El jardín de Oli

If you're fed up of classic tapas bars where you can eat loads at a cheap price but not necessarily for quality or complex preparations, I recommend you to go to Jardin de Oli which is very different from these traditional bars.

We are here in a range of slightly more expensive restaurant range but also classier than the traditional tapas bars. Certain dishes are inexpensive all the same so it depends a bit on what you have.

Me, I opted for a twenty euro set menu (forty euros for two) with a bottle of wine included! To begin with, you won't be entitled to cheap house wine but to a good bottle of Crianza or Jumilla. Next, the menu is composed of an aperitif (olives), two starters, a main course and a double desert.

As a starter, we had scampi first, on a bed of vegetables with a passion fruit sauce. Original and exquisite. A mixture of cold (vegetables), hot (scampi), soft and crunchy. Next, we had foie gras which were fried with care and then an Argentinian rib of beef with small house made crisps. Finally, the dessert (or should I say the desserts): a Belgian worthy chocolate fondant and a really delicious cheesecake. In short, really excellent! Nothing was left to chance; not the decoration, nor the service, nor the food.

In terms of the decoration, it didn't speak to me but it's pretty. It's a Springtime decoration. Everything was redone recently. In general, I never like the Spanish decorations which are always strongly kitsch. You could see that it was a classy restaurant but it didn't please me anymore than that. It was romantic and the service showed that it was an upper-range restaurant.

Don't hesitate to consult the menu on their website! Everything is there!