“The place doesn’t look like much.” “A real hole in the wall.” “Plain and friendly.” “Quick service and great meals.” “The seafood is delicious and cheap.”
That’s what we had read about the Marlin Azul cantina in Merida. After my sister said she and her husband had enjoyed delicious shrimp fajitas there Dave and I decided to try it on our trip into Merida yesterday. Once we were out of our Uber we got a little direction turned but there are these English-speaking tourist guides hired by the city at many key intersections and this man named Roberto was happy to point us in the right direction. 
When we got a little turned around again direction wise this gentleman kindly stopped and offered to take us to the restaurant.
He led us right to the Marlin Azul and the outward appearance lived up to the descriptions we had read.
So did the descriptions of the friendly service. This affable waiter helped Dave pick out the perfect beer to go with our meal.
And the food certainly lived up to its hype. The shrimp fajitas we shared were wonderful.
We were about to set off on an eight kilometer walk around the city to explore some of its art galleries. Our meal at the Marlin Azul fortified us and got our afternoon off to a perfect start!
Other posts…..
On Friday my friend Esther and I paid a visit to the Amsterdam Tea Room just beside Old Market Square at the heart of the Exchange District. I had been there before for tea but never for a meal. As the name of the restaurant indicates there is a distinctly Dutch flavor to the menu items. 
I had a vegetable sandwich with beet soup
and Esther had the endive, pear, grape salad with the pea, celery and leek soup. 
They have dozens and dozens of kinds of tea on offer at the Amersterdam Tea Room. I opted for the Pina Colada tea and Esther chose a chai blend. We had a lovely meal at a sunny window table and caught up on what had happened in each of our lives since we last got together. 
We had planned to sketch in one of the many art galleries in the Exchange but it was such a gorgeous day we sat at a picnic table in Old Market Square to work on some new pages in our sketch books. 
Winnipeg, we decided, is a beautiful place indeed on a fine fall afternoon!
They couldn’t really speak English but we managed to communicate quite well with hand gestures and pointing to menu items and the owner helped us pick out what to have after supplying us with a plate of olives and a tray of bread. 
The owner left to buy the tuna and sea bass we had ordered from a nearby fish merchant. We watched his wife prepare our pitcher of Sangria step by step. She chopped oranges, splashed in wine, added other fruits she had already diced, threw in ice cubes, and then tasted the Sangria herself to be sure she’d got things right. Just then the owner returned with our fish and his wife took it and bustled into the kitchen to cook while the man chatted with all kinds of people from the neighbourhood who stopped in to visit. 
The meal was AMAZING! The fish was flavorful and the homemade potato fries done to perfection. 
Before we left I asked our host if he would take a photo with me. I wish I had taken one with his wife too. She came out of the kitchen just before we left and we told her how great the meal had been and she smiled and said some stuff in Portuguese that sounded happy and pleased. 
We did stop on the way home to get a bag of oranges. There are orange trees everywhere in Lisbon. 
The man who sold us the oranges told us they’d be sweet and was he ever right! He also taught us to say obrigado which is thank you in Portuguese. 
Later I looked up the restaurant which was called O Tasco Do Vigario on Trip Advisor and everyone just raved about it saying what a fabulous full course meal they’d had with cocktails and wine for two people for only around 20 Euros. Everyone gave it four or five stars! Our experience exactly!
One of the favorite places my friend Esther and I like to meet for visiting and sketching is the beautiful Folio Cafe on the Canadian Mennonite University grounds at the corner of Grant and Shaftesbury Avenue. 
Big windows provide plenty of light. 
There’s a patio where you can eat on nice days. 
The lunch items are delicious. Homemade soups and sandwiches and desserts. Last week when I visited I ordered the beef borscht and a sandwich with goat cheese and marinated tomatoes on crusty fresh bread. 
For dessert there was a lovely latte and gelato. 
After lunch I drew my own versions of portraits of artists Picasso
and Tom Thompson. 
The Folio Cafe is spacious and welcoming and it is easy to spend several hours there visiting and drawing in the comfortable airy space the cafe provides. If you’ve never been to the Folio I suggest you give it a try. 
