Someone´s in the kitchen at…La Fórcola

In 2010 Marty and I arrived in Valencia for a 3-month stay.  We had taken a small apartment on Calle Borrull.  Prior to our arrival, Marty had done his usual research and discovered that there was an Italian restaurant just a half a block from our door.  Not only was there an Italian restaurant, but also it was reviewed by many as the best Italian restaurant in Valencia, La Fórcola  .   After our long trip from Los Angeles and the delights of airplane food, we were ready for a good meal.  What we got was more than a good meal.  Our waiter, Francisco, was welcoming, informative and just delightful, our pizza was perfection personified and the experience led to our weekly visits to La Fórcola ever since.  Francisco has moved on to open his own restaurant, Bailando Nudi, but there is always and equally delightful server to take care of you.

Juan stops to chat with Marty at his birthday celebration

Marta helps us celebrate the arrival of the New Year

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Antonio takes a little break

 

La Fórcola was opened in May of 2008 by a group of friends from Italy, Antonio, Andrea and Sonia.     Their goal was to create an informal restaurant with high quality food, served by a well-trained and friendly staff in an attractive space at a reasonable price.   They were successful   on all counts.  The staff seems like a family serving friends who drop by to eat. It is always fun to catch a quick peek at them gathered around a long table as they share their pre-shift meal.  It doesn’t matter who your server is, everyone seems to be taking care of you. They are attentive and playful if that is what you want.  However, if you want a quite meal with no interruptions they seem to sense that as well.   The room in oranges and browns is attractive and comfortable.  Original art graces the walls.  A brick pizza oven, transported from Italy, is open to the dining room.

The food is consistently outstanding.  This is no surprise given the quality of the ingredients used, many imported from Italy, and the culinary staff that was professionally trained in Italy loves what they are doing. 

I had an opportunity to observe this first hand when Antonio arranged for me to spend a Tuesday in the kitchen watching the team prepare the fresh pasta for the week.

 

 

Andrea begins to make the gnocchi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ready to go

 

 

 

 

 

The menu is quite extensive with not only pizza and some outstanding pastas, but fish and meat as well.

Bottled water is used to make the pizza dough

   

And it was delicious!

 

Preparing the pasta for the Tagliatelle al Cacao con Porcini

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It simply melts in the mouth!

The appetizers are delicious, with the clochinas (mussels) being my absolute favorite. They are absolutely succulent and flavorful.  The salads are fresh and visually very appealing.  The pastas are absolutely delicious.  Desserts, which I often pass up elsewhere, are a must at La Fórcola, especially the homemade ice creams and the tiramisu.

Clóchinas

Ensalada de granada y feta

Pulpo

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I asked Antonio, why they had chosen the name “La Fórcola” for the restaurant he explained that they considered several alternatives.  They wanted a name in Italian that was easy to pronounce in Valencia.  They wanted a name that was fairly unique so that Internet searches for their restaurant would have them at the top of the list.  Most importantly, since much of the staff came from Venice and la fórcola is unique to the boats of Venice, La Fórcola just seemed right.  There are several on display In the restaurant.

We have eaten at the La Fórcola for lunch, for dinner, weekdays, weekends, birthdays and anniversaries.  No matter when we go it is busy and with good reason.  It always delivers a memorable experience.

 Carrer de Borrull, 29  46008 Valencia, Spain

963 15 59 09

 

 

About susanvida

Happily retired, I now spend much of my time in Valencia Spain. I fill my days with photography, cooking, dining and visiting with friends. In my "former life" I was a Director of Human Resources for Starwood Hotels and Resorts. I am married to Martin Kaplan, who shares my passion for Valencia, food and of course, our daughter, Rachel Sara.
This entry was posted in Food, la fórcola, Spain, Travel, Valencia. Bookmark the permalink.