Akustito Restaurante – Los Cristianos

This week rather than visit one of our regular restaurants we thought it would be good to have a change.

I sent a WhatsApp on Wednesday to reserve a table at Akustito and within a couple of minutes they messaged back confirming it. I would suggest it is best to book as both inside and outside became very busy as the evening wore on.

This restaurant is not totally new to us, we did try to eat there several years ago with our daughter who is vegan but at that time the only meal they could suggest was their Chicken Caesar salad without the chicken and without the dressing. So we gave it a miss and headed to La Piazzetta which is just around the corner. This time I had looked at their Online Menu which is in several languages and as we are both meat eaters, thought the selection looked good.

We arrived at the harbour car park just as the ferry was unloading but eventually managed to cross the road and park and from there it is under a 5 minute walk to Akustito. We were offered a table either inside or outside so we chose inside as for us nights are starting to feel cool.

Israel introduced himself as our waiter, gave us the menu and took our drinks order. While we waited for our starter to arrive we were offered bread which we refused and a free taste of the salmon tartare with cream cheese. I enjoyed it and so did Jim, until I told him it was raw then the look on his face said it all.

Our starters arrived the King Prawns in a light fruit sauce and croquettes which are priced each so two were plenty as these days we don´t have big appetites. Lovely and tasty.

We moved on to mains. We both liked the look of several things on the menu so decided to choose different meals and sample each others to get a good idea of whether we would return or not. Jim went for the Chicken breast with mango sauce which came with chips (the chicken was perfect and the sauce delicious). I went for the strips of pork with tiny potatoes and mushrooms. All I can say is the flavour was out of this world. We will certainly be going back and I would definitely choose this dish again.

Pudding, I was totally stuffed and had no room for even a barraquito which looked good but himself went for the Caramel Cheesecake. This is what I think these days they call deconstructed. It was crispy shortcake-type biscuit in a heavy cream cheese scattered with chocolate and drizzled through with caramel. I had a taste, far too sweet for me, although not for OH as the bowl was soon empty.

As I said at the beginning the place is popular, the atmosphere was good and apparently, although not last night, they often have entertainment, usually someone playing a guitar and singing. Below are just a few photos of inside and out to give a feel of what it is like should you fancy something a little different from the run-of-the-mill tourist-type restaurants.

El Cobijo – La Camella

As it was such a beautiful day we thought rather than eat in the evening we would go out at lunchtime. Steering away from the motorway as it is usually manic on an afternoon, we went inland towards Arona.

Under 10 minutes in the car and as far from tourists as you can get while still within touching distance of civilisation or so we thought. We expected to be the only people there, but when we arrived there was no space in the car park, so we had to join a line of traffic on the road.

Despite being extremely busy we were warmly welcomed and asked if we wanted to sit inside or on the covered terrace.  We chose the latter although the waiter did say “sit at this side because even though the window is open, the sun is very hot”.  We ordered drinks and being a technophobe, he took my phone and pulled up the menu in English from the QR code.

We don´t normally eat at lunchtime so just wanted something light which is why we both ordered the prawn with pineapple and coconut along with bread and alioli.  The bread was warm and the sauce was heavy on the garlic just the way I like it. The prawns were on a skewer and sitting in a sweet pineapple sauce that had crystallised pineapple in it and topped with coconut. I was immediately transported back to Bubba Gumps where I always ordered their ‘coconut shrimp’.

For mains, we shared a schnitzel with sauteed potatoes and Padron peppers. It was enormous and more than enough for the two of us.

I assume like most people who visit we had to take pictures of the spectacular views. The last time we ate at El Cobijo was back in 2019 This is the link to the original review and more photos

When it was time to leave, there were still an awful lot of cars and nowhere to turn around, but fortunately, if you follow the road down it takes you through La Sabinita and on to La Camella so despite being very narrow, an easy journey home.

Birthday Celebration

That is me totally lost for the week, I tend to set my internal clock by the day we go out for a meal, normally Thursday, which we did this week, but also being Jim’s birthday we went out on Saturday night as well. So now I will be all over the place until I can get back into a routine.

I have been keeping an eye on Avangard but the only time I suggested it there was a sharp intake of breath. I know it is a bit more expensive than most but you don´t reach 81 years old every day so I thought it worth pushing the boat out.

We arrived just as the sun was setting and had a quick look at the rooftop terrace before choosing our table.

The staff were friendly, the service polite and the menu had lots of choice.

For a change we both had starters. I went for the camembert with cranberry and Jim had the soup of the day which was French Onion.

For mains, I veered away from my usual choices and picked the duck which was beautifully tender and served with potatoes and mixed vegetables. Really delicious. Jim went for the kangaroo filet with crushed potatoes and vegetables. No it didn’t taste like ‘chicken’!  it was more gamey than beef but he ate it all. Enjoyed it but would be in no rush to eat it again 🙂

By now we couldn´t move, but you cannot celebrate without a pudding so we shared a crème Catalan with fresh strawberries and frozen lemon cream.

After having a cheap meal earlier in the week this was not cheap, even so it was quite busy so people obviously appreciate the atmosphere and it is a little oasis in the hustle and bustle of the Mirador strip.  Not a place to visit week in week out but certainly to be a top of the list for celebrations.

El Brezal – Los Cristianos

On Thursday evening we tried a new restaurant, (well new to us). El Brezal has been getting rave reviews since it opened 12 months ago this month, opposite the Language School in Los Cristianos. It is easy to see why.

We arrived at 8.00pm after booking a table and decided we would sit indoors. Despite the evening being warm, the view from the patio is nothing but a bit of greenary failing to hide the duel carriageway, albeit at that time of night, there is very little traffic.

We had a warm welcome from Yamila our waitress who spoke pretty good English, which is fortunate because as the evening wore on almost every diner was a Brit. I guess the word has spread through the apartments close to the restaurant what good value this little gem is and it was fortunate we had booked because by the time we left, it was extremely busy.

They do an all-day/all-evening special, for €8.95 but despite the price as it is three courses, it is far too much food for us. Jim ordered the garlic prawns for starters and 8 or 9 big fat juicy prawns arrived swimming in garlic butter. He asked for some bread to dip up the juice and this was free.

We then went on to mains, we both ordered the Entrecote, not sure what cut that is but cooked by German (that’s his name not his nationality) the chef to perfection. All meals come with either chips or Canarian potatoes so we shared a bowl of potatoes, not knowing that on our plates there was also a small jacket potato and delicious crispy vegetables made up of carrots, cabbage, courgettes, onions and peppers. I had the Roquefort sauce and Jim the pepper sauce.

The portions are big, so we had no room for pudding even though they do an apple cake with cream but we asked for a coffee and a barraquito. The wait for these took a while as there are only two people serving and they were rushed off their feet with so many people now filling both inside and outside the restaurant.

When our bill arrived it was the cheapest we have paid for many a long month, even including the tip. The service was good, the staff were very friendly and the food was delicious. As parking is relatively easy, I can see we will be visiting this place again in the not-too-distant future.

Almost forgot, the background music is jazz not overly loud to distract from conversations but made a nice change to the type of music mostly on offer in resort restaurants.

Return to the Fox – Los Cristianos

The last time we went to The Fox was on 13th April which turned out to be the Thursday before it closed its doors the following weekend. When I heard the news on Monday morning and having thought of the owner as a friend for almost 20 years I wrote to him asking if everything was OK and to this day have still not had a reply.

Anyone who reads my restaurant reviews knows that The Fox was always our go-to restaurant when we wanted a first-class meal because Kevin Tanner who worked the BBQ is not only a superb cook he also knows the best cuts of meat. Before we took our seats we would always ask him what he recommended. But sadly with the closing of the Fox, we lost our guarantee of quality that we had come to not only expect but rely on.

Like most people, we heard on the grapevine that the bar had re-opened under Lee who also has Tasca 7 and Big Joe who again we have known for many years. However, it was only last week that I learnt that as of Saturday Kevin was returning to work the BBQ and based on that alone I messaged to book 6 of us a table for Thursday night.

When we arrived it was a gathering of old friends, kisses and cuddles from both Joe and Kevin, lots of chat and our usual, opening conversation, what should we choose tonight, and being told “The ribeye is perfect”.

So that is what four of us had, while two had ribs.  Needless to say, everything was delicious, cooked to perfection and huge portions, so huge that I cut my steak in half and brought home enough for us to have a stir fry in the week. (Excuse the photo of meat taken home, cold meat never looks at its best, but by the time we come to eat it later in the week we know it will be just as tender as it was the first time around)

Jim and Gareth had puddings, I had a barraquito and Christine had a Lumumba but because she was at the far end of the table from me I forgot to take a photo. 😦

While there was no return to entertainers who do the circuits that didn´t bother us (we have heard them all a thousand times over the years) instead we had Joe sing and he has a lovely voice.  His choice of music suited us, a bit of soft rock with the likes of  Hotel California, a bit of Rat Pack standards and IMO he could hold his head high next to Michael Bublé with his ‘Me and Mrs Jones’. Staff, although we didn´t know anyone, were very polite and couldn´t have been more helpful, they earned and deserved the tip we left them.

The evening for us was a huge success our friends who are holidaying here thought the food was superb. I am also guessing that it was a success for The Fox now that Kevin is back where he belongs because for most of the night, every table was full.  We will certainly be going back to our monthly slots.