‘Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper’…

Or, if in Colombia -just eat lunch. Because here lunch is not to be taken lightly, both in the figurative and literal sense. The typical almuerzo corriente (‘fast lunch’) consists of a soup for starters, rice, either beans or lentils, possibly plantain or yucca, a salad and a piece of meat or fish. The price will range from COP 5,000-10,000 (£1.50-£3.00). This makes this midday meal a great way to sample the local cuisine without breaking the bank. Here’s a look at some of my recent lunchtime eats here in Barranquilla.

Kitchen in the street at Totumazo

I’ve found myself in a few comedores (cheap eat places) where a health and safety officer might have a heart attack, but as I’m still standing to tell the tale and continuing to seek out these places, I’d say the dubious state of hygiene only adds to their rustic charm.

Totuzmo is probably ‘rustic charm’ personified. This cornerside comedor, with it’s thatched roof and outdoor kitchen, is about as low-frills are you can get. The specialty here is soups, which all come accompanied with rice and agua panela (sugar cane water).Each soup comes served in a bowl of totuma – the dried and hollowed out shell of the fruit from the totuma tree. The photo below is an enormous bowl of mondongo – tripe soup. Now this may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I absolutely adore this dish and given that it’s a delicacy here I’d say that’s not just my weird offal-loving self speaking either.

This whole meal cost COP 6,000 – that’s £1.25! To anyone over here in Barranquilla, this place is a must visit. Find it at Carrera 56 # 49.

‘The city centre….is inhabited by wild street commerce – it’s actually one market stretching to the river like a flattened shanty town‘.

Welcome to my city! This extract comes from a Lonely Planet guide to Colombia and it is indeed true – the city centre of Barranquilla is a lot like mayhem. But those people who endure its chaotic streets, merciless bus drivers and general disorder will be rewarded with some absolute bargains and excellent local food too.

Food in the centre has character and personality, something I’ll choose over sterile, soulless chains serving me my food in air-conditioned shopping centres any day. From every fresh fruit under the sun to fried pig ears (really), if you’re looking for a bit of excitement this is the place to come. On my most recent trip into town, I was on a mission to find the best almuerzo around. Upon recommendation, I headed to Osteria Yeimar for a corrientazo.

Osteria translates as oyster bar, but given that this is downtown Barranquilla, it was less oyster bar and more fisherman’s shack. Yeimar had everything from cocteles de camaron (special seafood cups, not alcoholic cocktails) to cazuelas de mariscos, gorgeous seafood stews. I opted for the set lunch, but when choosing my fish, my Spanish failed me – I was left clueless as to what anything on offer actually was. Not to worry, as the owner simply took me to the kitchen to select whatever fish I fancied.

I went for the mojarra, and while I’m still unsure of an English translation, all I can say is it was a good choice. A meaty fish with not too many bones, it came whole and deep fried, accompanied by coconut rice, patacones and salad. When having to choose between a typical costeño lunch in the heart of the ‘wild street commerce’ and a Subway sandwich in a shopping centre? You know where to find me.

Osteria Yeimar, Cra 43 Calle 34, centro

Ede works in our school, and her general job is to keep everything clean, everyone happy and as a side task – well fed too. With Ede you can order your own almuerzo corrientazo straight to the staff room for the wonderful price of COP 5,000. Below is pollo guisado (chicken in a tomato based sauce), coconut rice, boiled yucca and avocado salad. The soup on the side is mote de queso – a typically costeño cheese and yam-based soup.

As well as teaching at my school, I’ve also spent a fair bit of time at our nearby university taking dance classes. It’s a huge university which offers up a wide array of places for students and staff to grab a bite to eat. You can dine at one of the fancier restaurants on campus, or, of course, grab a corrientazo. One particularly good place is called Rancho Norte, just outside the uni.

This was carne gusiada (beef in a tomato sauce) with white rice, black-eyed beans, salad and plantain, Oh, and should be leaving hungry, there’re chips too. The soup is actually sopa de hueso, which is bone soup. If you think of it as just a tasty meat stock (which it is), the weird sounding name shouldn’t phase you. That enormous jug of drink is all for me – iced tea, which is very popular here. A sad moment when I was first offered ‘tea’ and thought I had landed in a country that drunk tea like the brits. Perhaps, but theirs is ice cold with tons of sugar. PG tips: I miss you.

Here in Colombia I’ve been working with a charity called Techo, which means roof in English. Techo is an organisation which helps build emergency housing for people living in substandard housing throughout Latin America. I work in the area of detection, and each Sunday we visit certain neighbourhoods to carry out interviews with families.Through these interviews, we then carry out a needs assessment and from that information assign housing. It’s an incredible charity, and if you want to find out more click you can by clicking here.