CONDUMÍO GASTROBARr We went to Villena, a town in inland Alicante, to a restaurant we had not been to before, with our friend Howard Goldsmith of Alicante Sunshine Villas. When you arrive at Condumio Gastrobar in Villena, you will find it hidden at the side of an industrial estate. You can quickly drive past and around it several times. Do not, under any circumstances, miss out on this excellent restaurant. It is aesthetically beautiful and comfortable, with a chef from La

BAR ANITA - CA N’ANNETA Located in Sant Carles (San Carlos), a tiny village (near Santa Eulària des Riu), next to the Sant Carles de Peralta church, this old bar and restaurant is one of the most famous and beloved in Ibiza. It became a must for bohemians and intellectuals in rural Ibiza. For many, it is one of the few remnants of the bygone hippy era, probably even the last. This place still invites you to spend a relaxing afternoon over coffee or a glass of Hierbas Ibicenca

SUCULENT Michelin Plate IIIO On our trip to Barcelona, we visited the restaurant Suculent. This is a great place with no pretensions in the somewhat dodgy area of Raval, and it lives up to its recent good reputation. It has a creative and relaxed interior with a good atmosphere, a little rough and ready rather than sophisticated, but the focus is on what comes on the plate. There are two tasting menus; we chose the classic, a seven-course menu plus two desserts. The Classic

BARRA BAJA RESTAURANTE This excellent restaurant in the centre of Sevilla has an open kitchen. The food is structured as if in a market, with ingredients coming from oyster stalls, fruit stalls, fish stalls, butcher stalls, etc. The freshness of the local 100% Andalusian product is most important here. Once settled in, we had, Carpaccio de cigalas (langoustine carpaccio). One of the standout dishes. I do not know how they could have carpaccioed (if that is a word!) a langoust

MARABUNDA FOOD This is an excellent bar on a quiet street in the San Lorenzo area of Sevilla. It has tall stalls at the bar or tables and chairs opposite. The open kitchen allows you to see the food being prepared. The tapas menu is short but well-executed. We have been here three times now. Gilda acostada, anchoa, boquerón, piparra y aceituna kalamata (gilda lying down, salted anchovy, pickled anchovy, piparra and kalamata olives). A must-try is croquetas de pato. Duck croq

ROOSTIQ During a major snowstorm, we had an excellent dining experience here in Madrid’s Chueca district. It is a modern-style asador where they serve good, honest food in a wonderful setting with an open fire. All the tasty, healthy, and organic produce is from their garden farm in Ávila, in the rolling hills and countryside northwest of Madrid. To start, we had the highly recommended, Torrenznos Roostiq (Roostiq’s fried belly pork) There are many, many torreznos, but every

RESTAURANTE CASA TORIBIO PERMANENTLY CLOSED 2024 (The restaurant is now a new establishment) This is a very traditional restaurant in the heart of Madrid. In 1980, they opened as a pub called New Street, whose interior was based on a London street. After several years of making their name with Gin-Tonic with lemon peel, champagne cocktails, and Irish coffee, they began acquiring exclusive Rabo de Toro de Lidia (bull meat) from the nearby Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas (the

RESTAURANTE SACHA This is not the most straightforward restaurant in Madrid to find, even with GPS, as it is at the rear of where it should be and hidden away in a corner on the right side of the building. Everything looks great, small but cosy, busy and traditional upon entering. It was opened in 1972 by a couple (he was from the Basque Country, she was from Galicia) in this neighbourhood just north of Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium. It is now run by their son, Sac

VENTA SANT JORDI After a fantastic bike ride in and around the mountains near Alcoy , Howard Goldsmith of Alicante Sunshine Villas ends with a revisit for Sunday l unch at Venta Sant Jordi, 4 km short of Alcoy. Venta Sant Jordi (St George) is our favourite; we haven’t been there for a while. So, we looked forward to Sunday and were not disappointed. The location is stunning. For motorbike lovers, it is on a wide corner, where you can watch the bikers take the corner with th

RESTAURANTE CHÉ RAGAZZI - GASTRO FUSIÓN ITALIANO ARGENTINO Review by our friend Howard Goldsmith of Alicante Sunshine Villas We have been a little spoiled this weekend. On Friday, we went to Elda to try a relatively new restaurant that we had heard good things about. I’m not sure we were convinced about the Italian/Argentinian fusion idea before we arrived, but we were believers afterwards. There are three Menu options: Italian, Argentinian, and mixed. I think they are priced