CK's Bistro — Restaurant in Santiago del Teide

Disappointed and Shocked

Returned to CKs for the fourth time last night hoping for a repeat of our previous experiences. However, our evening ended in real disappointment.

My husband accepted the waiter’s recommendation of the dish of the day which was a sea food lasagne which he thought was delicious. Unfortunately, I was not so fortunate. I ordered the vegetarian chilli non carne. Despite an attractive presentation, the chilli itself was little more than a smooth tomato sauce with a few small pieces of vegetable and even less beans. This chilli just didn’t hit the mark and I found it almost inedible. When the attentive waiter enquired about how we were enjoying our meal we couldn’t have been clearer about how disappointing my meal was. Having shared a lovely dessert we then asked for the bill. I explained to the waiter that I thought my meal had been so poor that I expected that I should not be charged for it. Of course we were happy to pay for all of the rest of the food and wine we had ordered. Rather nervously he eventually agreed to speak to the manager/chef/owner and returned saying there was nothing he could do. I asked to speak to the manager but the waiter said he was too busy. I really did not want to make a scene so I went over to the kitchen and asked to speak to him. He would not accept any criticism of the dish whatsoever and indeed sought to explain how good it was. To add insult to injury he then threatened to call the Police if I did not pay for it. I eat out all the time. On the very odd and infrequent occasion that a meal is not up to scratch I would normally explain to waiting staff that I was disappointed and usually they would offer to bring an alternative or would not charge for that item. I can’t remember the last time I had to do that but it would be measured in years not months or weeks. I found the intransigence of the manager breathtaking. I can’t believe that rather than trying to resolve the situation he tried to intimidate me by threatening to call the Police. I am a seasoned restaurant customer and also a very good cook who has prepared more non meat chillis than I care to remember. I would not have put that meal down to a friend never mind a customer. Our previous experience of CKs was excellent. What a pity the failure to deal with our first disappointment will mean that we won’t be back and given the poor response will be recounting our...

We were looking forward to trying this place but wish we’d taken a closer look at the menu before doing so. A red flag from the outset is calling yourself a fine dining restaurant / bistro but having an overly extensive evening dining menu (think everything from Spag Bol to Asian food and seafood) which seems to try and cater for the non-adventurous Brit and locals all at once (with a lunchtime tapas menu served until 3pm which actually looked simple and delicious!).

It’s important to note that the service from the start was great and we were made to feel welcome. We were given appetisers that were nice and then upsold the special of the evening - barracuda fish with vegetables. We were excited for the meal and when it arrived the presentation looked quite appealing, however soon realised that it was very much style over substance. The fish had sadly been overcooked (and tasted like any other white fish) and had a random dollop of lumpy mash and spicy mini wonton on top (the wonton was actually quite nice but what was it doing there?!) The sauce underneath the fish was thick and spicy, totally overpowering the fish itself and there was also an odd carrot puree next to the seafood sauce. The mini veg felt like it had been defrosted and the texture of the prawns were furry and highly suspect.

We were so bewildered at what we had experienced (we were simply expecting a tasty bit of local fish with a nice few sides) that we didn’t know how to constructively feedback to the waiting staff - the chef is clearly trying to do too much in throwing absolutely everything and a spicy wonton, at what should just be a simple fish dish, and getting the basics wrong.

In all fairness, we should have left feedback but British politeness took over and we didn’t want to offend. However in hindsight realised we should have said how we felt at the time and that’s why we’ve chosen to leave a review to hopefully save others from making the same mistake and parting with their hard...

After coming to the island more than 5 times, I finally found my favourite restaurant! This is one I will brag about to friends for ages...

The hosts are a sweet and friendly couple that goes above and beyond to make sure you have a good time. We immediately clicked, and I would trust them to choose my next meal any time. You can taste the effort and passion in their food.

My partner and I were a bit sceptical of the menu in the first we visited, it had everything from Brazilian food, to Indian, to Korean. My first thought was that none could master all of these different culinary and being Brazilian, I knew I had to try their coxinhas.

It was the first time a Brazilian tried it, the host told me. Her husband, the chef, learned during 2020's lockdown and introduced to the menu ever since. It's easy to say that the coxinhas were perfection, and had the chef's touch to it. My partner got Indian Tikka Masala, and we were both beyond amazed of how good it was.

Right there and then, we knew that was our spot. We made reservations for Valentine's Day 2021, and had the most pleasant dinner there. This time, we had the lasagna with garlic bread, garlic prawns and croquettes. To go with it, the best sangria I had in years.

By the end of the night, the hosts greeted us good night. This is a special place, and we will be back multiple times across...