More Than a Meal: Pont de Valencia Starts a New Tradition
Valencia is a city full of great food. But now and then, you stumble across a place so special it creates a dilemma: do you keep it to yourself, or share it?
Fortunately for Pont de Valencia, Brianna Quintero and Sangeeta Singh chose to share.
Last week, we read about the story of La Massawina e i Milanese — a journey that began in Eritrea, passed through Italy, and found a home in Valencia. This week, we sat down at the table to taste the result. It did not disappoint.
Sharing a hidden gem in Valencia
Owners and chefs Luigi and Hiwet Che welcomed us with homemade sambusas, followed by a spread of traditional Eritrean and Ethiopian food. There was adisalem, an assortment of spicy lentils and vegetables, braised beef zighini, and doro wat, a spiced chicken stew.
Everything was served atop soft, spongy injera — a fermented sourdough flatbread. Hiwet told us she uses five different flours in her injera, with teff — a tiny, nutty grain about the size of a mustard seed — the hardest to source in Spain.
There are not many places in Valencia where you can find this kind of food. So when Brianna and Sangeeta suggested hosting a Pont de Valencia meet-up at this hidden gem, we didn’t hesitate.
Adisalem, a classic Eritrean vegetable assortment served over injera bread. (Photo courtesy of Jini Park)
At the Table: Sharing food, building community
Around the table sat people from Kazakhstan to Argentina, Korea to Ireland. Some had been in Valencia for just a week; others were long-time residents. Strangers at first, but not for long.
It was a snapshot of the city’s international community, the kind of connection we hope to create more of. A big thank you to everyone who came.
Here’s what we propose: a monthly Pont de Valencia gathering, each time in a different hidden gem, exploring the city and the community — a way to bring people together, support local businesses, and share the places that make Valencia feel like home.
And if you missed this one, don’t worry — there will be more. Sangeeta and Brianna are already busy finding the next one!
If you’d like to join us next time, or have a place to recommend, send us a message. We hope to keep building this community together.
Places Mentioned:
La Massawina e i Milanesi
Carrer del Poeta Mas i Ros, 35, Bajo izquierda, Algirós, Algirós, 46022 València, Valencia
Pont de Valencia community members, Atika Shubert and Sangeeta Singh, with chef Hiwet Che and her culinary team.
