Saturday, August 29, 2009

Should I try the kokotxas al ajillo?

Yesterday, we called in at El Restaurante La Herradura just outside Los Montesinos. We’d been there for the ‘This is Spain’ exhibition and sampled their excellent paella, so we thought we would give it a try. The manager kindly gave us a tour of the place and took our reservation for next week.

People who have eaten at La Herradura, say it can be expensive but our philosophy is to go out for a meal now and then and eat well. We would rather have one good meal out every few months than indifferent ones every week.

In any case the restaurant in Los Montesinos now offers two menus de la noche which represent excellent value of money. The cheaper menu is very limited but the more expensive one has a good range of dishes from the a la carte menu. At nineteen Euros a head, it won’t break the bank.

It is true to say that Spain does not have the same reputation for haute cuisine that France enjoys but if you are discerning enough and willing to pay a bit more, there is a lot of good eating to be had. It just isn’t realistic to expect to find the best dishes the country has to offer on a 7-10€ menu del dia.

imageI have to be honest and say that eating in British, German or Indian restaurants is not really what we came to Spain for. It’s a cop out that is  OK now and again but to go native is much more interesting. We may not understand all the Spanish dishes we eat but if they look and taste good that is what counts.  Those kokotxas al ajillo (fish jaws in garlic – a Basque country delicacy) do sound tempting!

Anyway, once we have been to El Restaurante La Herradura, we will give you our opinion for what it is worth.

PS Speaking of restaurants, we have heard good reports of the new one on Calle Purisima in Bigastro. We’ve tried to work out what it is called but that script lettering outside is undecipherable. If anyone has further information, please let me know.

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