I used to write regular restaurant reviews for a regional paper and thought that those days were over. Then I visited Restaurante Zinc in Mutxamel and couldn’t resist another review. The building has new Dutch owners and has been given a welcome revival. I knew it as La Venteta about 15 years ago and it was well run by a Belgian man. After he left, standards declined and it was then closed. Now I have high hopes, because the place has an exciting vibrancy, the owners are convivial and the quality of meals served is exceptional. The old building and grounds are full of character and situated on a quiet road between Mutxamel and Tangel. There is a covered terrace with tables overlooking a pleasant garden and this combines to make a perfect rural setting for a restaurateur wanting to build a reputation. Welcome to Marcel, a chef with flair. He ran a successful restaurant in Rotterdam, also called Zinc, with his wife, Linda, and they have now sold up and moved to Spain. They are joined in this venture by Petar and, together, they exude energy, enthusiasm and personality. The menu is small and changed every two weeks. Although they only opened in June, my wife and I have already dined there three times and enjoyed each occasion. With a limited menu, it's necessary to trust the chef and be adventurous. For instance, on my last visit I started with veal tartare, something I haven’t tried before. With the addition of cauliflower florets, pancetta and truffle vinaigrette, the effect was very pleasing. My main course was seared tuna steak, tomato, black olives, almonds and bagna cauda (a garlic and anchovy paste), and dessert was lemon tart with raspberries and artisan lemon ice cream. As we often do, my wife contrasted my choice and ordered marinated salmon, fillet steak with foie and the chef’s interpretation of Eton mess. We like to try each other’s meals and I would have been equally happy with hers. We both feel that the chef knows how to bring the best out of his dishes. He has a distinctive style of cooking, elaborating on natural flavours to provide a meal full of satisfying tastes. The ingredients are of a high standard and the flavours fantastic. The three courses cost 29.50€, without drink, and this represents fair value for the meal and surroundings. The restaurant is open Thursday to Sunday, for lunch and dinner and you can check the current menu and details on their website restaurantezinc.com For those not living locally, you may wish to stay in one of their comfortable, well-furnished bedrooms …….. and then walk downstairs for a lovely meal. Well worth a visit. |
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
About me Hi, I'm Robin Hardy. I was born and educated in London and followed a career in hotel and catering management. After taking early retirement, my wife, Beatrix, and I moved to Alicante, Spain. Archives
September 2022
Categories
All
|