:

Manofica’s menu as of 15 May 2022

Since it was just after 2:00 p.m. and dinner aboard Vision of the Seas was a mere four hours away, we opted to share a Pizze Anna. This choice gave us for di latte (a soft, very fresh mozzerella-style cheese made from cow’s milk rather than buffalo), creme de parmesan (a cream sauce made with the rinds of a parmesan), tomate cerise (cherry tomatoes), jambon cru (raw, cured ham similar to prosciutto), copeaux de parmesan (shaved parmesan), roquette (rocket, also known as arugula), basilic (basil, of course), and huile d’olive extra vierge (extra virgin olive oil). Since we asked to split one pizza, the staff at Manofica were nice enough to divide our pizza between two plates:

Manofica’s Pizze Anna

As you can see, the crust is light, airy, and perfectly blistered. The combination of toppings gave a great compliment to the crust rather than overpowering it, and avoided making the crust soggy. Here’s a view of the other half:

Incredible Manofica crust perfectly prepared with an excellent combination of toppings

Ursula proclaimed Manofica’s Pizze Anna the best pizza she has ever tasted, and I wouldn’t disagree with that assessment. It was a remarkable treat at a not unreasonable price presented in a wonderful setting with a great view of Toulon Harbor. And now it’s time to say goodbye to Toulon, take the ferry back to La Seyne-sur-Mer, and rejoin Vision of the Seas. But before we go:

The marina adjacent to Manofica

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Transatlantic 2022 — Returning to a Barcelona Favorite; Restaurante Anduriña


Restaurante Anduriña, Barcelona, Spain

Today concludes my series on our transatlantic cruise, but this trip is far from over. As you may have surmised, since several of the destinations covered over the past several weeks were hit more than once, the next segment of this two-and-a-half-month journey was an eight-day Mediterranean cruise that hit seldom-visited ports in Spain and France. So, while the transatlantic aboard Vision of the Seas ended in Barcelona, our next Vision of the Seas adventure began later that same 13 May date.

Restaurante Anduriña outdoor tapas menu

Now, if today’s restaurant review appears familiar, it’s because I’ve covered Restaurante Anduriña before in an article from when we visited this establishment on multiple occasions in October of 2021. I thought it might be fun to go back and see if the quality is holding up. Spoiler: It is. Here’s the article on our previous visit for comparison: Fun Food Friday — Restaurante Anduriña. If you compare the menu images from last year’s visit to the visit in May, you’ll find that inflation is indeed a worldwide post-pandemic phenomenon. But the prices didn’t go up all that badly.

13 May 2022 prices — Main Menu
13 May 2022 prices — Drinks and Desserts

But, hey, don’t forget the specials:

Menu del Dia — Menu of the Day

Inside, not much has changed. Restaurante Anduriña retains its intimate charm, but with limited seating. If you want to eat there, go early or see if you can reserve a table:

As the old saying goes: When in Spain, do tapas. Okay, I just made that up. But tapas is a truly Spanish invention that bears sampling. However, before getting your chosen tapas, don’t forget Andurina‘s exquisite sangria, which I told you about in my previous review, which read: “It was on our second visit that we also discovered Restaurante Anduriña also makes a mean sangria. Needless to say, the house wine went by the wayside once we discovered sangria by the “jug” (pitcher).

Restaurante Anduriña‘s sangria is still wonderful and refreshing

One of our favorite discoveries here from our last series of visits was the delectable Padrón peppers, which I described thusly: “On our second of three visits Ursula’s nose detected the faint aroma of green chilies. Looking around we saw a couple savoring a plate piled high with what we soon learned were Padrón peppers. It was love at first bite, and we wound up ordering it more than once. No need to worry about spiciness (unfortunately for us), as they were quite mild and very tasty. The peppers came to us fried and rolled in coarse salt.” Well, those Padrón peppers were just as irresistibly delectable this past May:

Padrón peppers; so good you’ll want your own plate

Shall we zoom in for a closer look?

Padrón peppers

And a very short time later we were left with:

Ooops. You blinked and they were gone!

One quibble I might have is that bread comes as a separate expense at Restaurante Anduriña, but Ursula and I remain willing to overlook that because everything else is so yummy and relatively affordable. One item that remains a constant on this visit as well as our previous three last October is the Spanish cured meat platter. From my previous review: “Let’s zoom in and see what goodies await, as this platter includes olives, chorizo (a spicy sausage), Iberian ham, fuet (a thinly sliced dry-cured pork sausage), bull blanc (the pale meat pictured, a type of pork sausage).” That, too, is just as good as it was before, and the price for this wonderful tray is only €2 more than it was last year:

Spanish cured meat platter includes olives; bread is extra, but is an absolute must

You may wish to peruse my previous review of Restaurante Anduriña for details on other menu offerings, such as their pulled pork sandwich served with some incredible fries, anchovies swimming in olive oil, and their great hamburger. Want to know the location for your next Barcelona visit? Well, that’s a secret.

Just kidding:

Restaurante Anduriña; on Carrer Comtal just east of Avinguda del Portal de l’Àngel

As for their website, that is linked here: Restaurante Anduriña.

I hope you enjoyed this return to a Barcelona favorite of ours. See you for this week’s Fun Photo Friday, where we’ll finish up with one more set of favorites highlighting Palma de Mallorca and Valldemossa.

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Transatlantic 2022 — Palma de Mallorca; Heading to Valldemossa


Royal Palace (left) Palma Cathedral (right)

It’s approaching noon on 12 May and we’re heading back to the tour bus. To get to the bus we once again pass the Royal Palace and the gardens (see below). Our next destination awaits, and it’s a bit of a drive. We’re about to head north for an hour-long journey.

Royal Palace of Almudaina

Our next stop is the enchanting mountain village of Valldemossa. Actually, the word enchanting doesn’t really do this place justice. You’ll find photo-worthy scenes at every corner, and many more between those different street corners.

Valldemossa tour map

For a better description I refer you to this Wikipedia article on Valldemossa, which states, “Since the 19th century Valldemossa has been promoted internationally as a place of outstanding beauty, largely as a result of the affection of distinguished traveller and cultural writer, the Austrian Archduke Ludwig Salvator. Valldemossa is a very attractive tourist destination, as it shows early Spanish culture. There are many shops and restaurants to indulge in Spanish culture.

Valldemossa, Mallorca Island, Spain

After a brief stint with our tour guide, our group was released with instructions to return to the bus at a specified time. So, when I tell you that today I’m going to give you a taste of Valldemossa, I do mean taste. Let’s start with a promising looking panadería (bakery) and repostería (pastry) shop on Via Blanquerna near the corner at Plaça Ramon Llull. Here we’ll try a popular local dish similar to pizza.

Ca’n Cerdà Pastisseria

The dish is called coca de trampó, and it’s simply delish. It’s a bed of delectable vegies sitting atop a thin crust:

Coca de trampó

Did I mention that this establishment is also a bakery and pastry shop? This thing may look like a doughnut, and taste similar to one, but you’ll never believe what the base ingredient of coca de patata is:

Coca de patata con chocolate (potato flour roll with chocolate)

So Ursula and I loaded up with:

It was so good that we returned for another helping. Meanwhile, let’s go hit the streets:

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