We’ve been meaning to visit the Fish Bowl Restaurant down in Dehesa de Campoamor for a while and we finally managed to get to eat there. Soph had noticed they were promoting a nice looking menu del dia on their Facebook page, so we’d said as tempting as the main menu looks, we’d try this first of all.
It’s not often I look at a menu del dia option and struggle to decide what to have, on the basis that so many dishes sound so delightful. However, the Fish Bowl Restaurant did just that. I really was torn between the seabass or the lamb kebab main course, both caught my eye.
What We Had
We ordered the menu del dia, which we added to this, the artisan sourdough bread as a starter before the first course.
Drinks.
I was driving today, so decided I fancied something other than a Coke, so when I saw they did alcohol free cocktails, I went with the Safe Sex On The Beach. Soph followed my thinking and went for the pina colada mocktail.
Food.
We ordered a portion of Sourdough Bread with Artisan Butter, just to have with our drink. This was wonderful and fresh, proper rustic bread and very enjoyable with the seasoned butter.
Starters.
I ordered the Beef Brisket Brioche. This was so tasty, the aroma as the plate was placed on the table was mouth watering. Soph went for the Thai Prawn Salad, which was packed with ingredients such as coriander, confit tomato, pickled cucumber, bean sprouts and cashew Nnuts. This was a really good sized portion, the prawns were excellent. This was packed full of flavours, without anything being too overpowering. The ginger was tasty, but not so crazy hot in flavour that it took over the dish.
Mains
For me it had to be the lamb kebab with Nasi Goreng. This is one of the best rice dishes I have had in years, the taste was exceptional, the slight hint of shrimp paste, and I’m guessing kecap manis added to the delicate flavours. I’ve eaten this is S E Asia before, but this was an excellent take on this dish. Oh, I forgot about the lamb kebab, this was tender meat, nicely seasoned and tasty.
Sophs main was a Smashed Burger. This was a proper smashed burger, cooked just as expected, seasoned, full of flavour and she loved it. The skin on fries were great and very plentiful, again nicely seasoned.
Desserts.
There are two choices on the menu del dia, and as Soph doesn’t do coffee at all, it was simple to see who was having what. She ordered the mango cheesecake, perfectly sweet with just a hint of sharpness that brought the cheesecake and mango together in a beautifully balanced way.
I tried the coffee-infused Eton Mess, which I genuinely enjoyed—even though I’m not usually a dessert person. It was light and airy, with the coffee cream pairing beautifully with the crisp meringue.
What We Liked
I really don’t know where to start here. The service was excellent, attentive throughout without being overbearing.
The food was exceptional, this is proper restaurant quality food that ticked every box. You could hear the chefs talking to each other in the kitchen.
Staff worked well as a team, food was quick coming out but not too quick, if you know what I mean. Restrooms were spotless, as was the restaurant interior. The Fish Bowl Restaurant has everything squared away!
What we also really liked was that the background music was just right, nice tunes and not intrusive. Also as another plus point is that diners were seated with plenty of space between tables, so you were not all pushed together in one section of the restaurant. Another good point.
What Could Be Improved
Nothing at all regarding the food, the staff or the restaurant. A slight down side here is the lack of parking, but we were lucky as we managed to get a parking spot at the bottom of the hill.
What It Cost
The bill for lunch at Fish Bowl Restaurant was 71€ and yes it was worth every single cent.
The breakdown is, both the menu del dia meals were 23€ each, the starter extra was 5€ and both our mocktails were 10€ each.
Would We Return To The Fish Bowl Restaurant
Yes we will do so, for sure. This is not the cheapest of dining options, people will say, but don’t confuse cheap with inexpensive. The lunch today per person was the same price as the very disappointing smash burger that Soph was served at the very expensive Misto recently, so here it is very good value for money!
How To Find The Fish Bowl Restaurant At Dehesa de Campoamor
They have an easy to follow Fish Bowl Restaurant website which incorporates their booking / reservation platform. The opening hours at the time of writing are:
Monday to Wednesday: 17:00 – 22:30
Thursday to Saturday: 13:00 – 23:00
Sunday: Closed
Their address is: C. Calderon de la Barca, 6 Dehesa Campoamor. They are easy to find via Google Maps too.
