BENNECKE Blog

So finally a Greek Restaurant has opened in the Playa Flamenca Commercial Centre. It is called Dancing Zorbas and is open evenings from 5pm.
I have been devoted to greek food and mentality from an early age and coming from Berlin, where we have a lot of excellent family-run Greek restaurants, I knew from the beginning that this Zorbas has to fill some very big shoes. You just cannot beat the open and welcoming atmosphere of a proper Greek. So when I heard that finally a Greek has opened (why are there no Greeks in Spain???) I was over the moon and full of expectation. When I opened the menu it struck me as odd that the first of three pages of main courses is marked as Italian and consisted of mainly pasta and pizza. Oh well I thought, no matter. The second page reads 8 dishes, 3 of them are Gyros, 2 of them deal with chicken wrapped in bacon. The is no lamb and only 1 fish dish. 3rd page consists of 8 different Moussakas! So we decide to go for some mixed starters and see how we go… We order Mezee which is a starter platter consisting of Zaziki, Taramasalata, Hummus, Feta Cheese, Pita Bread and fried vegetables, the lot at 7.50€. Sounds like a good deal? You wait. Also we ordered a greek salad and white house wine.
I takes some time until the starters come. But thats fine, no hurry. Finally there it comes, a small tray and an even smaller plate, like the one you would put your gravy boat on. You know how Greeks are known for their generosity and hospitality? This one did not get the message. The salad was half an inch high with thinly sliced cucumber and tomato, 10 small cubes of *feta* cheese on top. Half a dozen olives…thats it. After closer inspection the Feta turns out to be those Feta-style cubes in brine, that you buy in Lidl (which is only across the road, odd…). The Mezee turns out to be 3 tiny tubs of unsalted dips, of which I could only identify the Zaziki, deep fried Potato wedges, Potato balls, onion rings and one of those weird things with the crab claw sticking out, 10 cubes of pseudo feta and a half baked pita bread. The wine is the cheapest you can find, but sold at 1 Euro more than in other places in the commercial centre. After that we just got the bill, which is hefty at 21.90 Euros for 2 starters, a bottle of whine and a sparkling water. After we paid, we wave the waiter aside and mentioned our dissapointment with for example the salad. Thats when he starts becoming agitated, saying things like *This is my place, I make the rules here* and *I am Greek, this is how it is done*
That was when we left without finishing the sour wine. I am sorry to sound like Michael Winner here, but I can only stress that there is a large variety of international restaurants in the Playa Flamenca commercial centre, where you get good food at fair prices. Just give a miss to Zorbas.

I know, this category is called eating out, but today my post shall be all about EATING IN.

Spanish Christmas Menu - Menú de Noche Buena

In Spanish, Christmas Eve is called La Noche Buena or “The Good Night” and in Spain it is celebrated with a large family feast that is eaten late in the evening and lasts a couple hours. Some families attend midnight mass before or after, although many families are still finishing dinner around the table at midnight! Christmas Eve is a time for celebrating in neighborhood bars and taverns and around the table with family and friends, not a time for gift exchanges or Santa Claus. That must wait until January 6th, which is Epiphany, a religious holiday.
Tapas or Appetizers
Jamón, Queso y Chorizo - Ham, Cheese and Chorizo Sausage

This easy tapa idea uses jamón, queso y chorizo – ham, cheese and chorizo on bread. It’s a great way to start out a dinner, served with a nice red wine or two from La Rioja or Ribera del Duero regions.

First Course
Sopa de Pescado y Marisco – Fish and Shellfish Soup

Spanish Sopa de Pescado y Marisco is a classic soup for the holidays. Shellfish is always part of the menu at any Spanish celebration and Christmas is no different. This soup is a wonderful start to a meal.
Langostinos con Salsa Rosa – Large Prawns with Pink Sauce

This recipe is easy and full of flavor. The langostinos or prawns are delicious when served with the slightly spicey salsa rosa or pink sauce. It is a good side dish.

Esparragos Blancos - White Asparagus

White asparagus is very delicate in texture and flavor, since these soft spears have never been touched by sunlight. Spaniards absolutely devour it whenever it is served.

Main Course
Cordero Asado - Roast Lamb

Roast lamb will not disappoint you or your guests at Christmas dinner. It is less work than roasting a turkey or duck and is much tastier.

Patatas Fritas – Home-Fried Potatoes

If you are serving roast lamb, home-fried potatoes are a must! Lightly fried in extra virgin olive oil, you’ll always wish you had fried a couple more potatoes because they will disappear fast.

Ensalada Verde – Green Salad

Like most big Spanish meals, Christmas dinner is filled with some rich dishes. To balance that out, a fresh green salad is always at the ready. This light and fresh salad compliments the heavier dishes that are passed around the holiday table.

Postre - Dessert

After a brief pause to catch your breath and clear the table, dinner continues with dessert or postre. At Christmas time that means plates of delicious:
• Turrón, Spanish almond candy.
• Polvorones or almond cookies.
• Mantecados or Spanish crumble cakes.

No Spanish Christmas would be complete without a glass of cava, Spanish sparkling wine and later hot cup of espresso coffee and/or a small glass of Spanish brandy or anise liqueur. Besides, you need something to wash all those cookies down!

Another weekend has gone by and I have been eating out again. This time it was Sunday Lunch at Restaurant Christophers in Mar Azul. Their ambition and motto is “Fine Dining” so they had to live up to that, which usually is a good way to set me up for disappointment. Not so at Christophers… First of all I have to say the service by all members of staff (they have quite a lot of personnel there) was prompt and cheerful, which I appreciate. I cannot stand being served by miserable waiting staff, but at Christophers there was no sign of misery. Also it was good to see the place bustling with customers, actually you should reserve a table to avoid disappointment.

The Food:

The ample choice of starters is an extract of the weeks menu and we choose peeled thai prawns and soup of the day, which was cauliflower and blue cheese. Both were delicious. We had the house white wine, which was nicely chilled and medium dry. Also we ordered sparkling water. It came in a 1.5 l bottle and saw us through the whole meal. That was another plus point as it was a hot day. For main courses we sampled the lamb and the chicken. Both were very tender. Veg of the day were cauliflower, broccoli and carrots, all of very healthy color and not overcooked as I have seen it in many other places before. The gravy was very tasty and I could not detect the taste of bisto in it. The only thing I have to remark is that it was not the largest of Sunday Dinners. It was however enough to fill me up and leave room for the choice of 8 home-made desserts. They all sounded mouthwatering but we decided to try the lemon merenge pie and the cadbury delight chocolate cheesecake. The pie was excellent, neither to sweet nor to sour but the cheesecake was divine. If you like chocolate like I do, it is worth visiting just for that. All in all a perfect sunday lunch, thank you very much Restaurante Christopher. We will be back to check out the week menu which was a promising thing to read…

Opening times are 6pm until 10.30pm Tuesday to Saturday, with Sunday lunch from 1pm. Booking a table is advisable on 600 012 824 or 965 710 007. Restaurante Christopher can be found next to the swimming pool in Mar Azul’s Eliseos Playa.

For all fans of thai cuisine I can only recommend this Restaurant in Formentera del Segura, 5km from Guardamar. It is fairly new, I think it opened in late spring. They serve fragrant and fresh tasting food well presented. The service is friendly and welcoming and also multi lingual. I especially recommend the coconut and chicken soup (very mild), red curry with breast of duck (very tender and medium hot) and my favourite: Jungle Curry with Chicken breast which is the hottest thing I have ever eaten (bearing in mind, that i grow my own chillies at home) but I still could not stop eating it.

You can eat outside on the beautifully decorated terrace, in the conservatory or inside this renovated finca. You will also be pleased to hear, that they have a fully stocked Cocktail Bar. Have a look on their website for directions, you can also have a peak at the menu there:

http://www.royalthaigardens.com/