Reviews by Don Spence and Caz Matthews

Review of

FEATHERS BAR & RESTAURANT

Calle Inperio Argentina 8

Monte Azul, 03178 Benijofar

t. 691 74 33 95

On Saturday night, my better half and I had dinner with friends at Feathers in Monte Azul on the outskirts of Benijofar. Always on the lookout for new or different places to try, we picked Feathers as friends who went for Sunday lunch recently were singing their praises. When we arrived, there were a few people inside and just us outside giving our ladies the pick of the tables in the sunshine to have our pre-dinner drinks and a good, leisurely, look at the menus.

After all this time with an early curfew, many people have got used to going out for lunch instead of dinner, but not us; we were delighted to get out in the evening again for the first time in a long time. I also got the impression that the other clientele at Feathers who dined on Saturday evening were the old-fashioned kind who go out early for their ‘tea’. That may change as time goes on. I mention this as the early crowd were heading for home just as we were ready to head to our table. As it turned out, we had Feathers inside all to ourselves.

I have to say the interior at Feathers is very nice indeed. It has a stylish bar with comfortable, modern, white chairs and good sized, well spaced, tables. The venue has a corner stage and a reputation for good quality, live, Spanish music. They also do regular music quiz nights and recently hosted a sold-out ladies fashion show. On other nights they have pool and darts competitions and show regular football on TV. It is unusual for us to eat out at a venue that is both bar and restaurant in one space. Had we been looking for an intimate dinner, this wouldn’t do, but for a fun night out with pals, it was perfectly acceptable.

We’d heard about their generous portions, so we shared two garlic mushroom starters which were just right. For mains, my vegetarian better half had Spicy Stir-Fried Vegetables with chips, our girlfriend had the biggest plate of Ribs I’ve ever seen in my life, her hubby had Lasagne & Chips, and I had a delicious plate of Scampi. We had one small misunderstanding in that our amiga found the ribs were ham instead of, as she expected, pork. Claire offered to change them right away, but they were so well cooked and tasty, that offer was declined. Desserts were Cherry Crumble, Caramel Ice Cream, & Sticky Toffee Pudding. For drinks, the ladies had a large jug of the best Sangria they’d had in ages. Other drinks were cider, beer, wine and coffee and we go the biggest final drink on the house I’ve ever had, No thimbles here, but big glasses of Baileys or Amaretto.

The bill came to 87.65e for everything, and we left full and happy. We were served by the boss, Claire, who looked after us superbly all night. Thank you, Claire.

Don Spence

For ‘We Love Spain.Live

#menudeldia #food #3courses #benijofar #monteazul #spain

#welovespainlive

Review of

CASA PILI

Avenida del Mar 81
03187 Los Montesinos, Spain

t. (0034) 744651778

CASA PILI, THREE HAPPY CUSTOMERS

On Monday we headed to Los Montesinos for lunch with a friend, radio presenter and leading light at ‘We Love Spain Live’, Caz Matthews, and what a treat it was. Restaurant, Casa Pili, is on the far-left side of the main street coming from Quesada and early on the right if coming from San Miguel etc. It was taken over by new owners at the beginning of last year when they transformed a place that was tired into a bright, friendly, lovely place to dine. And through all the problems of lockdowns then limited openings, thanks to great management by partner, Otilia Vostinar, it continues to make a name for itself for excellent food and service to match in-house, and takeaways which are also popular, especially later when restaurants are closed.

We arrived at 2.15 to be shown to our table by Otilia and received a lovely, warm welcome. Typically for a Monday lunch, we got the benefit of picking our seats and receiving the usual special service. The team here know their stuff and are multilingual, with excellent English. Our drink orders were quickly taken and served, menus arrived, both Menu del Dia (Menu of the Day) and A-la-Carte.

To begin the meal, and in true Spanish fashion, included in the Menu del Dia which we all went with, they served a very nice fresh plated salad with optional olive oil and vinegar, both standard and balsamic. Also included were bread rolls. For the actual starters, from a choice of four, all three of us had the delicious Asparagus & Leek Cream soup of the day. For mains, both ladies went with the fish which was Fillet of Mackerel in a lovely tomato sauce which was seasoned to their liking, spicy but not too hot. I had the Pork Cheeks which are marinated in a red wine sauce and was delicious. For desserts, we all had scrumptious Crème Brulee, each properly finished on top with crisp, caramelised sugar.

The menu del dia was terrific value at 11.90e and included a glass of wine, beer or soft drinks. With generous portions of quality food and further drinks, including a Vodka and Tonic and additional wines plus coffee, it was second to none for value and all together came to under 50euros total for all of us.

It was lovely to be back again, and we’ll return soon, that just about says it all!

Well done and thank you, Otilia and all at Casa Pili!

Don Spence

For We Love Spain.Live

#spanishfood #menudeldia #losmontesinos #lunch #spain

Review of

Taberna El Fardatxo
C/ Miguel Hernandez 3
Guardamar del Seguro, Spain

t. (0034) 633462905

On Friday we went out for lunch with friends to Spanish restaurant Fardatxo, or I should say Taberna Fardatxo, which is situated in central Guardamar, just a hop, skip and a jump from the Ayuntamiento, or Town Hall to those of us with dodgy Spanish. We have a terrific taxi driver in Quesada who runs us to restaurants all over the district. He knows we are always on the lookout for something different and recommended one of his favourite eating places when he’s in Guardamar. We thought if he likes it, we should give it a bash.

We booked in advance and arrived on time at 2 pm. The place was quiet, and we received a friendly, Covid safe, welcome. We were shown to our table by a very courteous and friendly, English speaking, masked up waitress. We were warned in advance that this place was “different”, but I think we underestimated just how different it was going to be. Outside there’s a reasonable number of tables, but on a wet, windy day, it was inside for us. That was the first challenge as it is quite small, and the tables and chairs are bar stool height. We had some fun and it was a team effort to get my partially disabled wife up and onto her stool. It has a distinctive modern décor. It very much appeals to a local clientele and that meant the place filled up gradually (the Spanish eat later) until it had quite a buzz.

No ‘menu del dia’ AKA menu of the day, here. This place is famous for individually priced, good quality fresh food, including seafood right off the boats daily. That day’s dishes are written on a board behind the bar. There were a few things on it which challenged even my Spanish speaking friend, but the waitress kept us right. Rather than starters and mains, you ordered what you want, and the waitress advised us that some items were big enough to share and you could vary the portion sizes accordingly. Also, it is all literally cooked fresh and the food is brought out as it’s ready.

First out was Russian Salad which we all had a go at, next was Gambas Ajillo, or pan-fried Garlic Prawns, for two, I had Zamborinas, which is Queen Scallops, and my male friend had Pulpo which is Octopus. To finish we all ordered Crema Catalana or Catalan Cream, which is flavoured with oranges and lemons and this one came with ice cream.

In the land of the menu del dia with 3 courses and wine for 9-12euros per person, the individual prices were, at 12 – 14 euros for a single main sized dish, relatively high, but the portions and quality were much better than average.

For drinks, we had a mix of wines, beer, gin & tonic & coffee. For a lunch in this area, at 27euros a head, it wasn’t cheap.

The locals seem to like it, and as mentioned, it got busy, so the price isn’t chasing them away!

By Don Spence for Welovespain.live

#food #spanishfood #guadamar #restaurant #spain

REVIEW OF RESTAURANT

MESON LOS CARACOLES

Calle Tomas Perez Castaño No1
03193 San Miguel de Salinas

Alicante.

t. 0034 656 29 35 49

Well, this past week we were in a restaurant with and recommended by, our very own editor in chief here at ‘We Love Spain Live’, Caz Miller-Matthews. Caz, who lives locally in San Miguel, never lets us down and to date, it’s three out of three, so well-done Caz.

Los Caracoles is another privately-owned character restaurant with great national food. Although, not surprisingly heavily Spanish, the menu has other Mediterranean influences for those looking for something just that bit different. The main restaurant is on ground level, with adequate space for social distancing in these difficult times. Another very nice feature of Caracoles is a private dining room upstairs if you have something special to celebrate. This restaurant is popular with Spanish and ex-pat customers alike, and that was evident on Tuesday when we visited. There were people on a lunch break and others, like us, who had all the time in the world, as long as we were out by 6 pm and home by 10. Not a problem as we live under 30 minutes away.

Today we opted for the Menu Del Dia (menu of the day), at a very reasonable 12 Euros. We are so spoiled in Spain, and that price includes a glass of wine or beer each, plus bread, starter, main & dessert or coffee. For starters, my better half and I had the breaded Brie, while Caz had Mozzarella. All were excellent and got a big thumbs up. For mains, Caz had Chicken Breast with Pepper Sauce, Irene Hake in Batter, while I had Cod in Batter. The fish tasted as fresh as I’ve had anywhere. To finish, there was a selection of desserts on offer, and we followed those with coffee.

The service was excellent throughout and the bill very reasonable, so a big thank you to Carla, who, if you struggle a little with Spanish, speaks perfect English. If there was anything to be said constructively that could have made a very good experience even better, it was that we prefer our meals served on heated rather than cool plates. Also, with my better half a vegetarian, she picked the Aubergine Moussaka and had to send it back as it contained meat. A mention of that on the menu would have been helpful.

The environment is hygienically managed with guests provided with hand sanitiser on arrival, socially distanced tables and chairs, and the furniture sanitized between guests. The staff wore masks and the menus were disposable. This place is well worth a visit and we’ll be back.

Don Spence

For ‘We Love Spain.Live.’

#supportinlocal #menudeldia #spanishfood #food #lunch #wine #coffee

A Very Different Kind of Review

Zumba For All – Even Men!

Gaining weight in Lockdown with Gyms etc. closed? Not to mention going just a little stir crazy? Give Zumba online, aka Zoom Zumba, a try, it’s amazing! And better still, as you begin to relax into it, it’s the fastest hour of that or any other day! And come the return of ‘normality’, in a real live class it’s even better!

A few years ago, if you’d told me that I’d be doing Zumba three times a week, I’d have said you were off your rocker. When most of us think of Zumba, we picture a room full of women dancing and clapping with every step in perfect unison, right? Wrong! Zumba, whilst still by far most popular amongst women, is becoming more popular with men throughout the world….and why not? If you’ve gone jogging or cycling and they’re not for you? Or tried all the fitness equipment and, like me, you don’t enjoy it? And/or lack the self-motivation to keep doing it, or just plain find it boring, it’s time for a change….no matter what gender or age you are….and what a change!

In my case, I started virtually as a dare. I enjoy dancing, and dancing to a Cuban band one night, I said to my dance partner friend, Zumba Instructor Angie Nicholls, “I’d love to be better at Salsa.” and Angie said, “Well, you should come and try my Zumba class, there’s lots of Salsa in Zumba.” I said, “Isn’t it just for women?” She said, “No, there are men doing my class. Not many, but you won’t be the only one.” And there were other guys. To this day the ladies are in the majority, but as you get to love it, you stop caring, if you ever did. Someone asked me, “Don’t the girls resent men in the class?” The answer is a definite no! Once the girls see the men putting in the same effort and making the same mistakes, (true) they just treat you as one of the gang.

Zumba was actually created by a man. Beto Perez, originally from Colombia, moved to Florida in 1999. Some 22 years later, the estimate is that around 14 million people in more than 160,000 classes in 185 countries are into Zumba and dance and sing to fun music. These days it’s far from all Latin and includes pop songs that you know and love. And the Latin that is in it isn’t all Salsa. There’s a little bit of just about every other type of dance. And to my amazement first time around, even the odd Indian track, so you never get bored.

I live in Ciudad Quesada in Spain, and thanks to my Zumba Instructor friend, Angie, two great things have happened to me since I joined her Zumba classes. 1. I got a heck of a lot fitter and lost around 2 stone (remember them?) and had fun doing it. 2. I’ve met lots of lovely, positive-minded, people, many of who have become great friends, so much so that in ‘normal’ times our social life is as hectic as we want it to be.

If Zumba sounds like something you’d like to try, online or live, and you live in or around Quesada on the southern Costa Blanca, get in touch via ‘We Love Spain Live’ and we’ll point you in the right direction. Also, if you live in the Glasgow area in Scotland, my gorgeous daughter, Kirsti McGinlay, is also an instructor and there are other qualified instructors all over the globe catering for all age groups!

You’ll never look back…..but you will look fitter, and with a smile on your face!

Don Spence for ‘We Love Spain Live.’

#zumba #fitness #dancing #funinthesun

MESON RINCON DE PACO

Calle Almoradi 2,

San Miguel de Salinas, 03193

+34 966723038

MESON RINCON DE PACO – ‘REAL SPAIN’

There’s an old saying here that if you enjoy real Spanish food and you’re looking for the best, find a real Spanish restaurant full of real Spaniards. Well Rincon de Paco was busy with born and bred locals enjoying lunch, with a sprinkling of ex-pats too. This place is as Spanish as it gets. Sure, there are one or two quainter places if you go out of your way to find them but walk in this one and you won’t mistake it for an Italian or any other type of restaurant.

This was our last meal out before the Government put the locks on again and closed all bars and restaurants for the time being. My vegetarian better half, Irene, and I were dining with the queen of radio and blogging, Caz Miller-Matthews. It’s no coincidence that the last time we visited was the day of Caz’s nuptials when we gathered for drinks on the good-sized front terrace here before the wedding of the year in the square in the summer of 2019.

Rincon de Paco is famous for its Tapas. They’ve got a selection of fresh tapas every day with the old favourites’ meatballs, prawns, tortilla etc, plus some very attractive ones I didn’t recognise, all at giveaway prices. But, on this visit, we went with the menu del dia (menu of the day). No need to worry about catching anything contagious from a menu passed around, as our masked waitress arrived with it written down and read it to us. Included in the menu is the customary bread and Ali-Oli to keep hunger pangs at bay while you wait for your meal.

To start Irene had the Russian Salad, Caz ordered Entre Meses, which is a plate with mixed cold meats and, in this case, a slice of Tortilla (which is like a nice, thick, omelette) and I had Meatballs, or in first for me, one large Meatball. These are usually served in a rich, dark, sauce, but they did this one in a consommé. For mains Irene and Caz each had a very generous mixed plate of large and small Anchovies. I went for the Pork Chops, and we all had French Fries. I had a cheesecake to finish and we had coffees. The food bill came to 10euros each for the menu del dia which included wine. Irene had a generous glass of white and Caz and I shared a half carafe of red. We all enjoyed our food, the wine was local and good quality and best of all, with water and beer extras, the bill still came to just under 40 euros for three.

While there, news of the latest lockdown and restaurant closures came on television, sad times once again for Maria and all her staff. Fingers crossed its not for long and only for the two weeks they have place. God only knows how many business's are going to come out of this next lockdown now. So on that note please support your local bars and restaurants as most of them will be doing take-aways during these hard times. And we will need and want them once all this is over.

Don Spence

For ‘We Love Spain.Live’

REVIEW OF

TRIPLE BREW

Calle San Antonio 10, Rojales, 03170

t. 0034 645 33 18 57

Just two reviews to do from the days pre lockdown in January. This is first of those and what an absolute cracking visit it was. Reading this column before, you may have heard me talk about places that are ‘different’, well this place is different, and some!

Triple Brew is in central Rojales, so easy to find. It gets its name because they brew a range of beer on the premises. Yes, brewpubs are far from unique in the UK, and I’m told there are others in Spain, but this is the only one your beer-loving food reviewer has ever found! We went with friends who’d been, liked what they found, and couldn’t wait for us to come and try it with them. The ‘Brew’ is situated on a pedestrian street with outside dining right in front. On a warm sunny January day, it was perfect. We first checked in inside and were met by Michael, who, with his wife Faith, own this special place. It has a real international feel about it. Michael, originally from Germany, met Faith, a New Zealander, in that land down-under. Very friendly, they gave us a warm welcome and a traditional BBQ oven pushed the inside temperature up too. The venue, very unusually in a city centre, has a cave, it’s where they brew the beer. Next to that is their wine bar but having stuck our head in to have a look, and very nice it was too, it was time to take our seats outside and test the beer and food.

They have seven beers on tap amongst a total of thirty to choose from...wow! I sampled three and settled on a large Blackbell, an unusual ‘Coffee Porter made from Lager Yeast.’ My amigo had Imparable, described as ‘An American style IPA.’ 5.9 & 6.5 strong! The ladies had a bottle, or two, of Baron De Ley white and the boys a red from the same fine Rioja vineyard. To eat the girls had a green and a potato salad to accompany Prawn Skewers, and for my lady, a very tasty vegetarian sausage. Having heard great things about their Kiwi Burgers us lads had those with Baked Potato. The food may not have been fancy but fresh, plentiful, delicious and well-presented.

Given the quality of the wines, I expected quite a large bill. In fact, it came to under 25e each and we all went home happy. Roll on the end of lockdown and our next visit!

Don Spence

For www.We Love Spain.Live

REVIEW OF

PUNJABI PALACE RESTAURANT

Calle Quesada Ballester Local 7, Quesada

Tel: 0034 966714963

After culinary trips to Japan, Thailand and China in 2020, the New Year had us looking for further Asian delights and it was way past time to take a trip to India. Your generally intrepid reviewer has avoided Indian cuisine for quite a while due to a rather delicate constitution. I recently mentioned that to a friend who told me about the number of tasty mild dishes on the menu in Punjabi Palace. Accompanied by our esteemed editor, Caz, hubby Stu and my better half, Irene, I decided to risk it. Boy am I glad.

The Punjabi Palace moved to its current home close to the roundabout at La Marquesa Golf not all that long ago. Their previous site a short walk away was nice, but where they are now is superb. They have a big terrace area at the front for the warmer days and a generously sized, well decorated, restaurant indoors with a good, friendly, atmosphere. Parking here is no problem either as the shops and restaurants share the huge car park with the golf course. Having been down there during most times of the year, day and night, and every day of the week, finding a space is never a problem.

There was no menu of the day (del dia) on a Sunday, but there are offers and even the full priced menu items turned out to be good value for money. Every customer is served, on the house, a nice big papadom with three different individual dips as they peruse the menu. For starters we chose Onion Bhaji, Lamb Tikka plus a Mixed Salad. For mains Caz & Stu went for Chicken Jalfrezi & Lamb Jalfrezi; vegetarian Irene Tarka Dal, and delicate Don, a totally and deliciously mild Lamb Mango. The others shared Pilau Rice and Mushroom Rice while, to go with the superb Lamb Mango, the waiter recommended a perfect Coconut Rice. Both my dish and rice were a first for me and I’ll be having them again. The others were also so delighted that any leftovers were packaged up and taken home for supper. We’d had a Plain Naan and a Garlic Naan with the mains and two of us had Ice Cream to follow, one had tea and the rest coffee. The meal was washed down with three beers, four wines and water for four.

To make our day, the bill came to just 24e pp. We’ll be back!

Don Spence

For We Love Spain Live

Review of

COOPERS FAMILY BAR & RESTAURANT

Avenido Antonio Quesada

Ciudad Quesada, 03170

Tel: (0034) 96671013

This Thursday night I had dinner with an old friend at Cooper's in Quesada. Coopers is a long-standing and very popular watering hole and eatery. Despite two new bars opening just around the corner, Coopers works hard at coming up with new ideas to keep the customers coming through their own front door. Difficult enough to do at the best of times, in these trying times the management here work even harder to keep the proverbial ship afloat and they’ve done superbly well.

The bar at Coppers has its own clientele, as does the restaurant, but they mix very well. The icing on the cake is the huge outdoor drinking, eating and celebrating space to the rear. This is popular for much of the year, and, of course, particularly when the sun shines and the weather is warm. We’ve been to Coopers when a friend hosted a charity event there and the outside terrace was packed. We’ve also attended Birthday Parties, Live Performances by very good singers plus Burns Suppers in the restaurant, all enjoyed. That was in the good old days when live music was allowed and numbers weren’t limited, and a DJ and live acts performed regularly. But even now they have a promotion on just about every night of the week for food and/or one of a number of general knowledge or music quiz nights and they show regular football on TV.

We ended up there as I’d forgotten to get steak pies for dinner at the butchers. My mate, who lives nearby, mentioned that since October, Thursday night was Pie Night at Cooper's. From 6 pm every Thursday you can get a Chicken & Broccoli, or a Steak Pie, both served with Chips or Mash as you prefer, and a helping of Peas. The cost of 6.50e includes a small beer, glass of house wine or a soft drink. My mate had the chicken pie, and I had the lovely, lean, steak pie, and both were extremely happy as they were well cooked in, of course, a very nice pastry. He had a half-pint of beer and I a glass of red as included, plus we enjoyed a pint each for after’s and neither of us spent more than a tenner in total.

This is a safe place to eat with alcohol gel on arrival, plus superb hygiene inside and out with socially distanced tables and chairs, each of which is wiped down between guests.

I hope all our regular and new readers, wherever you are, are managing to keep smiling in these difficult times. Fortunately here in Spain, while the bars & restaurants are closed in the evenings for, at least, January, those of us lucky enough to have the flexibility. can change our eating habits, eat out in the afternoon and stay home and watch TV in the evenings. Bring on the vaccines!

Don Spence

For ‘We Love Spain Live.’

Review of

RESTAURANT FINCA LA VUELTA

Colada de Los Palacios 59

Formentera del Segura, 03179

t. 966727559

All too often we can all be guilty of sticking to the usual haunts. Still, I’m delighted we broke the mould recently and took a fifteen-minute taxi ride from our home in Quesada to Restaurant Finca La Vuelta in the countryside (in Spanish, Campo) on the outskirts of Formentera just beyond Rojales.

The setting for Finca La Vuelta is quite stunning, and it has an extensive outdoor dining area with a stage and bar on the restaurant entrance side as you walk in from the road and car park, and a cocktail bar set up beside their swimming pool at the rear. We’ve been here a few times, but always in the summer when they had live music and, on one occasion, a quite spectacular Ibiza themed fiesta night with fire-eaters, beautifully costumed stilt walkers and a wandering saxophone player. We have tried to book a table for a winter Saturday night previously but had failed to appreciate just how busy this place is, and making a reservation early is a must.

Well, we made no mistake this time and booked a table for six two weeks in advance. I was glad we did as, despite the rural location, it has to be the busiest restaurant for miles around. The atmosphere was excellent; it was a real multi-national crowd, and had a festive buzz.

The restaurant’s website claims “FLV has been in business for over 15 years. We offer fresh food of the highest quality in a most attractive environment where we regularly offer live entertainment. This is what 'la Vuelta' is all about!” Well, there was no live music on that night, but otherwise, the restaurant lived up to its own publicity, and we were glad we made an effort to book. We went for the 4-course‘ choice menu’ at 19.95 euros offering six starters, two soups, seven main courses and two desserts. The starters we had included Fresh Mussels with Thai Green Curry, Trio of Duck, Smoked Salmon and Venison Confit. The soups were Creamy Garlic plus a Pomodori Tomato, the mains we selected included Salmon Fillet, Moroccan Tagine, Gratinated Hake and an Iberian Pork Fillet. Desserts were Chocolate Mousse and also Apple with Vanilla Cream & Ice Cream. Each course's presentation was very pleasing on the eye, the portions generous, and the taste excellent.

Our drinks included beer, G&Ts, plus more than adequate amounts of Red & Rose Wine and Cava. Altogether the bill for six people came to 218 euros (just over 36pp) plus tip. When you consider that you’d do well to get a decent meal and drinks in a similar quality restaurant in the UK for under 50 pounds pp, with the quality of the food we had here, plus the drinks and service, we were delighted and will be back.

DON SPENCE

FOR ‘WE LOVE SPAIN LIVE.’

LAKEVIEW BA & RESTAURANT

LAKEVIEW BAR & RESTAURANT

Calle Toledo

Ciudad Quesada, 03170

Tel: (0034) 722891977

Calle Toledo

Ciudad Quesada, 03170

We had lunch with friends in Lakeview, an old haunt of ours in its former guise as QCC or Quesada Country Club, (not to be confused with The Club, bowling and all, next door) but much has changed since our last visit. Under new owners, the place has been transformed and freshened up from tip to toe. The name Lakeview is entirely appropriate as from the poolside terrace, and other areas, clearly seen in the distance is the beautiful sight of a large lake.

Rightly described as a bar and restaurant, this place is in fact, in better, less restricted times, so much more. When permitted, the bar is one of the best for live bands. In the current climate, they still offer quiz nights and football on the big screen. It’s a real family destination too, with a large swimming pool to one side of the restaurant and a well-equipped children’s play area to the front, both open seasonally, weather permitting when normality returns. Also, in the summer they have one of the finest outside areas to stage dinner shows with the best live acts on the Costa plus, at times, visiting acts from the UK.

The restaurant has been getting good reviews for its food, and we will try that soon, possibly for Sunday Lunch. The newly improved dining space is well decorated and, on a sunny day, flooded with natural light. However, on Friday, we were sampling the extensive bar menu. Extensive is no exaggeration as at a rough count there were around thirty dishes to choose from before we even thought about a dessert.

Out for a relatively light lunch, we skipped the starters and went straight for the mains. They say that the best places will adapt the dishes to suit the customer, and that’s exactly what they did. Our male amigo had gammon with, the twist, an egg on top, our girlfriend had a steak sandwich, my vegetarian better half had a veggie burger, and I, in a throwback to my childhood and for the first time for several decades, had fish fingers. To go with all of these we unanimously opted for seasoned chips. I have to say these were the best chips I’ve tasted in a very, very, long time! I said it was intended to be a light lunch, but when we heard that Apple Crumble was on offer for dessert, we all plumped for that, three with custard and our amigo with brandy sauce… delicious.

The prices were good with mains at 6.50 – 8.95e, including chips, and the service from Claudia was excellent. In what for me was a first when having a bar meal anywhere on the planet, the chef, Bobby, came out and spoke to every table and no one had anything but praise for the food. If you live in or are visiting the area, do go. They have a very nice Christmas menu, and if still at a loss as to what to do on New Year’s Eve, they’ve got a special evening on with food, cava and fireworks at 25e, so get on down!

This is also a safe place to eat with hygiene superb and socially distanced tables.

Don Spence

For ‘We Love Spain Live.’

Review of

RESTAURANT MESON EL PRADO

Calle Lope de Vega 8,
03193 San Miguel de Salinas

Alicante.

t. 0034 966 72 3241

Well, here’s a restaurant I always associate with special occasions, the first one the wedding of our very own editor in chief here at We Love Spain Live, Caz Miller-Matthews, and the second a close friend’s landmark birthday. The unforgettable wedding for sixty guests with live band and D-J was in the fabulous covered courtyard area which is beautifully lined with attractive plants on all the walls: the second a gathering of ten friends at a table in the main restaurant. What both had in common was exceptional food and service to match.

El Prado is a real character Spanish restaurant with great national food. Also, the menu has other Mediterranean culinary options for those looking for something just that bit different. It has a spacious main dining area with enough seating options that you can have a large dinner or find a quiet corner for a romantic meal for two, not to forget the aforementioned courtyard. On this occasion, my better half and I were having lunch with our lovely amiga Caz on 8 December, the public holiday known as the day of the Immaculate Conception. This day marks the unofficial beginning of the Christmas season. As a result, the restaurant which, in common with others the world over, has been affected by the pandemic, was enjoying good business and we asked to be seated in the heated covered courtyard.

Today we opted for the Menu Del Dia (menu of the day), an absolute bargain at 10 Euros. Unbelievable anywhere else but Spain, that price includes a half bottle of wine each, plus bread, salad, starter, main & dessert or coffee. For starters, my better half and I had the Lentil Soup, while Caz had the Chicken variety. Both got a big thumbs up. The lentil soup was thick and tasty. For mains, Caz and I had Chicken Paella and Irene was offered and accepted, Grilled Salmon as the Hake she’d ordered had sold out. The paella was as good as I’ve tasted anywhere, and we’ve had a lot, and Irene loved her salmon which was deliciously seasoned and perfectly cooked. To finish, there was a large variety of sweets on offer and while Irene stuck to a nice bowl of Ice Cream, Caz and I went wild and had very tasty, moreish, cream desserts followed by coffee.

The service was excellent throughout, and the environment hygienically managed with guests provided with hand sanitizer on arrival, socially distanced tables and chairs, and each sanitized between guests. The staff were all in masks. The menus were used once then thrown away. This place is just so good, if you haven’t tried it and you’re in sunny Spain, don’t hesitate to book!

By Don Spence for We Love Spain.Live

Restaurant Review "The Purple Parrot"

Plaza Constitución – Local 2.6

Benijofar

03178 Alicante

+34 604241248

This Friday, following a recent major anniversary, my better half Irene and I were spoiled by being taken to lunch by friends to The Purple Parrot. It’s well-situated adjacent to the stunning old white church in the heart of the much loved and well-preserved town of Benijofar. Spain is rightly famous for beautiful old churches, but this one really is special and makes a lovely backdrop for those dining al fresco in the plaza. On a cool day, we dined indoors.

The Purple Parrot is strictly speaking a café rather than a restaurant, but if you arrive with a healthy appetite, you won’t leave hungry. ‘The Parrot’ was taken over a few months ago, freshened up, and has, as hinted at above, quite a few tables outside the front door and in the square where you can eat, drink, and watch the world go by. The furniture and décor indoors are modern and comfortable.

This cafe is a favourite venue for coffees with friends after fitness classes in the studio next door, or with locals and shoppers for the same or drinks. For some time, it has also been getting a good reputation for its food. We were delighted to be invited to sample the fayre for ourselves. What had tempted our friends to take us there was the well-promoted ‘Afternoon Tea’. Quite the traditional British ‘High Tea’, but with a difference, and getting so popular, booking is highly recommended.

You take your seats and, having stipulated when booking that you are coming for ‘Afternoon Tea’, you don’t have to worry about what to order as you get a heck of a lot as standard. The waiter brings over cups, saucers and a classic pot of tea between two, and for me a fine cup of nice, frothy, coffee, or as they call it in Spain, Café Con Leche. Next, he brings each a small, gold, bottle of cava with champagne flutes. Finally, he arrives with a three-tier cake stand between two. Whereas in a traditional setting in the UK that would have nothing but scones or the like, in the Parrot, it comes fully laden with all manner of savoury and sweet delights.

On our cake stand amongst a host of tasty snacks we found Quiche, Smoked Salmon rolled in a thin Mexican style tortilla, Sausage Rolls, various Sandwiches, Egg Mayonnaise and also Cream Cheese vol-au-vents, Scotch Eggs and to finish, there was a selection of sweet delights such as Scones with Clotted Cream and Strawberry Jam, filled Meringues, Gingerbread men and tiny, but ever so tasty, miniature desserts that came in a very small glass. It really was a plate with everything!

Although we were there as guests, I did notice that the cost per person for the ‘Afternoon Tea’ (or coffee) cava and more food than we could eat, was 15.95e per person. Given how many people were in there that day, it is clear that it is very popular and widely considered good food and service at a value for money price.

As ever over here, as well as good food and service, the hygiene was first-rate with each guest hand sanitised, the table and chairs sanitised between guests, and the space between tables socially distanced. We’ll be back!

Don Spence - We Love Spain.Live

Restaurant Review "Yoku"

YOKU RESTAURANT

Avenida de las Naciones,Ciudad Quesada

t. 0034 966718177

After our recent trip to Japan, this week we went back to the Orient and visited, amongst other places, Thailand, China and had a brief excursion to Japan again, this time all wrapped up in the delightful package that was YOKU on the main street in downtown Quesada. Whilst the well-designed Sukiyaki was also excellent and superbly designed, YOKU delivered the cuisines of several countries beautifully cooked and presented and in a Menu Del Dia (Menu of The Day) package that had something for everyone…..at a bargain price.

From the wide-open spaces of its single-story competitor further along the street, YOKU comes as a more intimate offering with a downstairs bar and dining area of a decent but compact size, as is the outdoor area in front. Upstairs there is a slightly bigger room with terrace dining outside but roofed and screened off against any winter chills. In addition, there is rooftop dining too. All accessible via a lift. We were on the first floor, and that balcony, which in itself can cater for something like twenty diners, is still capable of being sufficiently well spaced to take account of the social distancing required.

The menu was unbelievable for the price and catered well for our friends who enjoy most food from the far east, but interestingly, not Japanese, so they were exceptionally happy with the variety on offer. For starters, we had Chicken & Sweetcorn Soup, Hot & Sour Soup plus Salads. For mains, Chicken in Black Bean Sauce, Beef in Black Bean Sauce, Vegetable Thai Green Curry and yours truly Duck in Orange Sauce. Desserts were Cheesecake, Ice Cream and Fermented Caramel.

This is one of the best Menu del Dia’s we have ever had….and at a bargain 9.95 euros a head including a glass of wine. Every course was a winner, but for me, the star dish was the Duck. It was beautifully presented, generously portioned and the sauce was to die for. How they can do duck on a menu del dia at that price, I will never know, but will be eternally grateful!

Don Spence

For We Love Spain Live

SATURDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2020
EL GUSTO RESTAURANT
Avenida Fdo Garcia Lorca 17
03178, BENIJOFAR
T, (0034) 966714456

Gusto in Spanish means taste, and El Gusto, right in the
heart of Benijofar on the Costa Blanca, lives up to its
name.

When we arrived for lunch with friends on a Thursday
afternoon and found that the best priced full menu was
19.95euros, we were ever so slightly taken aback.
Why? Because we live in the land of the Menu Del Dia
where a decent, and often excellent, three-course lunch
with a glass of wine regularly costs around only
9.95euros. Our friends booked El Gusto having seen an
ad for a daily special at 9.95. Turns out that is a single
course, not the usual three plus wine.

Anyway, we were lunching late, so we decided to stay
put and I’m glad to report that we’re happy that we did.
Us big spenders don’t mind pushing the boat out if the
food is better than the average, and El Gusto pulled it
off and left average in their wake!

For starters, three of us had Minestrone Soup which
was packed with superb vegetables, contained a hint of
bacon, and was beautifully seasoned and topped off
with Cheese Croutons…. delicious. My veggie better
half had a seasonal salad which was very tastily
dressed in a special vinegar and virgin olive oil.

Time for the mains. My mate had Beef Skewer served
with wok vegetables and curry sauce. He loved it. His

other half and I had Cordon Bleu, which is chicken
stuffed with Goat’s Cheese and Serrano ham served
with cream of parsnip and apple sauce…another
winner. My Mrs had the White Fish with fresh herbs in
filo pastry served with boniato cream. For the
uninitiated, that is a variety of Sweet Potato from the
Caribbean. She practically licked the plate!
FYI. Boniatos are not as sweet and moist as the
usual sweet potatoes, but their consistency and
delicate flavour are pleasantly different from the norm.

To finish, the first dessert on offer was Pannacotta with
fudge sauce and, interestingly, caramelised popcorn.
The other was Limoncello Mouse. We had two of each
and again, they were tasty and made and presented in
a very different way.

One bonus of this offering was that the price included a
a half carafe of red, white, or rose house wine, instead of
just a glass. We had white and it was very nice too. To
finish two of us had coffee and then with the bill, the
waitress served us each a shot of Limoncello for the
road. The total bill came to 86.55euros for 4 before a
tip and included our wine, coffees, a litre and a half of
mineral water and the Limoncello, so at 21.63 each, we
were happy, and we’ll all be back.

DON SPENCE FOR ‘WE LOVE SPAIN.LIVE’.

STAN & OLLIE’S RESTAURANT
Carrer Nostra Senyora de Fatima 10
Urbanización El Raso,
Guardamar. t. 0034 637583373

Those of us of my generation remember Laurel & Hardy, aka Stan & Ollie, two of the
funniest guys on American film and TV. While this place is named in honour of those
two comedy legends, they take their food and service seriously, but always with wide
smiles on the faces of the staff, under their obligatory masks.

The restaurant is in El Raso which comes under the Guardamar council area, but
travelling from our house in Quesada, it’s less than a 10-minute drive along what’s
known locally as the Lemon Tree Road. The restaurant is one of the larger ones
around with a good-sized outside terrace for the warmer days and nights, a ground
floor dining room with quite a large capacity in non-COVID times, and another up a
short staircase which is a bit smaller.

In these troubled times, there’s nothing to beat a night out with friends to a good
restaurant. Fortunately, in Spain, it is terrific that we can still do that. The only limits
are 6 to a table, the restaurant can only be a third full and must close at 11 pm. In
our case, there were just four of us booked for 8 pm, so none of that was an issue.

They have a good range of menus and prices. We settled for the set menu at
17.50euros. It includes three courses and a half bottle of wine per person. The
choices were great and multi-national. Starters were Duck Spring Rolls, Soup of the
Day, Baked Goats Cheese, Pan Fried Trout, Fish Goujons or Curried Mussels.
Mains were Salmon Wellington, Mozzarella Chicken, Shepperd’s Pie, Liver Bacon &
Onions or Baked Sea Bream. Desserts were on a board and had all the classic
favourites. They also had an equally mouth-watering vegetarian menu.

I had the soup of the day, which was Tomato and Red Pepper, delicious; my main
was the Baked Sea Bream which was excellent and came with Dauphinoise
Potatoes and I only had to glance at the dessert board to see Sticky Toffee Pudding
and they had me. The others had a range of other dishes, including the Liver &
Bacon that you don’t often see in Spain and everyone was happy with each of their
three courses. Also, the house wine was up to scratch too.

With Gin and Tonic, cider and beer to start, 3 courses and house wine, plus I had
cava with dessert, the total bill came to 45 euros a couple including a decent tip. The
whole experience was so good our girlfriend, Angie, booked her big social group in
for Christmas. All will be socially distanced, but after last night, we know it’ll be good.

Don Spence
FOR WE LOVE SPAIN.LIVE

To quote the old song, “I Think I’m Turning Japanese!”

On Monday we went all Japanese with our special amiga, Signora ‘We Love Spain Live’ herself, the delightful Caz Matthews. Sukiyaki Japanese Restaurant just past the landmark arches as you enter Ciudad Quesada was our restaurant of the week.

This is one of the best-designed restaurants on the southern Costa Blanca. The Japanese murals are very special, the place is well laid out with lots of high-quality wooden finishes and, for those of us who’ve never been to Japan, this may be as close as we get. It is also spacious, however sitting in our booth we didn’t feel as though we were rattling about, even on a quiet Monday lunch. The restaurant also has a private dining room.

Japanese food is popular all over the world, and not surprising when you consider that the best of it is made with love, great precision and is about the most colourful meal you can get. They use five key colours; black, white, red, yellow, and green. They also use the freshest ingredients. The food is cooked in a variety of ways, and while Japan is famous for raw sushi which could be considered not cooked at all, it is extremely well assembled and good sushi looks and tastes delightful. The restaurant also prepares its food by grilling, boiling, steaming, and frying. We each had a mixture of courses. If you like tapas with a difference, you’ll like this. My meal included Miso Soup (with tofu), Kaiseki, Sushi, and their signature dish of Sukiyaki, which I had with noodles. It is a stew-like dish with beef and vegetables. My better half is a vegetarian and they catered for her very well, changing dishes with no fuss.

If you’re looking for a cheap Menu del Dia, this isn’t the place, but it’s certainly far from outrageously priced. At 17.50euros a head, we had the low end of the set menus on offer and it included several courses and a glass of wine. We were completely satisfied with the quality, quantity, and value for money. There’s an old saying that you get what you pay for, and that certainly applies at Sukiyaki.
Don Spence For We Love Spain.Live

SATURDAY 31 OCTOBER 2020

RESTAURANT PORTICO DEL MAR
Calle Austria, 1,
Guardamar del Segura
+34 966 72 56 03

SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE?

Last weekend we headed for Guardamar and the one of a kind Restaurant Portico
Del Mar. The place is easy to find when you know-how. Driving east from
Quesada, head for the N332. Once you join that duel carriageway with the Med on
your right, your destination is very quickly reached. It’s set on the ground floor of
an elegant, upmarket, flatted development before you get to Guardamar proper.
That setting itself makes a nice change from the usual town centre places.
We were there to mark a friend’s birthday. It was so long since we’ve been that I’d
quite forgotten how big and uniquely decorated it is, with large framed copies of
portraits and other subjects on the main walls. The originals must grace the walls
of fine mansions or galleries somewhere. Given that Halloween was upon us, we
were greeted upon arrival by management and staff members, all in smart,
matching, fancy dress which got us off to a good start and made us smile.

What a popular place for people celebrating it turned out to be. As well as our
host, we were regularly encouraged to join in with the birthday song for several
other guests. If intimate is your preferred feel, this may not be for you. But if you
like a buzz, give it a try. I didn’t count, but at a guess, the capacity was well over
100, and the place was busy. That speaks volumes at any time, but in the middle
of a crisis with many restaurants going out of business, it was all the more
impressive. If you do your research of the main restaurant websites, you’ll see the
food is getting plaudits and Portico Del Mar is sitting at number 2 in Guardamar on
Trip Advisor. Quite an achievement in a town full of quality restaurants.
The meal choices were excellent and the order taking, at least for our larger
group, was different. Each guest was given an individual slip of paper with a list of
what was on offer, ticked their choices, added their name and all were collected by
the waitress. From an unusually extensive choice of twelve starters, including
soups, salads and smoked salmon, I started with garlic mussels. I was surprised
to find them served cold as their version apparently should be, but they were tasty.
My better half had the prawn cocktail. A generous portion, it was traditionally
served in an attractive glass dish. The choice of mains was even more extensive
with nineteen options. Most dishes, including schnitzel, lamb, salmon etc, were
included in the standard price, but you could upgrade to a steak with just about
any cut you could wish for available. I chose the fillet steak, which was a generous
portion and perfectly cooked medium rare as I like it. There were also nine sauces
available for mains and the red wine sauce I had was excellent. My good lady had
salmon with an appropriate sauce and loved it. There were six desserts and we
had apple strudel and ice cream, yummy!

As I said, we were guests, so I didn’t see the bill, but our host seemed happy and
had been very generous with constant top-ups of wine. Part of Portico Del Mar’s
success has to be down to price control. The general consensus from the regulars
at our table was that you can eat well there for around 15 euros per person, or
less if you’re on an economy drive. Also, if you enjoy a steak, as I do, you can
upgrade to a fine cut of your favourite beef for an extra 3 – 4.5 euros. The house
wine is good quality too and comes in attractive carafes. If you’re celebrating, as
we were, glasses of cava for your party are, or at least were on this occasion, on
the house.
As I said, the birthday boy was happy and I’m sure Portico Del Mar will have
gained more than a few new regulars that day.

DON SPENCE
FOR ‘WE LOVE SPAIN.LIVE’

CERVECERIA DON CARLOS
Avenida de las Naciones 1D – Local 6
03170 Ciudad Quesada
+34 966 719475

Last Wednesday we had lunch, not in a restaurant, but in a bar in much improved central Quesada. Despite COVID, over many months the council rearranged all the pedestrian and parking areas in our ‘village’ Centre and completely re-laid the pavements with very attractive, colourful, Spanish tiles in a pattern that is both eye-catching and has a touch of class.

Our destination was Cerveceria Don Carlos. It is the less well known, but increasingly busy, relation to the very first bar in Quesada, the Old Don Carlos, which is right next door. The Cerveceria was recently refurbished and has a very nice, growingly popular, terrace out front facing onto the main street, The tables and chairs are all modern to match the decor, immaculately clean, and for a bar, it has a stylish feel and is the perfect spot for a bit of people watching.

We have had drinks here several times in the past, but on our last visit overheard a number of very positive comments about the food, so we just had to come back and try the menu for ourselves. After a busy morning, we were having a late lunch. This wasn’t a problem as they serve lunch until 4 pm. The waitress made us very welcome and spoke excellent English, which saved me embarrassing myself with my poor Spanish

This is also one of the very best places to find something for everyone when dining out on a budget. The range of food seems to go on and on, from a variety of tapas on display and served from glass cabinets at the bar, to a full a la carte menu with literally endless options. For us, the offering that caught our eye was the Menu del Dia, or menu of the day. It costs 11e and, with a drink, 3 courses and coffee included, is exceptional value for money.

The menu on our visit was, to begin, Beef Soup, Caesar Salad or Fresh Goats Cheese, the mains were Grilled Chicken with potatoes and veg, Spaghetti with Prawns or Pork Sausages with Garlic and for desserts, the choice is huge, including Spanish Chocolate Cake, Cheesecake and Milk Pudding. Our choices were two Goats Cheese, two Spaghetti with Prawns and I had the Cheesecake while my better half had the Chocolate Cake. Neither of us was disappointed.

For opening drinks, I had a beer and Irene a glass of house wine which was, as is the norm in Spain, very good quality. With the Prawn mains, we each had a glass of house white. With the dessert, as we had the car, we had coffee. Altogether the bill for two people came to just over 27 euros plus tip. For that amount of food and drinks, we were more than happy.

As ever over here, as well as good food and service, the hygiene was first-rate with each guest hand sanitised, the table and chairs sanitised between guests, and the space between tables socially distanced. We’ll be back!

DON SPENCE
www.Welovespain.live

RESTAURANT LUKA
Lepanto 27
Guardamar Del Segura
03140
Spain
t. 966 39 26 34

RESTAURANT LUKA

A ten-minute drive to the coast took us from our home in Quesada to a Guardamar Del Segura, a town often overlooked, yet with a great deal going for it. Amongst its many attractions are good shops, a weekly market, a fairground for the kids in summer, and one of the finest sandy beaches with no need for crowding. It’s over eleven kilometres long, with even a discreet nudist section at Los Tusales, should that take your fancy. All of the above is overseen by the remains of a castle that gives the town its name of Guardian of The Sea.

But what inspired four of us to go to Guardamar was none of the above, but the number of fine restaurants in the town, in fact a great many to suit every taste and budget. Our destination was Restaurant Luka which had been recommended by friends, and what a good shout it was!
This place has one of the biggest outside dining areas of any town centre restaurant I’ve ever seen, so if alfresco your thing, get on down, yet on a coolish autumn night, we dined inside.

It is open all day from 9 am when outside it’s more like a street café with croissants and coffee. But at night you see it to its full advantage, and even looking in from the pavement, it has all the class of any fine modern restaurant in Madrid or London. This was our first visit and we were further impressed the minute we walked through the door. The design features are exceptional, from stylish columns to good lighting and, what sealed it for us, the most comfortable chairs.

They do a full A La Carte, but also two special menus, the Gourmet Menu at 20 euros with a choice of four starters, four main courses and three desserts, plus a Superior Gourmet Menu at 25 euros. The choices were so good on both that we asked and were allowed, to mix and match. The starters we had were Crepes with Prawns, Salmon & Spinach; Goats Cheese Salad and 2 of us had Mussels. For mains, my pescatarian better half had Turbot, I had Sirloin Steak with Pepper & Whisky Sauce and the others, Sea Bream with Risotto & Asparagus and lastly Rack of Lamb. For desserts, we had Mango Sorbet, Apple Cake, Cheesecake and the final selection was Sable with White Chocolate and Passion Fruit. Just telling you the names doesn’t do them justice. The presentation of each course was outstanding, the portions just right and the taste superb.

For opening drinks, we had a beer, a cider plus two G&Ts for the ladies and all had mineral water. With the mains a tasty bottle of Tempranillo, then two of us Cava with desserts. Altogether the bill for four people came to 120 euros including tip. For the quality of the food we had, plus the drinks and service, it was exceptional.

We’ll be back at Luka again for sure. We’ll also be trying some other fine restaurants in Guardamar before much longer too, so look out you lovely followers of ‘We Love Spain.Live!’

DON SPENCE
FOR ‘WE LOVE SPAIN.LIVE

RESTAURANT LA BRISA
Avenida de las Naciones 24 -26
Centro Comercial Quesada Local 24
03170 Ciudad Quesada
+34 966 719 331

This week our night out was in our hometown and we headed for dinner with friends to a well-designed rooftop restaurant above the newest commercial area in Quesada town centre. This place is high on the list of the very best restaurants in the area and merits a 5 Star rating by reviewers on Trip Advisor. This was our first visit to La Brisa. It came on the back of recommendations from friends we trust. Now we know why they like it so much.

It is open at this time of year from 5 pm until closing, Tuesday until Saturday. We arrived bang on time for our booking at 7.45 and were greeted by the owner, Lisa. She runs the front of house and welcomed us with a hearty ‘Hello and welcome to La Brisa’. She gave us a choice of tables and we were very happy being on the outer edge of the restaurant on a warm autumn evening, yet close enough to the bar and kitchen to guarantee good service.

The restaurant has the very best possible set up for Spain at any time of year. There is an open dining terrace with views over the centre of Quesada. However, where we were was arguably the most flexible space I’ve ever dined in. We were inside, but the walls, and I believe even the roof, can be opened in summer and closed over in the cooler months.

They do a full and impressive A La Carte Menu. That said, being the fiscally careful diners we are at times, we opted for the Summer Evening Set Menu as it looked like the dishes on offer were attractive and the price equally so. The menu was 12.50 euros for one course, 15.50 for two and a reasonable 17.95 for three.

First, we ordered drinks and looked at the menu. The starter options were Cointreau & Orange Pate with toast and red onion marmalade, Satay Chicken Salad with fried rice noodles, or Sweet Chili Garlic & Mushrooms. The extensive choice of mains consisted of Sirloin Steak cooked as you like it with nice sides plus a sauce of your choice, Salmon Fillet with Lobster Sauce, Creamy Parmesan Chicken, Lamb Provencal or Penne Arrabbiata. Desserts came hand-written on a blackboard with the offers, I understand, changed regularly.

Three of us opted for 3 courses and one for 2. For starters, one had pate and two sweet chilli garlic mushrooms…. all delicious. For main choices, two had the steak which came cooked blue just as ordered; one had an old favourite, oven-baked salmon, but with the lobster sauce which was a first for her and which she thoroughly enjoyed, and yours truly had the lamb Provencal which was as good a casserole type dish as I’ve had in quite a while. The pick of the desserts was Apple Crumble and Ice Cream.

For opening drinks, we had a beer, a cider plus two G&Ts for the ladies. With the mains, we had, amongst other drinks, a bottle of house red wine which was excellent with the steak and the lamb. With the dessert I just had to have a small bottle of cava then finished off with a coffee. Altogether the bill for four people came to just over 100 euros plus tip. For the quality of the food we had, plus the drinks and service, we were happy at well below average prices back in the UK.

As well as good food and service, the hygiene was first-rate with each guest hand sanitised, the table and chairs were sanitised between guests, and the space between tables socially distanced.

Thank you, Lisa. I’m sure we’ll be seeing you again before too long.

DON SPENCE
FOR ‘WE LOVE SPAIN.LIVE’

THE BANANA TREE Tai Restaurant
Avenida Las Naciones 1,
Ciudad Quesada, Alicante 03170.
Tel: 966 719 642

And now for the first review of a very different kind of restaurant. Today at lunchtime we were meeting up with Signora ‘We Love Spain’ herself, the lovely Caz Miller-Matthews and her adorable doggie, Minnie. We hadn’t been to the Banana Tree for ages only as we’re spoiled for choice in Quesada. It was time to go back. The décor is attractive with tree features and foliage in the main restaurant, and many nice Thai artefacts throughout. When phoning, I was delighted to be able to book a table when they said yes to Minnie!
Well, Caz arrived just before us. As it was stifling hot for little Minnie, not unreasonably, Caz asked for some water for the dog, only to be told no as they didn’t have suitable bowls. That was particularly frustrating as they later gave us left over food to take away in disposable containers that would have been more than adequate for Caz’s little canine friend. Oh well!

The staff were quick enough to take a drinks order and bring menus. Surprisingly, as most places during the pandemic use scan cards or one-off disposable versions, we were given big, full colour, printed menus. The restaurant was quiet, so we were very disappointed when they then took far too long to take the order for food and wine.
The food was prepared and served quickly, so no complaints there, but friendly staff is always nice. Sadly, the girl who served us didn’t smile once. We all have off days, but good staff don’t show their mood to the customers. The two Thai Spring Rolls and one Vegetarian version starters were as good as you’d get anywhere. The house white that two of us had with it was very drinkable, but sadly the house Rose didn’t measure up. The mains were again served quickly. Caz and I had Thai Chicken and Mango Sauce with noodles and my better half, Irene, had Sweet & Sour Vegetables with Boiled Rice. No complaints about the food, so far.

The problem came when we wanted to order coffee and desserts. In a restaurant with very few customers, quick service is usually assured. Not with our girl it wasn’t! It took ages to get her to come and take the order. To ensure she knew what we wanted we ordered in Spanish and English. Well, three vanilla ice creams and 3 coffees were ordered, but only two of each arrived, which she grudgingly corrected.
Time for the bill and even that took far too long. We’d ordered from the Menu of The Day (Menu del Dia) and at 9 euros for 4 courses and a glass of wine, it was a steal. It’s not unusual in our area to be spoiled with great value. The total bill came to just over 40 euros and that included the 3 meals, 3 wines, 3 coffees, 2 bottles of water plus a soft drink and a beer. They also offered us all a complimentary small shot of a liqueur of our choice. If they can get the service sorted out, they would be doing themselves a big favour. Sadly, we won’t be back in a hurry to check!

Review of the week by DON SPENCE

RESTAURANT LE BLEU
Avenida Cervantes
03140 Guardamar
Spain

Tel: 96 672 54 82

LE BLEU, GUARDAMAR

Last Thursday night we went out for dinner at Restaurant Le Bleu in central Guardamar with friends celebrating their anniversary. From past experience, it has been arguably the classiest restaurant on the southern Costa Blanca. If you know any more deserving of that description, do please let me know?

For us and our amigos, this has been the ‘go-to’ place for special occasions. The décor is classy modern, the lighting just right and the food and service have been fabulous with attentive and knowledgeable staff.

We booked for 8 pm and were welcomed at the door as we arrived right on time. In the past, we’ve had a table in the rear half of the main restaurant, but tonight we were shown to a

table with the kitchen behind us and the bar to the side. Not the best of starts, but with their track record, we settled down thinking it would at least ensure the drinks were served fast and the food hot.

The menu is as classy as the place and, even as a regular at dining out, there are always dishes that we’ve never tried before, and often never even heard of, both Spanish and international, which this place definitely is. The choice of starters, salads, mains, and desserts is impressive with a good choice of fresh fish and meat mains.

Being a special occasion, we all went crazy and ordered the Tasting Menu. For 35 euros you get seven different dishes of what I’d describe as ‘small tapas’ size. Also, for a further 20 euros each, we went with the ‘special wine pairing’ where you get a different wine to complement each course.

The initial dish served was Duck Magret Tartar on a crunchy base, the starters, Seaweed Gaspacho, then Croutons and Iberian Ham Shavings, then Salmon Gyozas on Sweet Potato Puree and Sesame, and the final starter Mussels with Coconut & Curry Sauce. Mains (but the same sized portions) were Blue Fish Sushi with Onion Rings in Tempura followed by Iberian Cheek Taco, then desserts of Herbal Melon Jelly with Cream Cheese aromatized with Vanilla, then a (deliberately) Cold Capuccino.

Now the critique. The formerly wonderful service had disappeared. Instead of having an excellent, smiling, dedicated server who explained every dish in an expert, appetizing, manner, we had a series of young waiters none of whom seemed happy to be there mumbling information. Also, a number of the dishes seemed to be lacking the magic of previous visits. Also, the wine pairing was a great disappointment. Each turned out to be a tiny glass of different, not very exciting, house wines. Add them all together you were lucky if they amounted to one or if I’m being generous, 2 average-sized glasses of low-cost vino!

Sadly, while the company was great, for the money, and after great anticipation, the experience was a let-down. If we do go back, I’ll be eating full-sized portions off the a-la-carte menu and picking my own wines.

The is a usually upbeat, but this time sadly disappointed, Don Spence reporting for WE LOVE SPAIN.LIVE
(But we no longer love Le Bleu!)

RESTAURANT LA COSECHA

Barrio Los Valeros 30

03178 Benijófar

Spain

Tel 966 19 40 18

RESTAURANT REVIEW – LA COSECHA, BENIJOFAR

Last Tuesday night we went out for dinner with friends to La Cosecha, a well-loved, British owned, restaurant which has a very Spanish/International menu.

It also, as you’ll discover, features a few tastes of home - just what and when you want them.

This is an eatery we’ve been to before. It’s remote and beautifully situated overlooking citrus groves but at most a few hundred metres outside the town of Benijofar.

Everyone knows the troubles that restaurants have been having since the outbreak of ‘you know what’, but the regulars clearly love it. For a Tuesday night, it felt more like a Saturday as there wasn’t a spare chair to be had in the place, and it seats a hundred plus! What we didn’t know was that they had on the well-known local singer, Rob Roberts, so whether Tuesdays are always like that, or he’s even more popular than we thought, I don’t know.

Part of the attraction must be that they do a vast ‘Menu de la Noche’ (special evening menu). They offer 10 starters, 9 main courses and 2 specials at a premium. One very impressive and uniquely detailed aspect of the menu was the ‘allergy index’. Each dish had a code number which identified recipe ingredients that could potentially be a problem for what I’m told is a growing number of people with allergies.

Our starters were Chilled Melon with Mixed Berry Coulis, Prawn Cocktail with Marie-Rose Sauce, Mussels with Clams, and a Creamy Mushroom Hot-Pot.

Then mains were Spicy Beef & Fresh Coriander Madras with Rice, Seared Tuna Steak on Warm Nicoise Salad, Pan Fried Lambs Liver on Creamy Mash and I had Slow Cooked Belly Pork with Sweet Potatoes.

To finish we had Crème Caramel, Bread and Butter Pudding, Double Scoop Vanilla Ice Cream, and the dish that saved the meal for me, Sticky Toffee Pudding! Everyone enjoyed their entire meal but for me. The reason was that I was being adventurous and tried Slow Cooked Belly Pork for the first time. My mistake as it was not to my taste, so no reflection on the chef.

The menu was good value at a low set price. Three courses were just 18.95 plus a reasonable premium of 6.50e if you wanted a special. Included was a half-bottle of wine per person, and for other drinks, we had a mix of gin and tonic, beer, cider, wines, cava, water, and coffee. With good portions of food and our pre and after dinner drinks, it was extremely good value, and all together came to around 30euros a head.

The hygiene was there too with sanitiser on arrival. Add good prices, food, entertainment, and service……you can see why it’s pulling in the punters!

Don Spence

For We Love Spain.Live

DON’S RECOMMENDATION OF THE WEEK

Bar/Restaurant El Resspiro
C/ San Pedro, 46
03170 Rojales, Spain

t. 966 29 69 89

Last Saturday night we went out for dinner with friends to Spanish Restaurante El Resspiro, which is situated on a steep hill road in a quiet residential part of Rojales. Fortunately, the taxi driver knew where he was going as it’s one of those places that are only easy to find if you know where to look!

We arrived at 7.30 to an admirable, Covid safe, welcome. We had our temperatures taken, our hands sanitised, then were shown to our table by a very courteous and friendly, English speaking, waiter. The restaurant has quite an unusual, kind of country kitchen, décor, but with stylish touches that stopped it feeling corny! A mixed local and ex-pat clientele meant that the place filled up gradually (the Spanish eat later) until it had a real buzz about it.

They do a special weekend menu which includes a glass of wine or a small beer or water, bread with tomato salsa and ali oli, plus a mixed salad. I have to say that the salad was to die for as it included with the usual content, some pieces of fresh fruit, delicious soft cheese and was dressed with a fabulous and fruity vinegar dressing. The menu choices are good and make it hard to choose from 8 tempting starters, 5 mains and 9 desserts.

Our starters were Fish & Seafood Soup, Courgette Soup, Melon and Ham, and for yours truly, Mixed Croquettes. Mains were 3 perfectly cooked to order, generously sized, Beef Entrecote steaks and 1 Grilled Swordfish. To finish we had Crème Caramel, Rice Pudding, Bread Pudding and Lemon Ice Cream. Every course was delicious and served as we wanted, when we wanted.

The menu was good value at a low set price of just 16e, plus a well worth it premium of 8e each for the steaks. For drinks we had a mix of gin and tonic, beer, cider, wines, cava, water and coffee. With generous portions of food and our free-flowing drinks, it was extremely good value and all together came to just under 28euros a head.

This is one place we will all definitely be back to before long. Good prices, great food, service and hygiene, in a unique atmosphere……a winning combination!

Don Spence

For We Love Spain.Live

RONALD’S RESTAURANT
Plaza Neptuno
Rojales
0034 603 48 98 86

DON’S RECOMMENDATION OF THE WEEK

TERRIFIC AND ONE OF A KIND As our area is one of the safest in Spain, night’s out with friends
to favourite restaurants are now back on the menu! Saturday, we headed out for Dinner at Ronald’s
Restaurant at Plaza Neptuno, Ciudad Quesada, near the far corner of the golf course. Dinner in
summer is served on their private terrace.

We were greeted by the man himself, Ronald, who along with his lovely partner in life, Jo, run the
front of house and look after the customers with great care, spirit and a terrific sense of humour.
We’ve been coming to Ronalds since it opened several years ago and never leave disappointed. They
do one of the best dinner menus anywhere and with a package and price to match. How can you beat
the following? 20euros per person includes a drink on arrival, a bottle of wine between 2 or 2 drinks
of your choice each, a palette cleansing Strawberry Romanoff with Cointreau between courses, and a
lovely liqueur to finish. You are served your choice of a glass of Cava or small beer as you get
comfortable, then tasty appetisers to share with Carpaccio, Spanish ham and Cheese. Starters were,
amazingly for me, a Scotsman, very tasty Haggis Bon Bons, or chicken etc all with garnish. Main
courses were a generous RumpSteak cooked as you like it and served with your choice of sauce; the
fish of the day, which last night was Hake, as I recall, but is often Salmon, or a delicious Pasta. The
portions are generous and accompanied by sides of vegetables, potato etc, as appropriate. Dessert was
a sharing plate with gourmet ice cream, chocolate cake and a mouthwatering liqueur pancake with ice
cream with plenty to go round. As well as good food and service, the hygiene was first class with each
guest hand sanitised, the table and chairs sanitised and the space between tables socially distanced.

Thank you Ronald & Jo from nine happy customers!
Don Spence For We Love Spain.Live

CAFE DELICIAS
Quesada Boulevard,
Avenida Las Naciones 22
Ciudad Quesada
03170 Rojales, Costa Blanca, Spain

Today’s review is a little out of the ordinary as it’s a Café and Bakery, not a restaurant per se´,
but let’s face it, we don’t always want a full 3 course sit down meal at lunchtime, do we?

On Monday we were shopping in Quesada Boulevard, and with that finished we’d timed it
perfectly for a late, light, lunch in Cafe Delicias, Bakery & Coffee shop. And if you, like me,
enjoy a tasty snack and a terrific cup of Café Con Leche, Spain’s famous frothy coffee, with a
scrummy pastry to follow, look no further.

There are umpteen different snacks with a variety of fillings, but I had a fresh, warm,
Croissant with a generous cheese and ham filling and a Café Con Leche. The coffee is so good
I just had to follow on with a second cup. My better half, Irene, had a beautiful Apple Pastry
with a cup of Earl Grey Tea. The décor is modern, and on a hot day, we preferred to eat in the
cool, airconditioned, interior. There are outside areas too in front, and also at the rear where
smokers are welcome. The service is always first class and the lovely Ina and Galina are
multilingual with perfect English and a welcoming smile for their international clientele.
I don’t know how they do it, but we went out completely satisfied and the bill came to under
8 euros for everything. No wonder we’re regulars there.
Delicias is open for breakfast from 8 am and stays open for morning coffee and teas, lunch, and
afternoons coffee, snacks plus takeaways of everything on show, including fresh-baked
bread. There’s something for everyone. It also does the most amazing cakes of all sizes. If
you have something to celebrate, you can order a beautifully decorated cake to collect later to
take home. It will not only look fantastic but taste it too. They also do a range of delicious
wines.

As well as good food and great service, the hygiene was first class with each guest hand
sanitised, the table and chairs sanitised between guests and the space between tables socially
distanced.
Thank you, girls. We’ll be back again soon!

Don Spence for We Love Spain.Live

CAFE DELICIAS
Quesada Boulevard,

CHE LOCO
Fray Angélico
11 El Chaparral 03184 Torrevieja
0034686 85 95 53

In an ideal world, we’d all like to find a place to go for coffee, or a beer and game of pool, or a G and T, and how about a cocktail of an evening in a special garden cocktail bar, lunch, dinner, and
entertainment, inside or out, plus a function room if you want to have a party, all in one, but such a place doesn’t exist……..or does it? If you need to ask you haven’t found Che (pronounced Shay)
Loco in El Chaparral on the outskirts of Torrevieja…..it has the lot! On Friday of this week, we went to Che Loco for lunch with friends who live in the El Chaparral area of Torrevieja - and what a great experience we had. This was our first time back since the lockdown and the owners hadn’t been wringing their hands in despair as many understandably did when closed, but refurbished the place with new floors, fresh decor, and an improved set up at the bar. Before eating there I worried that this could be a case of “Jack of all trades, master of none” but they manage to keep all the elements working without clashing. The pool table is on an outside terrace close to the bar and there’s plenty of other outside tables where you can eat far enough from the noise of pool balls. The cocktail garden bar is off to the side and only open in the evenings, the inside for food is big enough to allow social distancing between tables and the function room is capable of being closed off or opened up with removable screens to the outside. On a Friday night, they have very classy Argentinian dancers perform inside or on the terrace, depending on the time of year. They describe themselves as an Argentinian Asador, which means they do Argentinian steaks and other themed dishes on a grill, but there’s so much more to them than that.

They do Spanish food too.

Their Paellas are a real taste of Spain.

They also do Italian with great fresh pizzas and pasta. If a burger is your food of choice, they
do them with a flourish, plus chicken, ribs, lamb, sausage, and, for my vegetarian better half, tasty roasted vegetables and they’ll do various other meat-free dishes and fresh fish. There were four of us and we had the 3-course Menu del Dia (Menu of The Day), plus a total of 3 beers, 5 glasses of wine,coffees, and all in, including a tip, it cost us just 16 euros per person. As well as good food, price, and service, the hygiene was spot on with each guest hand sanitised, the table and chairs sanitised between guests, and the space between tables was socially distanced. Also, the waiting and bar staff were all wearing masks. Well done, Che Loco, we’ll see you again!
Don Spence

for We Love Spain.Live

Reviews by Don Spence and Caz Matthews

A Very Different Kind of Review

​

LAKEVIEW BA & RESTAURANT

Calle Toledo

Ciudad Quesada, 03170

Review of

Restaurant Review "Yoku"