Atlantic Antic - La Mancha: sardines, sausage and sangria

 

The 36th Atlantic Antic has been and gone. Our jeans and T-shirts have been soaked to remove sardine fumes, and we are digesting hundreds of pictures. There will be more posts, and Vince is working on a movie.

We could smell the sardine smoke before we turned onto Atlantic from Henry. The line for the sardines was not as long as last year's, but turnover was brisk and steady. The fishies were $4 each this year, up from last year's $3. But you could get two for $6...

 

Also available was a side of smoked chihuahua.

 

Poor thing.

 

The sardines were excellent. I ate mine with my fingers, much easier for the bones. Then I scrubbed and scrubbed with lemon and wiped and wiped with napkins. Sardines linger.

There was paella, as usual. 

 

It was the most expensive item on the menu, at $9 a plate.

This area, right next to the beer tent of the Chip Shop, was packed, so there was a lot of artful balancing.

And chorizo,  half a sausage for $7.

I know that sangria is an extremely low thing to like, but I do.

 

Cheap wine, chopped fruit and suspect sweetening. Yum.

Judy and Susan, below,  womaned the sangria table. They said that they are La Mancha regulars and were just helping out. Funny thing is, I walk past the restaurant every day. It's on my shopping route for groceries. It is dark inside, always looks empty, and I've never been tempted to enter. It has been in business for as long as I've been in this neighbourhood, and plenty haven't. Lost City reviews La Mancha and confirms that they opened in 2004.

And ever year I queue for their sardines.