Restaurant Oustau de Altea — Restaurant in Altea

My wife and I began with high hopes for Restaurante Oustau having seen the many positive reviews, and after initially being turned away on a Tuesday night as they were too busy, we made a booking and duly returned on Thursday.

On arrival we were given a welcome cava cocktail, and seated very quickly in the dining room, a pleasant courtyard setting (although the website photos are rather flattering), despite the restaurant clearly being busy again. The waiting staff were friendly and service was prompt and courteous throughout.

I ordered the crepe 'Marlene Dietrich' (smoked salmon and caviar) to start, and my wife ordered the scallops 'Titanic' (no idea, perhaps an allusion to the presentation described below...). The cutesy names did ring a few alarm bells, but we pressed on nonetheless.

Our starters arrived, suspiciously quickly, my crepe swimming in what I can only describe as hot pink goop. Smokiness was only faintly discernable, and any recognisable smoked salmon or crepe texture had been comprehensively eradicated, either by sustained immersion in the goop, or, I suspect, by the microwave, resulting in a hot, soggy, salty mush.

My wife's scallops, although well cooked, languished in a similar sea of goop; however, on this occasion the goop was yellow and so sickly sweet as to be almost inedible.

By the main course, Oustau appeared to have run out of steam on the naming front, meaning my wife and I were permitted to order duckling breast in raspberry sauce and fillet of beef in morel sauce, unencumbered by tenuous film references.

The duckling breast arrived in small chunks, separated from the vegetables (on which more later) by a lake of raspberry sauce covering at least half the plate. No doubt the chef believes that this constitutes the sort of 'innovation' and 'creativity' which form the 'house brand'; either way, it required more than simply serving lumps of almost raw ('medium', apparently) duck alongside a sauce better suited to pouring over ice cream. Fortunately the advantage of the presentation was that my wife was able to avoid the raspberry sauce almost entirely.

It's pretty difficult to mess up a fillet of beef; however, the chef gave it his best shot. 'How?', you may ask: of course, by smothering the meat in yet more congealed salty goop, cream this time.

Both meals were served with identical vegetables: baby carrots; beans; cauliflower and potatoes. The carrots and beans were flavourless mush, while for reasons best known to himself (perhaps that pesky 'creativity' again) the chef chose to season the cauliflower with a mild curry flavour.

The rioja by the glass was quite nice.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), I am unable to report on desserts, as we paid the bill and made good our escape.

In defence of the Oustau I will note that the '£££' rating for price is harsh. With mains in the low teens it should be no more than '££' - but you're still better off taking your...

Mixed review. Lovely setting and ambience. Our server; however, was very impersonal and always in a rush. We felt like we were ordering food at a drive up fast food joint. Our wine server on the other hand was extremely attentive and engaging. For our starters, the gambas al ajillo were a very very small portion. The quiche was delicious. The octopus leg was very tender, but the grilled calamari, and we’re calamari fans, well, none of us liked it and couldn’t finish the plate. The magret de pato was very tough to chew, surprising and expecting more from a French restaurant. The salmon with coconut milk and basil was refreshing, but the portion wasn’t very big, and the side dish of rice/spinach was plain and unremarkable. For the pulpo and calamari dishes, which our kids ordered, we asked to change the side plates to French fries (which they said was possible) and we ended up being charged extra for them, and on top of that, they didn’t even the normal garnish. Also, after we paid 120€ for the meal, our 7 year old son wanted a quick glass of water before leaving, and we were told that it wasn’t possible, that we had to buy/order a bottle, certainly Not the type of detail that you expect or want, and left a bit if a sour taste in our mouth. Overall it was a nice venue, but certainly lacking details in a few areas. It was the least favorite of our 3 dinners in Altea. I’d very hesitantly give it a...

This Michelin-starred restaurant in Albufera, Spain, calls for a accidental 2.5-hour dining experience that was truly exceptional. We lost track of time and were surprised to find that we had stayed for nearly three hours. The service is delightful, with a touch of humor, and is extremely attentive and kind. The food is outstanding and remarkably well-priced for the quality.

We began with Shrimp Aglio Olio, Tomato Mozzarella, and Scallops, all of which were incredibly flavorful despite their simplicity. Both of us opted for different salmon dishes and were astonished by their exquisite taste. For dessert, we enjoyed cheesecake and tiramisu, both of which were superb.

For the best experience, visit during the early evening hours. We dined at 7 PM and were treated to a breathtaking sunset over the mountains, adding to the restaurant's charm. The owner personally presented the check, a classy touch befitting the establishment's Michelin status.

Our meal, which included two beers and two mocktails (the best non-alcoholic mojito I've ever had), came to 107€. This restaurant is a must-visit, and I will return every time I...