Cine+Food: film, food, and more on Gran Canaria

Tourists have been reliably topping up their tans on Gran Canaria since the first hotels were built in the south of the island back in the 1960s. But as well as the sun, there’s another constant on Gran Canaria with there always seeming to be something going on. Cine+Food is the latest date of 2016’s full cultural calendar.

We’ve been going to Cine+Food in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria’s Parque Santa Catalina since the event launched in 2010. Dates vary each year, but 2016’s started on the 1st September and finishes on the 4th. Here’s what Mr Gran Canaria Local got up to on a Saturday visit:

1. What Mr Gran Canaria Local ate at Cine+Food
2. What Mr Gran Canaria Local drank at Cine+Food
3. What Mr Gran Canaria Local saw at Cine+Food

1. What Mr Gran Canaria Local ate at Cine+Food

With over 20 different food stalls to choose from, Mr GCL tried to rein in his greed. And he achieved that by keeping his eyes and stomach within the correct ratio. One way of doing that was limiting himself to a 15€ budget.

Despite his best efforts to travel to Dakar, Mr Gran Canaria Local hasn’t yet managed that. So, he decided to try and right that wrong by tasting the culinary tradition of Senegal at El Bote’s stall. He ordered a nems vegetal which turned out to be a Senegalese spring roll of the vegetarian variety, although there were ones stuffed with chicken too.

Mr GCL then left Africa for Central America by stopping off for a meat-free burrito at the stall of Tenerife’s Con Limón y Sal. Before bookmarking tasty trips to the likes of Portugal’s Bom Gosto Gastro Bar, South Korea’s Kim’s Pojangmacha, and the Spanish mainland’s La Bellota Extremeña (Update: their papas bravas which Mr Gran Canaria Local tried the next day with almond mojo were a revelation). Ñam, and indeed, ñam.

2. What Mr Gran Canaria Local drank at Cine+Food

Mr GCL started off with a refreshing guarapo (sugarcane juice) at the Cuban La Esquinita Latina stall. Before moving next door to Senegal’s El Bote and accompanying his food with a bissap (made from the dried flowers of the indigenous hibiscus plant). Mr Gran Canaria Local finished with a watermelon mojito which was as fruity as it was punchy.

3. What Mr Gran Canaria Local saw at Cine+Food

Underneath the big screen, Mr GCL was enchanted by the sweet sounds of Salma and band. A model, actress (she’s played Mowgli in the touring production of The Jungle Book) and singer, Salma Díaz Gil is a name to remember. We enjoyed her faithful-with-a-twist renditions of the likes of Back to Black, Stay, and Take Me To Church which Salma warned beforehand made her feel quite emotional especially given the recent death of her grandmother.

Mr GCL gave the films on the big screen a miss. He prefers non-dubbed versions of English-language originals. So he paid the €2 supplement to watch Billy Wilder’s classic Some Like It Hot at the Sala Cine+Food Cinesa.

Disclaimer: We paid our own way at Cine+Food 2016, queuing up at Taquilla 1 for our 15€ worth of tokens. Dishes cost between €2-8 and drinks from €1-6. Portions are of the smaller street-food size rather than of a restaurant menu’s proportions.