THE WARMEST WELCOME FOR PILGRIMS AND FABULOUS FOOD We three pilgrims arrived starving and ready celebrate at the end of our Camino. The welcome we recieved in this restaurant could not have been better and showed just how open hearted Gallego people are. The restaurant and garden are beautiful and the staff exceptionally friendly and helpful - even with our faltering Spanish. However the stand out was the food. Now, this place isn't cheap but we thought it was fantastic value.
There was an amuse bouche of beetroot soup with soft cheese from Cebreiro where we'd walked! It was simply delicious served with dangerously good bread. We then shared a fresh tomato salad with spicy olive oil on the side, cured ham croquetas and a bowl of fat steaming clams. The croquetas had my friends in awe and for me the clams were the taste of the sea. We followed this by sharing a "fritura del mar" (pic). My friend called them Fish Lollipops - fish on a stick of different kinds. But the freshest and highest quality ingredients. Wonderful. This was all washed down with a great alboriño which was very reasonably priced.
We were three hungry pilgrims - less so by this point! But we wanted some meat. Two dishes of tenderloin of pork followed - served perfectly pink with a gorgeous mild cheesy sauce and perfectly roast potatoes. We had a bottle of Ribera del Duero red wine with this which was amongst the best I've ever tasted for under 20 euros.
As we embarked on the dessert adventure I thought that one of my friends would faint with pleasure. The baked apple in foam was delicious, the lemon pie served in a lemon is not to be missed but for me the dessert of old bread soaked in aromatic red wine with fruits of the forest and home made ice cream is amongst the best desserts IN THE WORLD!
A wonderful place, a wonderful welcome and wonderful...
Read moreWow! The concierge at the Compostella hotel close by, recommended this place as an alternate to a local Michelin restaurant so we booked on the strength of the 4.7 star rated reviews & the 3 of us were not disappointed. The chef ( found out after he is the owner ), was on the line in the kitchen, but came out and showed real care in our meal and offered great suggestions as did his well trained staff. In a nutshell, I can’t believe how much flavour, balance & nuance was achieved for such a reasonable price! Real flavor thinking into ea rich fulfilling dish without the usual high killing cholesterol. The menus changes but every dish stood out from turning a tomato salad into something extra ordinary, to no more basic (& excellent) than steamed cockels in their own clam & seaweed juices, to poached goose eggs on creamy carmelized leaks, to the veal, hake and pasta version of paella…well done chef! 7 dishes inc 1 shared dessert, 2 glasses of wine= 117€ , almost a 3 to 1 value vs a Michelin place.
Another reviewer said Michelin star find with out the Michelin price, and we heartily agree. as well rolled out of there...
Read moreWe found this restaurant, just a stone's throw from the Cathedral, in the Michelin Guide. Described in the guide as "This impressively unique restaurant serves interesting cuisine while at the same time showcasing a part of Santiago's rich history."
We would agree with the Guide: the menu was very interesting and different. We sat in the small, nicely presented inside room; there's also quite a large space outside, at the back. The waiting staff don't speak a lot of English, but quite enough to answer all our questions fully. The service was friendly and efficient.
After quite a bit of debate, I chose:
Chestnut bread stuffed with pork rinds and Arzúa-Ulloa cheese Veal cheek with mushroom cream and crispi chikpeas
The chestnut bread was delicious: homemade bread topped with cheesy, shredded pork - rich, creamy and bursting with taste (it was quite a large portion). The veal cheek was superb! The meat had been shredded and made into a block, nicely presented with the crispy chickpeas on the top. Excellent.
I was too full...
Read more