Grocery Stores in Panama

Penonomé, Coclé Province, Panamá
www.UncoverPanama.com

Whoa!  Why is someone writing a blog about grocery stores on a travel site?  What a mundane topic.  We all look forward to a fun filled tropical, sunny vacation, what do grocery stores have to do with any of the enjoyable plans we have?

 

As with most people we wonder what our rooms will be like, what is the beach like, what adventures can we have.  After the first day or two enjoying the beautiful beaches, great surf and a few Pina Coladas, our attention turns to more mundane matters.  After all, there is a practical side to every vacation.  If you are not staying in an ‘All Inclusive’ a very logical question is ‘Where do we buy food?’

As with most people we wonder what our rooms will be like, what is the beach like, what adventures can we have. 

After the first day or two enjoying the beautiful beaches, great surf and a few Pina Coladas, our attention turns to more mundane matters.  After all, there is a practical side to every vacation.  If you are not staying in an ‘All Inclusive’ a very logical question is ‘Where do we buy food?’

Several of our friends Stateside have had many questions to ask of us about Panama and often asked are questions like  ‘’Does Panama have ‘Real’ grocery stores?’’  “Can you get fresh fruit and vegetables”  etc. 

The answer is a resounding YES!!!

When we first came to this tropical paradise, we found ‘El Rey’ in Coronado approximately 30 kilometres to the East of us.  At the time, it was the only grocery store around.   Equidistant from us in the opposite direction is Penonome which had no large grocery stores but did have a smaller store called Machetazo.  Nowadays however, it is a very different story and Coronado boasts three good sized modern shopping centres, each with a grocery store.
 
f you need groceries, medications, suntan lotions, and / or just about any kind of general necessity you don’t have to look very hard. A large Super 99 is close by while a brand new shopping centre has been built on the other side of the highway with a large Machetazo which occupies three floors. It not only sells wonderful fresh fruit and vegetables, boasts a butcher’s, baker’s and a well stocked deli counter, but it also sells all kinds of household goods, electronics, clothes and hardware.

While there are numerous wonderful cafes, bars and restaurants in Coronado, tucked away in a corner of Machetazo is a little cafeteria we visit every time we shop there.  Here you can have a really great, inexpensive lunch cafeteria style, including an excellent choice of main courses, salads and desserts.

Penonome has its own Machetazo store just on its eastern outskirts, not quite as large as the newer one in Coronado but amply stocked with the same types of items, and there is a very large, 24 hour, Super 99 across the other side of town.  In between you will find all kinds of shops selling everything you could possibly imagine.  Apart from all of this, in Penonome there is  a bustling fresh produce and meat market, numerous  pharmacies, a casino, a brand new movie theatre, university, hospital, clinics, many wonderful restaurants and bars and it seems like there is a bank on almost every corner.

So when you come here on vacation, there is no need to worry about food shopping, supplies for the BBQ or suchlike. It is all here in spades. Come and enjoy yourself, take in all that is on offer here in this wonderful part of the world and hopefully this ‘Grocery’ blog will enlighten you to the resources available for your shopping pleasure.

Incredible Culinary Experience at Miraflores Locks Restaurant

Story by Tamara Rowe
Photos by Tamara Rowe
www.UncoverPanama.com

Almost every visitor to Panamá will take in one of the great Wonders of the World, the Panamá Canal.  Between the Bridge of the Americas and The Centenary Bridge sits Miraflores Locks, the most visited of all the locks.  This is also the location of the current expansion where two new locks are being constructed.

 Although I have visited Miraflores locks many times proudly touring friends and family as part of their Panamá experience, I was not aware of the elegant restaurant located on the second floor.    

Our friends and lifelong residents of Panamá, Luz and Jorge Patton, asked if we ever had the pleasure of dining at the Miraflores Restaurant & Bar.  They told us this is one of the finest restaurants in Panamá and where they frequently enjoy dining.  Luz was happy to make the necessary reservation for the four of us for the following week.

Upon entering this beautiful restaurant we were given the opportunity to either sit outside on the veranda and watch the ships as they pass through the canal or to dine indoors.  We choose indoor dining enabling us to more appreciate the charm and ambience of this lovely restaurant.  We were easily distracted as we passed by the huge buffet displaying a multitude of mouth watering main dishes, salads and deserts.  Putting imaginary blinders on, we made it to our seats.

No sooner seated and we were warmly greeted by Executive Chef Diego Garcia Vela and to our delight, he informed us he had personally prepared a five course meal for us to enjoy.
Our dining experience began with a lovely glass of white wine accompanied by the most delicious garlic bread.  I could have eaten the entire basket but managed to refrain knowing there were five courses to come.  Our first course was a wanton consume followed by Chef Diego and staff delivering a dazzling display of Tatacki Tuna, ever so lightly seared and accompanied by salsa Nikkei.  An explosion of flavours melting in your mouth!  Next, octopus with a sour tamarind sauce; simply delightful.  Our main course was a clever combination of beef, Serrano ham and feta cheese rolled and presented in a bed of pea puree.  As soon as our coffee and tea orders were taken dessert arrived; a lovely chocolate crêpe Suzette with grapes flambé.  This was an absolutely deliciously memorable dining experience!

Originally from Lima, Peru, the land of the Incas, Chef Diego has always been curious in the culinary arts.  As a young boy, his parents took him to dine in the finest restaurants of Peru and other countries enabling him to experience new and different cuisines.  After completing his education in Peru at the Ibero-American School of Hospitality and Tourism, he followed with several internships at some of the finest restaurants in Lima to gain more knowledge and experience.  He attained a position at Iquitos Fitzcarraldo Restaurant & Bar in the jungles of Peru which afforded him the opportunity to experiment with different techniques using exotic products such as lizard, ostrich and camu camu, a fruit found only in the Amazon, creating new dishes.

Chef Diego joined Miraflores Restaurant & Bar just a little over one year ago and “wants people to come to Miraflores not only to visit the Canal, but to visit also for the cuisine of the restaurant and to have an amazing experience where they can use all of their senses”.

The Miraflores Restaurant & Bar is operated by one of Panamá’s most exquisite hotels, the El Panamá Hotel.  To ensure seating, please make reservations by telephoning either 232-3120 or 232-3122 or visit their website:  www.elpanama.com.

Thank you Miraflores Restaurant & Bar for the warm ambience, flawless service, a wonderful dining experience and thank you Chef Diego for the deliciously brilliant meal, simply stunning in every way.

Whether you are a long term resident or simply a one time visitor to Panamá, I highly recommend that you experience the Miraflores Restaurant & Bar.