Turull's Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Oak Ridge

Very lovely atmosphere but we went in the evening for the first time and there was live music. Two singers that though they accompanied each other and chosen songs were great, the loudness destroyed the mood of having to talk louder than we would want and understand the servers, if you like concert loud experience while dining this is for you, not for us, we enjoy live music but if kept at a low decibel of background music while dining.

The important thing is the food, let's start with appetizers, we are Cuban and use to croquettes, we ordered ham and cheese. I never had ham texture that way before it was so creamy, some bites were watery liquid, not at all what I was expecting, it didn't taste bad, definitely the Serrano flavor came through but I wouldn't eat this again (I don't know if that's typical of how Valencia of Spain makes this and the rest of the dishes ordered). The cheese were good, but everything was very salty (they were 4 of each and on the small side). I also ordered the fabada soup (asked to be without morcilla), it came in a large bowl and I haven't had that for ages. I have always eaten it in a cream color base of white beans, this came in a hearty beef broth base with "tender" beef chunks in it along with the white beans, it was delicious but again, it was SO salty, I found myself struggling with how delicious it was...

We went because I was craving for a good paella, and saw the ratings and how it offered different types, I was expecting authentic paella. Again there was a struggle, I have had paella before and if using "fresh" fish, it shouldn't have a fishy smell, but as it came, you could smell it (not overpowering but a hint of it). All the shell fish was surprisingly soft, not over cooked which is a good thing! But I couldn't understand the flavor of the rice, how it was all SO greasy, bland and salty.

The service was also questionable, though attentive, when placing our orders we were undecided to order the paella for one or two because we wanted to share it, she kind of insisted to order for 2 because the croquettes were a small portion (true) but I didn't realize how big the fabada soup was, and we said, I guess, if we're still hungry, we'll order more and she replied, that if it was another paella it will take another 20-30min, (true) but we still decided on the single serving. I'm so glad we did! I mean, I guess if you just ordered that MAYBE you could still want more to eat but we were already satisfied after the appetizers, I'm glad my husband helped me, it wasn't so delicious that even if you're not hungry you can keep eating it, no it wasn't that great but not so bad either... Then at the end when bringing our ticket, I thought when my husband told me the total, sounded a little high, so I took a look at it and 20% gratuity was included! The server came back and "asked" my husband if wanting to add something for gratuity, and he told her that it was already included (see pic). She didn't flinch or apologize, just went on her way with it but we later thought about her insistance of ordering the paella for two, and how many people don't look at their ticket and would pay gratuity again, if asked for it .... I don't want to misjudge intentions here but service was also questionable...

Dessert was spot on with cream brulee! That was one of the best I ever had!

Overall, for the price, questionable service, struggling atmosphere including food, the only thing that stood out was the cream brulee and the only reason, I gave it 3 star or it would be a 2 star. But I guess with all high reviews, it's all subjective to "personal' taste. But "we" won't come back again, we can't speak for you, it may be something...

We tried Turull’s Boqueria after doing some shopping at the Apple Store- and we were ready to try some “outside the box” type of food. I had paella in St Augustine and was delighted to find it on their menu.

We walked up and noticed that there was a “we are open” sandwich board out front to the north of the outside dining area. Strange…. Greeted immediately upon entering, seated immediately, and we observed that there was only one other table being served, the rest were vacant. Strange for almost 6:30 on a Friday night in America.

Since we were both famished, we opted to split a red sangria- it was delicious and accented with fresh pineapple and berries. Our server was not talkative at all and I wonder if she spoke much English. I had to point to the item on the laminated menu, for both the paella and the sangria. Very little communication with us at all. We noticed on the menu that it said all rice dishes were made to order and to allow up to 30 minutes. Considering at this point we were the only table in the entire restaurant, we figured (and hoped) it would not take 30 minutes. We were so wrong. It took almost 45 minutes.

A large group of “high end” people came in and were seated behind the kitchen in a very large, private booth. The constant plates headed to this table probably were why our singular dish of paella carne took 45 minutes to make it to our table.

When the dish finally arrived, it was placed on the table and the server (not ours) simply walked away. It appeared beautiful to look at and we were eager to begin eating. I took a small spoonful and found the rice burned and stuck to the cast iron pan. No way to get it off to enjoy the crispy edges- so no crispy rice edges. The rice was just about flavorless. I was shocked. There were peppers and a few chunks of chicken, and what appeared to be Slim Jim’s cut in half and placed on top. The menu had stated it contained rib meat, chicken, and chorizo. My guess is the rib meat was forgotten, and the slim Jim’s were the chorizo. I will say that out of the whole dish, the slim Jim’s were the only thing with any flavor. The entire dish was mostly flavorless. Not at all like the other paella I had previously. A huge disappointment. There was a young lady that came in to play the electric violin, and it was nice, albeit a little too loud. The water glasses got filled once, and the check took a lifetime to come. All told, we were there for almost 2 hours. The paella for 2 was $50, and the dish was so small that I left hungry. Nothing came with the paella, no type of salad or tapas plate or anything.

I paid the bill, placed my faux cloth napkin on the table, and we left,...

I recently visited Turull's Boqueria with my wife and two young-adult children for a late lunch around 5 PM. The restaurant was empty when we arrived, which I initially thought would give us the luxury of having the place to ourselves. The ambience was modern and comfortable, which set a pleasant tone. The waiter greeted us promptly, which was expected given that we were the only guests.

We were quite hungry and quickly ordered the "croquetas de bacalao." Unfortunately, they took longer than expected to arrive and were underwhelming. The cod used didn't seem of high quality, and the croquetas themselves lacked the crispy texture and seasoning. While the flavor was passable, they definitely needed more crunch and salt.

Next, we tried the patatas bravas. They were just okay. For my taste, they weren’t spicy enough, and the brava sauce seemed to stray from the traditional mix of paprika and olive oil, incorporating other ingredients like tomatoes, which dulled the flavor. Again, not bad, but nothing memorable.

The main disappointment, however, was the paella valenciana for 2-3 people. We don't eat pork, so we asked for it without chorizo, which is common for us, but the dish turned out to be a real letdown. It lacked flavor altogether, and the taste was unrecognizable as a paella. The broth was bland, and it seemed like the olive oil, a crucial element, was missing. The server didn't offer olive oil, Jerez, and lemon wedges on the side, neither.

Surprisingly, despite the restaurant's claim to be authentically Iberico, no bread was brought to the table. In Spanish dining, bread is a staple, and the lack of it felt like a significant oversight, but we let it slide.

On the bright side, I did enjoy the Estrella Galicia beer. It was crisp, refreshing, and had a nice balance of malt and hops. The golden color and bright appearance were appealing, and its lightly floral and herbal notes were a nice touch.

However, the worst part of the experience came when the bill arrived with a compulsory 20% tip had been added. I felt this is a "trick" employed by the restaurant, as it is mentioned in a very small line at the bottom of the menu (from now on, I have to read small print in all menus). This was frustrating, especially considering the service didn't justify such a high tip. The service we received was mediocre (no napkins offered, no extra cutlery, etc etc) and more in line with a 10-12% tip, given that the restaurant was empty and there wasn’t much effort involved.

Overall, the food was lacking in flavor and authenticity, and the service fell short of expectations. I wouldn't recommend Turull's Boqueria based on...