It takes two people to carry the enormous seafood paella pan into the room. Photo: Sophia Brady.
Located in Narrabundah, the Spanish Australian Club hosts a market day one Sunday a month built around three very good reasons to visit: churros and hot chocolate for breakfast, a deli stocked with authentic Spanish ingredients and, to cap it all off, paella for lunch.
I arrived for breakfast, spent the morning shopping, went home to unpack my haul, and then returned for lunch because who can resist paella?
There is something familiar about the club. Even though I had never visited before, the building felt instantly recognisable.
Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, the venue is, like many of Canberra’s older multicultural venues, very much a product of its era.
Rooms lead off in different directions from a central bar. There is a dance floor and a stage in the main hall, and I found myself picturing the place full of the founding community.
Today it is well maintained and spotless. The only thing that jars is the sporadic burst of noise from the small poker machine corner.
Breakfast is ordered from a small table beside the bar. You place your order, and someone disappears through a set of doors to cook the churros fresh because they are best enjoyed piping hot. Four pretty little golden pieces of fried dough, shaped like horseshoes, arrive with a cup of hot chocolate. Sugar and cinnamon sugar are there for dusting. We happily dunk and crunch next to the foosball table, which is attracting a lot of attention from the throng of young kids that morning.
Churros and hot chocolate for breakfast is a good reason to visit the monthly market. Photo: Sophia Brady.
While breakfast is underway, shoppers browse the deli. Fresh small goods sit on a table in the dining hall, while a small room behind is packed with pantry staples. Chorizo, morcilla, cheese, jamón, canned fish, beans, rice and spices are among the tempting options.
I was trying to decide what to buy when other shoppers started helpfully offering recommendations.
One woman pointed me towards the famed brand Cuca for my tinned fish selection and provided guidance on rice for paella. Others translated labels and explained some uses of products unfamiliar to me. I added a spicy paprika to my collection and bought bottles of traditional Asturian apple cider that I had not seen for sale in Canberra before.
The afternoon sees paella service start at 1 pm. You take a seat, and it all comes to you. First bread, then a nicely dressed bowl of salad, and finally the paella itself.
At the end of the meal, someone comes around to take payment. It takes two people to carry the enormous seafood paella pan into the room. It is very attractively presented and smells amazing. A vegetarian option is also available.
The seafood version included calamari, chicken, and a whole prawn crowning the rice. It was a good, honest and generous dish. Looking around the rooms, I saw literally every person eating it. It wasn’t just the guests at the tables; the volunteers in the serving area and the bar staff were all sharing the same meal.
Talk about communal dining! It was all very charming.
Paella lunch. Photo: Sophia Brady
While breakfast had attracted plenty of young families, lunch brought together many older members of the Spanish community. At the next table, a group of Spanish grandmothers shared a bottle of tempranillo and included us in a round of salud, the traditional toast to good health. We joined in before washing lunch down with a glass of tempranillo and an Estrella beer.
The paella costs $20 for guests and $15 for members. Membership costs $5. The maths to me was simple, so I became a member. Any leftover paella is packed up and sold as $10 takeaway. There were lots of takers, including me.
The Spanish Australian Club is located at 5 Narupai St, Narrabundah. The next market is on Sunday, 13 September, and then the first Sunday of the month for the rest of the year. Breakfast is served from 8 am to 10:30 am. The corner deli operates from 8 am to 11:30 am, and paella is served at 1 pm.
Original Article published by Sophia Brady on Region Canberra.
