In all of the years that I have been drinking cafe solo in Galicia (at least five now), I never…read moreremembered Semola being in the neighborhood. If it's a relatively new addition, it's definitely one of my new favorite bakeries and places to have coffee in all of Vigo! Although Semola is first-and-foremost a bakery, there is also the option of ordering coffee (for take-away; there is only one small table at the front of the bakery [1]) or a coffee with bizcocho or croissant combination "special" for approximately 2 euro. Not only does this happen to be an incredible deal for the quality of what you receive, but I realized how incredibly fast I was no longer fitting into my new jeans from Blanco. The coffee used is Illy brand, so the espresso is very smooth and has no sharp aftertaste. The big slice of bizcocho is moist, rich, and heavenly. Every day, there are two different flavors of this diet-sabotaging bizcocho to choose from; my all-time favorite is the chocolate (they do not skimp on the cocoa powder!), but the apple and lemon are also very good. I try to rationalize the health benefits of the chocolate bizcocho, which I could eat all day, every day, because chocolate contains antioxidants and the Galicians make the cake with olive oil, not butter, so it must be healthy, right?! And having eaten a lot of empanadillas while in Vigo, Semola makes some of the best in this "downtown" area of Vigo. The pastry crust is light and flaky and the filling is pretty much ALL tuna without being greasy. It's none of this "I'm going to fill the empanadilla up with air" (which happens more often than not) or having gross, not to mention messy, orange grease dripping everywhere while you're trying to enjoy your empanada on the go (which is why I like them, they're so easy to take along for a day at the beach). The woman who works at Semola (I imagine she must be the owner) is there every single morning and remembers all of her customers' orders, down to which kind of sugar they like in their coffee (or the fact that I love the chocolate bizcocho). She's the best, and so is Semola! [1] When I first visited Galicia, NO ONE sold coffee to take-away. The past few years, this seems to be an offering many cafeteria and bakery owners proudly tout. Do I sense Anglo-American influences or are Galicians in a hurry all of a sudden?

By now, it may seem like all I do when I'm in Spain is go to bakeries and eat copious amounts of…read morepastries. (I'm starting to get embarrassed!) I should probably save money on hotels and just couchsurf in the back of the bakeries I visit. El Trigal has two outposts in Vigo; this is the smaller of the two and lacks the seating area that the larger location on Alexandre Bóveda has. The smaller location may not have the same breadth of baked goods, breads, bocadillos, and other prepared food, but nothing is sacrificed in terms of quality, freshness, or taste. For breakfast one morning, I was in the mood for magdalenas [1]. El Trigal had both the traditional and whole grain varieties, so I ordered one of each. To justify my perceived overeating: the magdalenas at El Trigal are slightly smaller than those sold at other bakeries in the area. The whole grain magdalena was delicious; it had a wonderful hint of cinnamon and nutmeg spices. The regular magdalena had just a touch of lemon flavor to balance the sweetness. Both were not overly dry; whole grain magdalenas, for some reason, always seem to have a dried-out consistency if they overcook for even a minute. The woman working at the counter was pleasant and friendly, happy to answer my questions and deal with my indecisiveness as I perused all of the breads and sweets on display. As much of a glutton as I may be, I did not take advantage of El Trigal's offer of free delivery (within Vigo city limits) with an order of 30 euros or more. Maybe next time! [1] These are magdalenas - so much better than cupcakes or muffins in the US: http://www.gastronomiaycia.com/2008/08/23/receta-de-magdalenas/