If paella is your dish of choice, ‘Restaurante Yuso’ is a good place to be! Serving a wide variety of paellas – the traditional Spanish dish born in Valencia – Yuso has a selection of menus for weekends, evenings and lunch. With two branches, located on Calle Cruz and Plaza Carmen, you can enjoy authentic paella in the sun on one of two terraces. Dinner with a view is guaranteed at both branches, with Yuso on Calle Cruz boasting a beautiful sepia-toned mural spanning the whole length of the terrace and restaurant exterior, and Yuso at Plaza Carmen situated in a stunning square overlooked by the picturesque ‘Plaça del Carme’ church.

As my friend Luce and I sat on the Plaza Carmen terrace, watching other customers receive their impressive paellas, we were treated to a musical performance by a talented guitarist playing classic hits such as ‘Here Comes the Sun’ by The Beatles. Being serenaded at a paella restaurant in a picturesque Valencian square: does life get much better than this?!

For an aperitivo, we enjoyed a beautifully balanced goat’s cheese and apple salad garnished with balsamic. Luce, as a lover of goat’s cheese, couldn’t get enough of this dish, describing the goat’s cheese and apple as the perfect complement. Luckily, she had all the goat’s cheese she wanted because I am not a fan of this strong tasting cheese myself. However, I loved the fresh flavours of this salad, with the crisp lettuce, sweet apple and juicy Spanish tomatoes combining to make a perfect precursor to a paella. As I have experienced many times while here in Valencia, Spain has the best tomatoes!

As the tantalising aroma of the massive vegetarian paella (paella de verduras) reached our table, served to us by our friendly waiter, we both couldn’t wait to dig in. Full of vegetables – peppers, courgette, mushrooms, you name it! – this was a truly authentic and delicious paella: one that made us wonder how they made it taste so good. “We need the recipe!” Luce and I both said whilst enjoying the beautiful concoction of flavours in this simple yet amazing dish.

Sampling an authentic paella in the birthplace of the dish was a special meal indeed. A touch of Valencian history graced our lunch, in the location, food and heritage of the dish, as the name paella comes from Valenciano – Valencia’s regional language – where it means ‘frying pan’. The name paella, therefore, comes from the large, shallow pan the dish is traditionally cooked in. Our desserts – a lemon cheesecake and Polvito Uruguayo (a mousse-like dessert with dulce de leche, cream, oreo and chocolate) – were sweet, yet not as good as the paella: a high bar to beat! Luce agreed, saying the paella was definitely the best part of the meal, as well as the amazing view. For great service, tasty food and a beautiful dining experience, head down to either branch of Yuso and enjoy your paella!

Article by Anna Hart
Copyright ‘24/7 Valencia’

YUSO
Calle de la Cruz, 4,
46003
Valencia
Tel: 96 315 39 67
Call beforehand for opening hours

YUSO
Plaza del Carmen, 6
Valencia
Tel: 96 392 24 48
Call beforehand for opening hours

http://www.restaurantesyuso.com/
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