'There is what there is' . . . is the name of this wine cellar (bodeguita) opened by Cecilio Afonso Guzmán in September, 2011. To quote the words of the chef Moisés Rodríguez, the name of the place portrays the food served.

   Due to the kind of days in which we live, set menus are a difficult goal to achieve, but even more for those wanting to make a start in the business, so – there is what there is. Fresh seasonal produce only is brought to this kitchen.

   And here is the basis of Hay lo que Hay, enveloped in a modern/rustic dècor, with a lively atmosphere, good service and comfortable, easy access and parking, one hundred metres away from the council offices at El Sauzal.

   Working only with products in their season, Hay lo que Hay uses each product to its maximum, creating different dishes from basics such as rabbit, mushrooms or potatoes, making a low-cost dish that is not only fresh but of the highest quality. This place does not buy produce to put in store. It can be used before closing for the day, and the menu changed appropriately.

   There are exceptions to every rule, however, and Moisés and Cecilio try to encourage the culture of ‘a good Jamón Serrano’, and/or cured cheeses from goat or sheep – or a mixture of both, always accompanied by a good glass of wine. The cheese is also in season, which means we are not going to encounter the same cheese on every visit. And visit we shall!

   Another dish we will always find however is the famed Arroz Caldoso, a kind of rice stew. You must order this splendid dish beforehand. We went on a Monday, and when we arrived the people on two big tables were enjoying their meal. Cecilio says that he is happy with the clients they have because they come from all over the North. They also come back, often, and that has a lot to do with the cellar.

   This is a place where everything is cooked freshly, though there is the slight inconvenience in not being able to find your favourite dish from the last visit! It may not be in season . . . but the menu is of the best type – short but of high quality. Red wines here come from Tacoronte and/or La Victoria. Cecilio points out that it is better to have a good house wine that might be out of stock for a month, than an inferior one that can be in stock a whole year. This rule also applies to the house white (Abona) which comes from the sunny South. Bottled wines are kept down to one from La Orotava, two from the Rioja and Ribera del Duero, plus another white from the Canaries – Bermejo.

   The menu on the day we visited was: tabla de Ibericos – jamón Serrano,pork loin, chorizo etcetera., ensalada tibia (warm salad), Callos (tripe), Ropa Vieja (chickpea soup), Croquetas de Bacalao (cod fishcakes), Pimientos de Padrón (green chilli peppers), Chipirones a la plancha (grilled bay squid), Queso asado (baked cheeses), Huevos estrellados (fried eggs broken into french fries), Puntos de Solomillo (fillet steak cut into small pieces), Secreto Ibérico (Iberian cuts of cured pork and ham), and Caldereta de Conejo (a casserole of rabbit). For pudding there was Tiramisu, home-made Caramel Custard, Fig Cake with Chocolate, and Tarte de Turrón con Chocolate (similar to Nougat but as a cake with chocolate).

   Moisés creates these dishes, and we cannot claim that we tasted them all, but we enjoyed the Warm Salad, the famous Ropa Vieja and the Secreto Ibérico were fantastic, and of course Fresh . . . Let us take into consideration that the owner has been working in pubs for ten years or so, and the chef worked at Santa Úrsula’s Bodega San Antonio. Before this Moisés was a waiter for sixteen years! He sees himself as auto-didactic and brings all this experience into play. The place thrives as a result.

   Specialities are the Croquettas of all varieties, and Wednesday is Montadito Day. This is a thick slice of fresh bread covered with all kinds of delicious food! They come at the cost of One Euro Each. We had a montadito of black pudding with fried quail’s egg, grilled bacon, caramelized onion and french fries, and another with Secreto Ibérico coated in bread crumbs, with roasted goat’s cheese, shrimps, caramelized onions again and grilled baby squid. Wow!

   It is to be hoped that this kind of place will always flourish, because it adapts itself to the rhythm and pace of the way we live. We cannot recommend it more.  

 

 

Approx. price per person : 15-20 euros

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 18:00 – 24:00  

Hay lo que Hay may open at mid-day for reservations of 10-12 persons.   

How to get there: Coming from Puerto de la Cruz, on the motorway, enter El Sauzal, follow the curvy road all the way down and when you get to the end of El Mercado in the centre of the town, at the first cross-road, turn right and Hay lo que Hay is approximately 50 metres ahead.