(Note: This review is now depreciated, and is only available as a historical note. The restaurant has just changed hands – March 2008)
Los Limoneros
Jardines de Agua,
Cortijo Grande,
Turre
Terrible confession to make here – I´d been promising myself that I´d pop in here ever since I´d heard that it had reopened at the beginning of the summer. Yet, despite the fact that it´s just up the road from my house, I hadn´t. Maybe the mere thought of flagging up to Cortijo Grande had put me off.
So, eventually I dragged myself out of my stupor and off we popped to it, avoiding the rabbits. In Ireland we had sheep – in Turre we have rabbits. Such is life.
I was always put off this restaurant, irrespective of the owners, as I knew a mad chap in college called ´Limonero´. Actually, he´s the chappie who sells Granizados de Limon on Garrucha high street from a push along wagon. Mad as a hatter, and just as tall. Damned good fun though.
It was a lovely evening, cloudless and slightly fresh. A quarter moon hung overhead, and just a hint of autumn in the air.
We had a couple of G&Ts next to the pool and garden, which is attractively lit by underwater and underhedge coloured lights.
An interesting menu, which surprisingly features almost three pages of starters and just three quarters of a page of main courses. We had a page of wines in the main menu, and a separate menu for the ´real´ wines. An interesting and cheap selection of wines, ranging from a decent number of Spanish and including a few French and Italian wines.
In the end, we were unimaginative in our selections, starting with two foie gras with home made caramelised onion jam, and a beef carpaccio, followed by two steaks and a mixed fish bouillabaisse. Decent foie gras (needed toast, we only got bread, albeit nice, fresh and crisp French bread).
The steak was quite pleasant, although nothing to write home about. The carrots were, in my opinion, foul (tough, string and somewhat over boiled), but the rest of the veg was OK.
Coffee, brandy and baileys to finish with. And a bit of entertainment when a fox turned up and begged for food. Wonderful little chap he was, just sat there next to the pool while the diners threw bread and food at him. Not quite as much fun as Gilbert and Sullivan (the two foxes who have adopted us at our home, they turn up every night at 9 oclock on the dot), but still kept us busy for a good 20 mins.
Final price? 110€ for the three of us, which was more than I expected.
Los Limoneros Restaurant,
Jardines de Agua, Cortijo Grande, Turre.
Tlf: 950 468 132
Drive up towards Cortijo Grande / Cabrera, and turn left at the second left hand turn turn, towards the golf course. Then follow the signs (it´s easy really!)