Even the most disciplined will find it hard to resist the temptation of the following at O Chusco: tarta Santiago, café solo, and magdalenas [1].
For the birthday of the father of my host family (who IS like a father to me), we decided to throw a surprise party. We went to O Chusco to purchase a cake fit for the occasion. We settled on a very typical Galician cake - it resembles a tart more than a typical American layer/birthday cake. Although the cake is normally topped with nata, we asked our server if she could also drizzle chocolate on top. She was very glad to and even provided us with a candle when we mentioned the cake was for a birthday celebration.
The cake was a huge success! Everyone loved the fluffy, spongy, slightly sweet interior and the contrast of the sweet creamy nata and bittersweet chocolate topping. For me, it was interesting to taste the nuances in flavors and I was surprised that the cake was not as rich as I imagined it would be (in a good way, because we all went for second helpings!).
I have also stopped to drink coffee at O Chusco, as the location is very close to an office where I have had many job interviews. Both the café con leche and the café solo are strong, smooth, and robust (and also fairly priced!). The cup of coffee always comes with a little extra "something" - churros, small cookies, or a small slice of cake. After sampling coffee at a few of the panaderias in the area, O Chusco pulls the best shots of espresso.
[1] Magdalenas are like muffins, except they are not as sugary, cloying, and sweet as a normal muffin. read more
