We enjoyed New Years Day El Resspiro style this year. As soon as I saw they had posted their menu online, I said to Soph, ” look at this, let’s book it”. So we did! I’m so glad we booked well in advance too, as the restaurant was fully booked for this lunch.
What We Had For Lunch On New Years Day El Resspiro
We were offered a choice of a glass of cave or cidre to start with, we both went for the cidre.
The food then started.
Starters
Warm fresh bread, came with aioli, tomato and a really nice homemade sobrasada.
This was followed by a cold meat and cheese platter, including chorizo, iberian serano ham, 2 different pates and cheeses. Tasty, fresh and very enjoyable.
Drinks
We then had our drinks order taken, Soph opting for a Coke Zero, I went for a tanque of draught beer.
Starters Continued
The third starter came out next, this was a big marinated artichokes tartar with smoked fishes on the top. Once again, this was full of flavours and the salmon was divine.
Grilled prawns came next, these were big, meaty and hot out of the pan.
Finally to round off the starters was a Christmas Salad. So many wonderful tates and textures, the pomegranate combining well with the walnuts and delightful cheese.
Main Course
Soph had said from the outset that the oven baked salmon with vegetables and teriyaki sauce was going to be her choice. I, on the otherhand struggled deciding what to have between the lamb casserole with garlic potatoes or the Entrecote with tender garlic and wild asparagus. It was a toss of the coin and the Entrecote won.
Sophs salmon was a lovely big piece, it also came on a bed of rice. My Entrecote was a good sized portion and came with fries. The sauce made from the juices of the meat was wonderful.
Both these dishes were nicely presented and tasted really good.
What I would say here is my Entrecote was brought out and there was a slight delay of around 90 seconds, before Sophs salmon was on the table, but the server apologised for the delay.
Dessert
We both went for the oven baked cheese cake and boy these were big portions.
Hot Drinks
Soph had a black tea and I went for a Café Bombón to finish the meal. These were brought out quickly, as we were finishing the desserts.
What We Liked
Great food, excellent service and a lovely atmosphere. Both the guys were very busy, super attentive and everything ran like clockwork.
The toilets were spotlessly clean, the restaurant was busy, all the tables were in use, but the guys ensured everything was on the ball.
What Did It Cost
The final bill was 81.50€ overall. The meal was 39€ per person and my extra beer was 3.50€ for a tanque.
Would We Return To El Resspiro
This is a solid yes, the food is always very good, the service is excellent. As I have said before, this is a hidden gem, the emphasis here is on it being hidden. Their address is C/ San Pedro, 46 Rojales 03170, which should get you there with your Satnav, but you can also input their name El Resspiro. They’re also quite active on social media, their Facebook page is current, as you can see here.
The slight downside for me is parking. They sadly don’t have a car park, so it is very much a case of on the street parking and there are houses nearby as well as the school, so parking at times may be a slight problem. That being said, if you get a lift or a taxi, you can get dropped off right outside their door.
Final Thoughts
They were fully booked, there was a nice atmosphere and as far as I could hear, we were the only British in there. The staff do speak a little English and luckily the menus were also in English too, although it was easy to understand the Spanish version, when it is in front of you.
When the bill was brought to us after we requested it, it came with a small wall calendar too, a really nice gesture.
This was a lovely meal and a great way to start the new year. Happy 2025 to everyone!
