Someone laughingly asked me last week if we ever eat anywhere that’s not ‘cheap’, to which I replied we are booked in at Misto Restaurante for evening dinner.
I want to pre-empt this write up by saying that over the years, Soph and I have enjoyed 5 star hotels, Michelin starred restaurants and fine dining in numerous first-class lounges across the globe. So, top end quality dining isn’t something new to either of us. Heck, for over 20 years I was a mystery shopper in hotels and restaurants, so I have seen the good, the bad, the ugly, and the exceptional.
Now, that I have got this out of the way, let’s carry on with Misto Restaurante. I was really looking forward to this visit, I’d even pre-planned what we were going to have, by looking at the menu in advance. We arrived 5 minutes early, received a welcoming greeting and were taken straight to our table. At the time, there was only one other table in use, a family of 4 adults and a couple of young kids.
What We Had At Misto Restaurante
Our pre planned menu choices were several small plate starters, followed by Rabbit and Serranas (snail) Rice/Paella.
Sadly after we had ordered our starters we were then nformed there were no rice dishes available, as the burner wasn’t working.
We were also going to have Melted cheesecake for Soph and for me the Chocolate sphere with toasted sugar ice cream and hot chocolate desserts. My intention too, as Soph was driving was to have a couple of cocktails, an Old Fashioned ( which is my cocktail of choice ) and I wanted to try their Carajillo Cocktail. This is described as Brandy Carlos I, cold brew coffee, coffee liqueur, Grand Manier Yellow Ribbon, cinnamon syrup and orange sacharum. Again, we didn’t for reasons explained later on.
Drinks.
There is no draft beer, sadly, so I had a Mahou, which was a standard sized bottle and Soph opted for a still water.
Food.
A complementary amuse-bouche started the meal, la Gilda. This was a tuna, olive and pepperoncini pepper combination. It was nice to look at, the taste was subtle.
Starters.
First up was the Anchovy Lopez double, on brioche bread and smoked butter. This was nice, the anchvy wasn’t too overpowering, the brioche was light and the dish was tasty.
Next was the Pickled rabbit brioche, which was nicely presented. The brioche once again light and tasty. Mine was nice, and a couple of bites it was gone. Soph however found a long black hair in hers, called one of the staff, who did apologise, took the plate away and said he’d bring out a fresh one. The hair was still attached through the dish, so it had entered while being made.
Partridge croquette was the next out, again nicely presented, however didn’t really have any depth of flavour, I couldn’t taste the creamy black garlic.
Joselito Iberian ham croquette with a veil of jowl was the next dish, which was served at the same time as the Partridge croquette. This was a light bechamel sauce and again was tasty but didn’t hit any taste high notes.
Mains.
As our chosen dish wasn’t available, we went for the following.
Soph had the Truffled Smash Burger, which came with fries. Sadly she wasn’t asked how she wanted the burger cooked, so when it arrived, it was rare and she said it was bland. I had a taste and had to agree with her. There was just nothing great about it.
The burger and the bun were flamed tableside, followed by the grating of the black truffle, but again there was no wow factor when it came to the taste to make this a standout dish.
I went for the Iberian pluma and parmentier with saffron. This was the best dish of the meal, by far. When it arrived on the trolley to the table, the aroma hit you straight away and it was mouthwatering. The meat was tender, it was seasoned with rock salt and it was very enjoyable. The parmentier potatoes were delicate, added to the dish.
I also ordered a side of Padrón peppers, which were quite bland. I ate 3 and left the rest.
What We Liked
The Iberian pluma and parmentier with saffron.
The online booking process is straightforward.
What Could Be Improved
The service was ‘interesting’ shall we say. Early on, there were 4 staff members standing chatting to each other. There were more staff than guests. We had one guy who was standing behind me, and was clicking the waiter’s friend bottle opener, which, it has to be said, became pretty annoying and distracting.
Sadly, the staff decided to ignore the young kid on the other table who was playing racing games on his phone, loudly and with no earbuds.
Some tables were brought/offered bread, others including ourselves were not. Later on another couple were sat with two other nearby tables in use, and the young lady looked at one of these being brought bread and she made a point of telling the guy she was with.
After our plates were cleared, we declined further drinks or desserts. We then struggled to attract a staff member for the bill. It seems the large table of 4 adults and 2 kids, who were Russian, which was obvious thanks to the guys phone calls he was taking and making, had the manager and 2 staff clearing the plates and bringing out a third bottle of wine; perhaps they were looking for the big tip.
It would have been best practice to inform diners as the menu was brought out that there was no rice options available. As it was, we had ordered our starters before being told of this, which resulted in that disappointment of something being offered and then taken away.
What Did It Cost
The bill for the both of us was 109€ in total. I guess for tapas, a main each and two drinks, it is a lot. However, had the food been up to par then it would have been priced appropriately.
My bottled Mahou was 4,50€ while Sophs water was 3,50€
The break down for the food is as follows.
Anchovy Lopez double 7,00€ each
Pickled rabbit brioche 7,00€ each
Joselito Iberian ham croquette with a veil of jowl 3,50€ each.
Partridge croquette 3,50€ each
Truffled smash burger 23,00€
Iberian pluma and parmentier with saffron 28,00€
Padrón peppers were 5,00€
Would We Return
In a word – ‘NO’ to dine there again. The staff were hit and miss; it seems certain tables were being better looked after than others.
I’m not sure where this restaurant positions itself, as it’s not fine dining in my opinion or at least reflecting on our experience this evening.
The incident with the hair was basically a ‘So sorry about that, I’ll bring you another ‘ type of reply. At the very least, I’d have expected that item to be knocked off the bill, but alas, it wasn’t.
Since we got home, I checked their Google reviews and it’s interesting that any negative ones get ignored, yet the positive ones get a reply from the owner.
What I will say though, is we were in the area and wanting cocktails, then I’d give them a try just for them. Their cocktail menu looked interesting and there were a couple on there I was thinking of trying last night, but sadly, we never got around to it.
How To Find Misto Restaurante
It’s on La Finca Resort, their address is Antonio Pedrera Soler Avenue, 03169 Algorfa, Alicante.
We came down the AP-7, off at junction 745 and headed towards Montebello. Don’t take the turn up towards Tuck Inn Chippy and Silverstones, instead take the turn after that, so you are driving past the rear of Silverstones. This road is Polígono Sector III-Campo de Go and you’re on here almost 5km.
At the roundabout with the lovely water feature, just go straight across onto the resort and follow the signs for the hotel. Misto Restaurante is well signposted.
They have a well designed website and directions are on Google Maps to help find them.
Opening hours
Thu-Fri: 7:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m.
Sat-Sun: 1:30 PM – 2:00 AM
Kitchen hours
Thu-Fri: 7:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun: 1:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.
