EL FARALLO
About a ten minute drive outside Denia proper, on the road to Xavia I the upscale suburb of Las Rotas. Easy drive or nice, long walk from Denia center.
We noticed, in the parking lot on a Thursday afternoon: One Mercedes Maybach, and two Bentleys. Maybe there was a car show for the rich and famous that weekend…who knows.
Welcome was very warm and the carta is vast. We were of limited appetites, so ordered only an entrante of esgarrat–how can green and red peppers, peeled eggplant, with a few bites of bacalao–doused in olive oil–taste so sublime??? But yes it was just that–sublime! I’d not had this iconic Valencian cold salad before but will surely make an attempt at home. Superlative, times ten.
The fantastic, round loaves of bread were accompanied by THE best ailioli I have ever sampled----oil, garlic and MILK!!!
Attentive service from the owner of the restaurant, on hand to answer all questions.
Their carta is vast but we had not the appetite, so I ordered only two (very large) specimens of the celebrated Denia gambas. They were cooked perhaps 30 second less than I would have preferred and I was interested that here, as at everywhere we ate, the veins had not been taken out.
Back in New York: “Oh, oh, you must remove the dark vein before cooking…goodness knows what ailments will befall fi you do not!!”
Silly, silly, silly…these were fantastic, veins or not, although as I mentioned, the goodness inside the head was a bit too liguidy for me, although I sucked it out anyway…who am I to tell these maestros how long to cook their gambas???
All in all…highest recommendations, and had we had the pleasure of being able to stay in Denia longer than only four nights (two dinner at EL BARET) we would have returned with heartier appetites in order to sample more…the fish in the case in front included beautiful San Pietro among others, and they have a lobster tank.
Last meal in Denia was superb: PEIX E BRASES, where we had, among other things, a superb pork rice dish. Two Repsol suns, well deserved, and an adjacent, less formal eatery as well.
