5/5 J.F. F. 4 years ago on Google
Quiet,
comfortable,
excellent
service
and
good
–
yet
hard
to
classify
–
food.
The
menu
is
short
by
the
area
standards
and
includes
a
number
of
starters,
fish
and
meat
entrees.
There
was
no
“menú
del
día”
and
the
waiter
didn’t
offer
anything
in
particular,
so
we
ordered
a
tomato
and
tuna
salad
(ensalada
de
tomate
con
ventresca)
as
starter
to
share.
A
small,
nondescript
potato
salad
tapa
(ensaladilla
rusa),
courtesy
of
the
house,
arrived
immediately.
The
tomato
salad
was
different,
though.
I’m
no
fan
of
kumato,
but
this
salad
was
excellent.
Likely
the
best
I’ve
had
in
ages.
Not
sure
what
the
secret
sauce
is
here
but
contributing
factors
surely
include
thin
belly
flakes
(rather
than
the
solid
blocks
preferred
by
cooks
showing
off
their
product
rather
than
their
skills),
superb
olive
oil
and,
most
notably,
a
healthy
dose
of
tomato
pulp
to
ensure
not
a
single
ventresca
bite
feels
dry.
My
main
entrée
was
“cahopo”,
a
sort
of
cordon
bleu
from
Asturias,
which
I
had
ordered
out
of
curiosity
and
impulse.
It
looked
singularly
out
of
place
given
there
wasn’t
any
other
obviously
Asturian
choice
on
the
menu
and
Alilian
felt
a
little
stiff-necked
for
a
dish
that
is
typically
judged
by
weight
rather
than
quality.
Its
presentation
kind
of
proved
the
cook
felt
the
need
to
dress
the
humble
cachopo
in
some
haughtier
fashion:
fine-grain
breading,
French
potatoes
as
a
side
dish
stuffed
in
a
tin
can,
an
oversized
plate
with
a
smear
of
reddish
sauce
all
around
its
meter-long
circumference.
Despite
the
looks,
the
cachopo
proved
a
great
choice;
tender
and
juicy,
flushed
with
strong,
oozy
cheese,
intense
and
yet
not
overloaded
with
oily
bread.
The
over-indulgence
notwithstanding,
I
accepted
sharing
a
cheesecake
for
dessert.
The
waiter
warned
us
the
cheese
was
particularly
strong
and
he
was
right.
I
love
strong
cheeses,
but
somehow
the
mature,
moldy
flavors
of
whatever
cheese
it
was
they
used
to
bake
this
particular
cake
overpowered
the
sweetness
and
fruitiness
I´ve
come
to
expect
from
a
cheesecake.
In
any
case
and
overall,
a
very
pleasant
experience.
And
yet,
in
retrospect
I
got
the
feeling
the
place
still
lacks
identity,
something
to
be
famous
for,
a
reason
to
go
back.
