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Read reviews of other restaurants on the island |
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LA DAVOLA Many of you may remember the lovely building that the Clockhouse was located in. Well the outside remains as lovely as it was, but the interior has been transformed into a sophisticated, yet welcoming eatery. The owner, Jose Luis, hails from the Basque country in Spain and has brought the flavour of his home region to Fuerteventura. It is such a refreshing change to see such a variety of mouthwatering dishes on a menu instead of the usual steak, fish and pasta. The starters are around 8.50e, apart from the Iberian ham which will set you back 12.50e. I was dining with Penny Melville and we decided to share a starter of asparagus with ventresca and red peppers in a chive vinaigrette.
Ventresca is like the fillet part of the tuna and barely needs cooking as it is so tender and succulent. It married beautifully with the asparagus and red peppers. We washed this down with a local Basque wine, txakoli (this must have its origins in the greek language!) a rich but dry white wine and very reasonably priced. Penny, who perhaps I ought to rename the fishwife! - opted for hake, Basque style for her main course.
This turned out to be with scallops in a buttery rich sauce, that disappeared with amazing rapidity! Being allergic to shellfish I couldn't try it, but her empty plate spoke for itself. I went for the cod with mint pil-pil, which looked attractive but a little disappointing when I received it.
However, the cod was cooked perfectly and the sauce was creamy with a delicate hint of mint - which didn't overpower the fish at all. The dish was actually so rich that I can see why the portions aren't huge. Amongst the other main courses are some delectable options such as sirloin of veal with foie and orange caramel and duck foie roasted with carrot marmalade. As you can probably tell from this, political correctness is not on the menu! There are also no vegetarian main courses and only a couple of starters with no meat or fish. main courses are around 14e. In spite of the richness of the main course, I managed to fit in a dessert. I really miss good cheesecake and here they do one with cranberries, one of my favourite fruits.
Although the base was sponge rather than the biscuit I am used to, it was yummy. the sweetness of the cheese perfectly offset by the acidity of the cranberries. The service was attentive when we first arrived, but slacked off during the meal. For example, at these prices, I expect my wine to be poured for me! However, I talked to Jose Luis about this at the end of the meal and he said that he is training his locally hired staff to cater for a more upmarket customer, so this should improve. In addition to the downstairs and terrace areas of this restaurant, there is a spacious upstairs dining room that can be reserved for special occasions. The night we were there, a party was enjoying this facility with gusto.
It is nice to see some more exclusive restaurants opening on the island, my concern is that the British preoccupation with quantity and lots of veg with their main courses will result in disappointment. However, if you are more adventurous this restaurant is well worth a visit as I have found nothing else like it on my gastronomic travels so far. La Davola can be found at 21 Calle Iglesia - almost opposite Blue Rock. The phone number is 928 537 297. Corinne Sellens |
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