Steki Restaurante — Restaurant in Alicante

The best advice I can give you right now is to stop reading this review. Immediately. And to use that saved time to call this restaurant and book yourself a table.

I’d say if you are within an hours drive of this place it’s honestly worth a visit.

I called up at the start of the week to request a table for four on the coming Thursday. I was told by the very friendly lady on the phone that they were closed Thursday, but were open Friday. I therefore requested a table on Friday and she confirmed she would call me back later on as she didn’t have the reservation book to hand (this was a call out of hours). Later that evening I received my call back and my table was confirmed. Happy days.

Friday came around and I received another call to check we were still coming - this restaurant only has 5 tables so I can appreciate how important it is people actually show up! (Although whilst we were inside they had to turn a number of people away who hadn’t booked). Fortunately - for us and them - we were still coming!

When we arrived at the restaurant we were welcomed with a warm greeting and shown our table. We were offered a drink almost immediately, without seeing a menu. Service at its finest. The waitress, who is also the owner, took us through the range of beers and wines available and we were all able to select a drink that was perfect for us.

We were then given the menu, as well as a helpful explanation of what everything was. We were informed that everything is homemade, except the bread which is free.

There are 10 dishes available, and each was explained to us but without being overbearing. We were left to decide and we soon realised we would have to order one of everything as it all sounded so good. After some deliberation we chose 8 of the 10 dishes due to personal preference, and ordered 1 twice, so 9 in total for four of us to share.

The food came out one dish at a time. The timing was impeccable as was the order the husband and wife team chose to serve us in. We started with the cold dishes and worked our way through the street food style dishes and then onto the hot, slightly larger meat dishes finishing with the out of this world pork dish accompanied by the homemade ‘mole’ sauce.

The meal was perfectly put together and the service between dishes was simple perfection. Attentive but not overbearing. Caring but not annoying. Just brilliant.

I cannot compliment the chef highly enough on his skill and precision. Everything was cooked with absolute finesse and accuracy. Every dish was thought through, then put together by two people who really know their trade. They understand flavour. They understand texture. They understand presentation. They understand service. They understand food. It’s as simple as that.

If you are into your food and want to eat the food of people who truly care about your dining experience then this is an absolute must visit place.

Note they suggest you share each dish and I would agree that is certainly the way to do it. Order it all, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

The only unfortunate part of the evening was we couldn’t fit any dessert in. 9 dishes was enough to fill the 4 of us up completely. 6 or 7 and a dessert would probably also do it. Based on how amazing the dishes we had were, I can only assume the desserts would be out of this world as well.

Our bill (inclusive of 3 beers and 2 wines) came to 109 euros which is arguably one of the best value meals I have ever eaten - especially considering the sensational quality of the food coupled with the impeccable, yet still homely and welcoming, service.

I have read some other reviews which mention Michelin stars. I have eaten in many places all over the world and can now only agree. This place deserves to be looked at. They are creating wonderful eating experiences and seriously need to be recognised.

As I said at the start - Book. A. Table. Now. (Before the place gets the inevitable recognition it deserves and ends up being...

Stayed overnight in Alicante to try this place - and boy did it deliver. This is the first meal I've had in years where every single dish wa outstanding.

The place itself is very small - it sits a total of 15-18 people, has a very high-end rustic atmosphere and decor. The menu consists of 9 items (+ special), and 3 dessert options, the suggestion is to get 5-6 mains and a dessert. I loved the food so much I got 8 + dessert.

As far as the dishes:

Foie grass with hibiscus - Absolute perfection, my favourite bite of the evening. Texture of a very fancy chocolate, crunch of the pistachios and dehydrated hibiscus flower, slight chew of the shimeji mushrooms - this was the perfect way to start the evening.

Duck breast with Zucchini flower - Served medium rare with a crispy skin, cut up into tiny pieces. The mousse of zucchini is very light, the dried and fried capers provide great contrast in texture. The shallots are lightly pickled which contributes the needed acidity.

3.Aguachile - flavour-wise the most complex dish of the night (although very close with the special) - served in a deep dish, with slightly flavoured coconut milk poured table-side. Baby shrimp for crunch (very mild flavour), cucmber, cocktail tomatoes, thin onion pieces. The overall combination was one outstanding.

Octopus - Very thin slices of grilled octopus, on a bed of lightly charred broccoli pieces, with some spinach pesto/sauce, and a light dusting of salty cheese.

The special - glassy shrimp (raw) with raspberries, dill, fennel, almond flakes. Close second on the flavour, biggest surprise of the evening given the unorthodox flavours but it works together so well.

Seabass - crispy skin covering what I can only describe as fish butter - cooked to absolute highest standard. Cilantro sprouts on top, with a coriander seed here and there that to me was a great add - did allow me to refresh my tastebuds and re-experience the dish again and again a couple times. The bed is sunflower seed paste. Pairs very nicely with the slightly charred onion pieces.

Iberico Pork - Cooked rare, with a sprinkling of salt flakes. Sweet potato puree, with a large amount of sauce of peppers (smoked) and seasame seeds + oil. The pepper sauce / paste was very reminiscent of gochujang, with the sweet potato puree providing much more of a mild addition that made the dish less overwhelming.

Beef Cheek - The bread here does a bit more of the work than the beef cheek itself - it's a very crispy and flavourful dish, with 3 different sauces. White beans, guajilo chile, and what I only assume is the cooking sauce from the beef cheek. All mixed together under some radish slices that cut down on the richness. Another highlight of the evening, even though I was extremely full at this point.

Dessert - the Turron and yoghurt. Quite a solid dessert - not too sweet, crumbly, and light.

Wine pairings were absolutely exquisite as well - even though the "by-the-glass" options are few, it would still be my preferred option on a visit with multiple people just to try more.

Overall a 10/10 in my book, must-visit if you are in or near Alicante. even more impressive given the fact there is only one person cooking in a tiny kitchen (how is that even possible), and a 2 person...

If I could rate the service 6 stars, I would. Thanks to Oliva the co-owner and her Argentinian staff(sorry I've forgotten his name). It was really an impromptu for me that I stopped by this restaurant on my way back from a stroll at the park to try my luck as I never liked to plan my dinner before hand that much on my business travel. They were hospitable to accomodate my 1pax (usually their menu is for 2 pax minimum). A Greek, a Mexican and an Argentinian that cooked and served. It's truly gastronomical experience. To perhaps others the fusion culinary may taste odd but to me, I enjoyed every bit of my bite size and it's accompanying garnishes and sauce.

Then it comes to wine pairing. First of all, wine in Spain, its Wine! Most of the wines here are great and yet affordable. Then the most important part is mdm.Oliva is there to advise you what to pair with your dishes. As usual anywhere in Spain or Austria, start with a local Cava and move on from there. I loved most of her recommendations except 1 of it was a little too dry for me. But still it went well with my dish. Lastly I didn't have the time to pay my compliments to Chef but here is my review for him, keep up the good work and you deserve the Michelin recognition. (Yeah I only found out about this when I was to be seated.)

My advise to others, always book in advance, you may not be as lucky as me to be able to walk in and get one of the last tables available.

I am not a fan of taking photos of my food as I find it a lil awkward thst my camera gets to have first taste before my tongue. So here are my photos of...