La Vendimia — Restaurant in Vilaflor

They're trying to be a destination restaurant here, rather than a hotel restaurant and the harder they try the harder they fail. Every night we ate here our opinion went down one star. (Lucky it was only three nights!) The venue is good, with a nice outdoor space and a well-lit oak beamed dining room. At first I thought it was a management issue; some starters are good, meat and fish are very cooked but menu and fridge space are given over to "alkaline diet" crack-pottery, while crowd pleasing (and expensive) menu items aren't available or, in the case of lobster rice or paella, require 24 hours' notice. (The menu doesn't explain this properly.) That's one sign that they're playing to a captive audience, hoping to improve on the previous evenings' experience. That lobster rice; it's been cooked well in advance of the time you booked your table for, so it's a huge pile of lobster flavoured, but over-cooked, rice pudding. There's nothing of any interest in the rice itself. The lobster is cooked well, but chef doesn't think that you'll need any help in getting into it. The dish is for two, so the claws are separated, but not cracked for you, and the body is whole, so impossible to share. What should be special is an expensive mess. Meanwhile, over cooked asparagus is just one of many crimes against vegetables. The menu has an "Italian" section, and a strange Asian flavours section trying to convince people they're not in the same place every night. Just come up with some specials FFS. The final Nail in the "restaurant" coffin is that, from 21.30, peak dining room hush, the staff start clattering about, laying empty tables for breakfast, wheeling out the coffee machine and, if you haven't taken the hint, noisily unfolding trestle tables, so any lingering doubt that you're actually intruding into the breakfast room is driven from your mind. The problem here is that you really are a captive audience. It's a very very very steep walk down into the town for any alternative and worse to return afterwards. If you're staying at the hotel, choose cheap menu items and explore options elsewhere. If you're considering coming here for a special...

It's a very pleasant restaurant in a beautiful environment but food quality could be hit or miss. We had their butternut squash soup and roasted mushrooms as starters, both of them very tasty. However, the mains were both somewhat disappointing. My "oriental stir fry" was bland and way overcooked, something you would expect in your work canteen. My partner's "surprise roast" turned out to be a greasy piece of pork with some fries and apple sauce on the side. Not exactly a premium experience. But the desserts were again nicely decorated and tasty, we had a chocolate truffle and some banana-based pastry. The service was attentive and welcoming throughout. I felt that the restaurant would benefit from scaling down their massive menu and focus on fewer items made especially well. And leave the "oriental"-style...

Todo increible, buenisimo trato del camarero, la comida increible, enhorabuena a la cocinera, y el ambiente de paz y tranquilidad no tiene precio. Todo espectacular. Muchisimas gracias de parte de la pareja la portuguesa y el gaditano de chiclana.

Gracias!

Edito el comentario:

Fuimos hace un mes aproximadamente solo a comer al restaurante y nos encantó el sitio..

Hoy volvimos para quedarnos una noche en el hotel y fue efectivamente como pensamos... Todo perfecto... Una tranquilidad increible, todo limpísimo, el chico de recepcion buenisimo y muy buen rollo.. y el entorno de maravilla.

La habitacion.. cogimos una suite con baño de hidromasaje y... Buaff muy buena.

De nuevo fuimos a cenar al restaurante del hotel y pedimos platos distintos para seguir probando y fueron muy buenos.

El trato de todo el personal fue muy bueno.. se nota la calidad del hotel y el buen trato a los trabajadores, cuando se sienten bien.. el cliente tambien se siente bien.

Soy cocinero y tambien trabajo en hoteles, y se la importancia que da un comentario de estos y la motivacion que da a un trabajador cuando lo nombran.

Asi que tengo que nombrar, no solo por cumplir, sino porque se que se lo merecen, a los camareros que nos atendieron, en esta ultima ocasion Adrian y otras dos chicas camareras que estaban con el que fueron super amables y serviciales...(Tambien les pregunté el nombre el ultimo compañero que me atendió la otra vez... segun me dijeron se llama a Antonio)Muy buen trato y muy buen servicio.. les aplaudo..

Y tambien tengo que aplaudir al cocinero ó cocinera que la comida, preparacion y decoración de cada plato fue increíble... La comida muy buena.. es una pena (lo digo como cocinero) que en muchos sitios no se nombren ni se aplaudan tanto a la cocina, solo por que no se les ve... Pero estos camareros de este sitio si lo hacen, como hizo ese camarero tan carismáticoy hombre de familia que nos atendió la primera vez. Asi que mil estrellas para todo el equipo.

Seguid así y gracias por todo.

Volveremos seguro para cada escapada que podamos.

Saludos de Fran y Vera. De Andalucía y...