Down at the old bramble bush ( Los Zarzales)

[BonysLadenEspana]

For a multitude of reasons we ended up in Los Zarzales last Monday night. Last night for din dins with long weekending friends/have'nt been for a while/wanted to try their meal of the day/nice middle of the road restaurant but not OTT/ open Mondays etc etc etc.

Los Zarzales literally translated means " bramble bushes" in English. Of all the thousands of horticultural species " brambles" would come pretty low down in the pecking order for naming restaurants. Maybe wrong, but have a sneaky feeling that it was some kind of quirky joke, cos the owners are those sort of folk. Meal of the day at 18 Euros +IVA includes a drink so we went inside cos rain threatening and not really a balmy summer evening to enjoy the courtyard or garden.

You know that sometimes the ambience of the place just overcomes you. Really welcoming folk, nice tables , a mixed CD of Jazz Divas playing at the right volume in the background. So settling down to a bottle of Macia Batle we spend at least two nano seconds on the menu del dia ( very, very acceptable I must point out) before switching to a la carte. Really felt like a "sod the expense" type of place. Stuffed red peppers with seafood for the girls and baby broad bean/sausage cassoulet for us guys. We followed this with Hake and Seaman's platter , suckling pig and shoulder of lamb. Wonderful stuff and another couple of bottles of Macia to go with it. Too full for pud , we settled for coffee and a complimentary glass of the local Bailey's to go with it.

Had a lovely chat with Yolande, the owner, cos she played a Janet Seidel CD for me ( Oz's equivalent of Diana Krall but don't think she'll be appearing at the "Boulevard " ). Charming, charming folk. Even called a cab for us cos now raining ( our girls don't do rain , even if 100 paces and as I said no expense spared). They even saw us into the cab with umbrellas. That's class !!!

Smashing place. If ever I open a restaurant gonna model it on this. Mix me own CDs as well.

So folks, if you ever pass " Stinging Nettles" on your journeys , come on in.

I'll be really pleased to see you.

BonysLad

 

[debz1]

Now you're talking BonysLad!!

Another great review and you've done my favourite restauarant in the port proud Those delicious little red peppers stuffed with seafood mmmm..and I'm not surprised you were all too full for a pud ,the portions in this place are huge.

Lovely family ...Yolanda is simply delightful as are her brothers and sister
who run a local taxi business.

The family surname is Zarza but certainly wouldn't call them a prickly bunch!!


Debs

 

[BonysLadenEspana]

The family surname is Zarza but certainly wouldn't call them a prickly bunch!!


Debs

Thanks Debs, That probably accounts for the name then

smashing lot, get yourself early retired and forget the Illa D'Or !!!!

This is our kinda place.

BonysLad

 

[Belladonna]

Agree with all the above, plus, its SO romantic in the garden too, with all twinkly lights, but youre right, its got to be warm enough - unless you want to REALLY cuddle up I suppose!!

 

[its cd]

Los Z - can't do enough for you

And even when it's too warm, they come up trumps

My best memory of Los Z was the July before last ( some of you MUST remember hos flippin hot it was that month )

7 of us sitting around a large table in the "new garden" .... ie the one across the road as opposed to the one next door

It was so so hot despite it being 10pm

So what did they do to make our meal enjoyable ............. the y placed fams all around the garden .............. now that's what I call service

 

[sandy]

Oh god, I remember that July/August in PP. 34 degrees during the day, and not much less at night! I've never seen so many skinner dippers at midnight.

 

[its cd]

omg wee you watching me

omg Sandy ....... I didn't know I was being watched

And just so I dont; get told off for goign off topic I shoudl say something about Los Z

So , fo ranyone who hasn;t tried it already go for the Duck in chocolat sauce .............. gorgeous .... I kid you not

 

[Portofan]

Had never tried Los Zarzales.

Intention always there but never got round to it, so on our last day, last week, went for lunch, the lighter one at 11.50 Euros plus the vat.

Three courses, bread and olives and wine, not so wide a choice as the 18 plus vat menu. This runs, at present time at least 12 noon till 10.30pm and the cheaper one 12 noon till 3.30pm.

Seated outside and waited on by the charming Yolanda, we had, Porto first as usual, Spaghetti Carbonara and cream of tomato soup.

Followed up by sole, carrots and cauli very al dente and tiny potatoes, maa'm having pork escalope with roquefort sauce , veggies as before.

Orange "pudding" for self with a lovely blackberry sauce. "Moras", as explained by Yolanda!

Ma'am had a creme catalana.

House white to accompany.

Would have loved to have lingered over a coffee and a liquer but we had to get back and ready to depart.

Having a look at other diners' choices, I was impressed and having been once will deffo go back.

Well ,actually I am committed to do so, having promised Yolanda to work on my Spanish and try and have a reasonable conversation with her!

She told me of someone she'd met who'd been coming for 37 years and couldn't speak a word!

Porto!

Left for home, la comida estaba muy bien, gracias!