Restaurant (Gastrobar) Distrikt41 — Restaurant in Alicante

I have some mixed feelings about this restaurant which has a Michelin star on the door. I understand that the only star there - is a Chef, and I must admit his talent, though not all the dishes I liked 100%, but this is the matter of tastes. Also, the interior was wonderful, mainly this was the only thing which attracted me, not the Michelin star. But unfortunately, the service itself ruined my mood of the evening and let me explain why:

1. I would never ask my guests a question about water like this, at the first second a person has sat down at the table: "what kind of water would you like: still or sparkle?" This is a manipulation and for people who are intellectually developed this causes rejection. You start their acquaintance with a new place from the manipulation which does not give a choice to refuse your water. The question must be: "Would you like some water?" and then - "Sparkle or still?" (IF a person really wants your water). Please tell your Manager to NOT teach your waiters to ask guests in such a manner. I understand that this was not their idea.
2. The next question was: "Would you like Cava or Champaign?" - this is the same thing as in point 1, so I will not explain it again. In that evening I wanted red wine! So, this manipulation #2 made me upset even before the dinner started. :(
3. The water was not tasty, and this is not a surprise for me in the Spanish restaurants, but let me ask a question: WHY do the waitress changed the bottle every ~15 min? I understand the idea (to keep the water cold), but this activity caused only an irritation. I think that the bottle was taken from our table, refilled from the tap, put into the fridge, and another bottle with the tap water was put on the table silently when NOBODY ASKED THIS. This is a kind of violence, in my humble opinion. Do not do what you were not asked, please instead ASK your guests what they would like, what they prefer - this is a good service. But when you do this so obsessively, this looks like: "You WILL drink our water anyway, we will come to your table and remind you that we keep your water cool, so you WILL HAVE to PAY for it at the end of the evening". You will never keep the clients with such a service. The clients repeat their visit when you gift them something, but not force to pay them for the things they did not ask.
4. About the dishes: everything was almost perfect, but I did not like the bread (while my husband liked it) and the "butter" was too salty; the steak tartar had one interesting and very delicious thing: the caviar. But I don't know why the waiter called micogreen - the "rucula". Okay, never mind. The goose pate was not tasty to me and I gave it to my husband. The oysters (digustacion set) were very tasty.
5. Now, about the prices: the water cost us 6 euro (I drank 1 glass, theoretically - I can't say for sure, maybe less, because the bottle was constantly changed). A glass of red whine (very good, btw) cost 7.5 euro (overpriced, the normal price for the wine is 5 euro maximum in the good restaurants in Alicante). The other dishes cost their price because they were from Chef with Micheline (it's fair enough). But in general, the cheque of 160euro for 2 people with such a service - I don't think it's normal.
6. The cloth napkins were like they were bought in the China shop on the next street around the corner, and then - cut in half. This was a little bit humiliating, they looked dirty and old. If you want to make your cheque big, take care about such details as good napkins, too.
7. Toilet was clean and had everything necessary, but the idea with small towels will ruin you - most of the people do not like using the towels because it is not hygienic (I don't know how thoroughly they were washed). Better put the paper towels and a hand cream for women (Mercadona creme with AloeVera - 1euro). Everything else in the women toilet was okay. 👍

Sorry, guys, but I will not return to you. There are a lot of good places, we're in the city with crazy competition in the restaurant...

I've debated long and hard about writing this review but I have hope for this restaurant's sake, provided that they listen to feedback.

As a disclaimer - I'm not a professional chef, critique, or even Spanish resident, but I have eaten at many restaurants and sampled many tasting menus (as I did here) so I do feel like I have some context for this review.

To start off with, I visited this place on vacation with 2 friends. We read good reviews and thought it was worth our time. We selected the tasting menu of 5 courses (54 euro/ea) and were excited to begin.

The place is beautifully furnished and each dish looked fantastic, but I personally found that's where all the focus was put; on appearances. No dish tasted bad but nothing stood out to me. I'm personally of the opinion that all the food on the plate must be there for a reason and many of the dishes just didn't fulfill that notion. For example, one dish had a jellied base with four cubes of chorizo. Neither the jelly base or chorizo felt cohesive to each other let alone to the whole entire dish. Another plate had ox tongue that didn't work due to its texture and some pieces of it were just inedible. Another dish had fish and potatoes which ended up feeling all the same texture.

On presentation, we were given incorrect utensils for some dishes. Some dishes required spoons to eat all of the sauces and we were only given forks. Many of the plates themselves were difficult to eat the presented food from. Some of the cuts of the garnishes were not well thought out - they were too long and unwieldy to eat gracefully.

The length of the stay was excruciating. Not being Spanish we understood that dining is a longer experience than in the States, but on average we waited 30 minutes between courses for the next dish and we were the only patrons upon arrival. We ended up staying there for 3 hours, with about 45 minutes of active eating time.

Throughout the dishes we were continually unimpressed with the quantity given to us. Knowing how tasting menus go, I didn't start getting worried until after the main course (#4) where the meat was presented. After finishing that course and still feeling quite hungry, I realized I wasn't going to leave this place full at all.

Upon finally finishing and getting the check, my group realized that we were charged 9.50 eu for each of the VIRGIN mojitos we ordered. To be clear, that's sparkling water and mint for 9.50eu. At this point we felt like we needed to kindly express our disenchantment for the meal. We pointed out that we wished we were leaving full, or at least satisfied with our portions particularly given the fact that we paid over 200eu. The chef replied that he wished we had told him sooner during the courses that we weren't full - "I could've added more cream to a dish". To this I'd argue that the onus of satisfying customers' appetites falls to him as the chef, not on the customer to advocate for themselves, particularly at the echelon this restaurant attempted to play on. "More cream" seems like a paltry attempt to appease us.

Takeaway: I do think Distrikt 41 has some good points. The food and atmosphere were beautiful and I did taste moments of brilliance. Unfortunately, overall it screams of inexperience and incompetence. I cannot see this style of dining being successful in Alicante without some serious adjustments being made. If a restaurant is going to charge as much as this Distrikt 41 did, then it had better be worth the price, otherwise all that will be remembered is a sour taste in the mouth and a much...

My husband & another couple & I dined last night at Distrikt41. It was outstanding! Formerly working in the restaurant industry for 30 years, I am a true food critic and expect high standards in cuisine, service, ambiance & overall hospitality... Distrikt41 did not disappoint. The atmosphere has a cool vibe, very comfortable & stylish. The menu offers a 5 course tasting menu for 54 euros per person, with a suggested wine pairing of 27 euros. Originally, we were going to choose that option, until we began reviewing the delicious options on their ala carte menu. (It was a tough choice as to which to order!) Danny & Joris are the owners and Chefs. Their passion for food & creativity is carefully demonstrated in the well crafted menu options. I ordered the Picana with smoked beef (like tartare in consistency, but cooked), beetroot & goat cheese. It was outstanding! The flavors burst in your mouth & the presentation of each dish was like a work of art! Next course, was the Monkfish with zucchini, parsnip & pea emulsion. Again, the flavors worked perfectly together... For dessert, I asked Danny what his favorite was (always good to get a recommendation), and he said the Stroopwafel. The dessert was delicious, yet light and was the perfect ending to an incredible dining experience. Danny is also a Sommelier, and chose two red wines for us to enjoy during the meal. A lovely bottle of Enrique Mendoza Petit Verdot & a lovely Tempranillo. They also offer a 2 course lunch menu for 26 euros per person. My husband & I loved our dining experience at District 41 & will be back!!!!! Thank you Danny & Joris for your...