El Chamizo

So I will start with the one positive from this restaurant, the setting; it's simply stunning, so we started the evening with very positive connotations, however these feelings only lasted until the food arrived.

For the starters, our group ordered garlic prawns, calamari, beef carpaccio & octopus. The garlic prawns were the worst I have tried in my life, totally inedible (chewy and flavourless). The beef carpaccio was dry and very very sweet, I have never come across a sweet carpaccio in my life and hope not to again, it tasted disgusting. The octopus was not cooked properly at all, and was burnt, however the calamari was actually reasonable. At this point the waitress noticed that we hadn't eaten the prawns, so she asked if we didn't like it to which of course told her that we didn't. She seemed very annoyed at us for having the audacity to not like them (to repeat, they were inedible) and to her credit did offer us something else. However she was very much in a mood with us for the remained of the night. Later in the evening it was confirmed to us that the prawns were brought in frozen which is such a shame, because the restaurant right on the beach, near where all the fishermen bring in fresh prawns every day, it would be so easy to just get some lovely fresh ones and make a nice starter, however they didn't which showed how they care more about it being east to prepare than the quality of their food, and it's just a shame. It also made me doubt what else of their food is fresh.

Anyway, moving on, we decided to go into the main course with an open mind, and hopefully these would be much nicer; our optimism was misplaced. The magret of duck was shockingly bad, it was unrecognisable as duck, honestly if I had a blind taste test I would guess it is beef from a cheap Chinese restaurant, when you picture a magret of duck, you imagine some big juicy, flavoursome slices of duck; instead I received 7 1mm thin strips of "duck" with all the flavour totally removed. I'm certain it had been cooked and reheated, just terrible. Spanish sausage selection - poor. Mussels were served cold. Salmon - undercooked (but we daren't send it back because the waitress was already stroppy with us). The hake was chewy and had minimal flavour (what I imagine chewing one of Gandhi's sandals would have tasted). Cuttlefiish - rank and not edible. The tuna tasted nice, but those who ate it currently have upset stomachs. EVERY main course was served with 3 new potatoes which were all overcooked.

We (probably wisely) decided not to stay for dessert. We then received the bill which came to ~€40 per head (we also had a glass of wine each), we just paid it and got out of there as quickly as we could. Terrible value.

I also want to add that when I phoned to book the restaurant (4 days before) they asked me if I wanted paella. Normally when a restaurant asks this, it is because if you want paella, they have to go and get it from another restaurant and bring it to you... What kind of Spanish restaurant can't even make their own paella? The answer is an embarrassing, lazy one, who doesn't care about the quality of their food. It is not difficult to make it to order.

We are not a difficult family, we just want fresh food and nice service. To have this disappointing food, rude service (apart from a young Swedish waiter who was very pleasant), and a hefty bill amounts to this being the WORST RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE. In fact, I've never used trip advisor before, but last night has inspired me to join just to warn people not to go here. You will be disappointed (and possibly ill the next day).