Munchies Around Key West

Besides our big paella lunch, our one day in Key West was filled with other food stuffs. We got to Key West around 10AM and headed for Cole's Peace for mango bread. I heard it's good stuff, and indeed it is.

Cole's Peace

I love how Cole's Peace keeps its bread and pastries healthy and low on sugar. The mango bread maintains the natural sweet-tartness of the mango without the help of other flavor enhancing additives. The bread itself is soft but chewy. Simple and delicious. This loaf was our breakfast for 2 days.

Mango Bread

When I saw the 2 mango raspberry pastry left behind the counter, I quickly snatched it before another customer could claim it. This was the best pastry dough...yes, better than the pastry dough of the gazillion pastries I've had in Paris. The puffy, flakey mango raspberry pastries left no trace of grease! The paper bag was pristine save for the powdered sugar. I don't know how they manage to make such light, airy, flakey, non-greasy puffs of dough. Again, the bakers at Cole's Peace allowed the fruits' natural sweetness and tartness to come through. No need to mask the taste of fresh ingredients.

Mango Raspberry Pastries

Before my parasailing trip in the late afternoon, I made sure to stop for the supposedly best key lime pie in Key West. I know key lime pies are tart--tarter than most desserts, but the pie served at Blond Giraffe Key Lime Pie Factory made me wince with each bite. I definitely didn't want seconds.

Blond Giraffe-Key Lime Pie

Seeing how conch fritters are on the menu at all the restaurants in Key West, I couldn't leave the island without trying one. I highly recommend getting these fritters in Mallory Square during the sunset festivities. I was sweating non-stop throughout the day, so I went for the unsweetened key lime iced tea even after the abuse from the key lime pie earlier. This was utterly refreshing and non-threateningly sour. Just the way I like my citrus.

Mallory Square Conch Fritters Stand and Key Lime Iced Tea

The conch fritters were so good. Each fritter contained one chunk of conch, which tasted like clam meat. The batter was not heavy and greasy, contrary to its appearance. They paired well with the cocktail sauce and spicy mustard cream sauce. I would've ordered seconds if it weren't for my leftover paella.

Conch Fritters with Cocktail and Spicy Mustard Cream Sauces

El Siboney

Mom read about El Siboney's Paella Valenciana before our trip, so I made sure to call in an order of paella for two the morning we arrived in Key West. El Siboney is located in a residential neighborhood, away from the touristy bars near Mallory Square. Be patient with all the one way streets when finding your way to El Siboney. It's well worth the maze.

El Siboney

The toasted and buttered Cuban bread was simple and delicious. It was hard to restrain ourselves from eating more than half a piece because we knew an impossible amount of food awaited us. The fried plantains were ok. I didn't bother to eat more than 2 pieces because I knew I would be eating them elsewhere during my stay in Miami.

Cuban Bread and Fried Plantains

There was a hush in the restaurant as the waiter brought over our paella. We were the only table that ordered it, and we were damn proud that we did. The paella for 2 was more like paella for 6! It had dark and white meat chicken, a ton of shrimp (almost one shrimp per spoonful of paella), and a whole lobster tail. The key lime juice gave the paella a refreshing citrus taste. The rice was fluffy, flavorful, and just the right amount of savoryness. We ate 1/3 of the bowl and boxed the rest for a late night dinner back in our hotel in Miami.

Paella Valenciana