Restaurante Loma Blanca
Turre
Quality watch!
Updated: 1st Aug, 07
The original review was posted in September 2006. Well, since then I´m please to say that it continues to delight. Just last night we had the “Lechazo al horno” (Milk lamb oven roasted) and it was, without doubt, the best Spanish style roasted lamb I´ve had in a long, long time.
When ordering a main course, you do need to specify if you want home made chips or salad, else you might end up with nothing. They now have an extensive wine list, and the staff have perked up.
The outside disco, “Ankara”, however, continues to disappoint. It´s a fantastic setting, in among the gardens with lots of private booths (mosquito free on every occasion!), but the music is not to my liking. I did mention this to the owner, who looked offended and said that he liked it. Not the point, I pointed out.
Original review:
This abandoned old cortijo, on the right as you drive down towards Garrucha from Los Gallardos, under the huge and immensely ugly high tension electric lines, was worked on sporadically over the last year or so. Until, in a flurry of activity, the place was finished, in a spectacular style. Well, I´m sure you´ve all seen it – the place looks fantastic.
It didn´t take long for me to start sniffing around it.
Loma Blanca actually bills itself as a ´complex´, with outdoor and indoor bars, a disco, and the main restaurant. Certainly no expense spared on the building and décor. The strange thing is the huge white canvas tent that covers the large exterior patio.
Now, the service is polished, yet inefficient. The owner, Alberto, left the Terraza Carmona to open the Loma Blanca, and seems to have emptied a couple of catering schools to fill up his staff. Leaving him with a large, well trained and inexperienced waiters. What he really needs is an efficient matre d´. As an example, a short while ago I went with my brother and his girlfriend for dinner; we sat in the bar, had a couple of drinks, were shown to our table, and allowed to decide off the menu before they thought to mention that they´d run out of meat. Not good. Still, shows it´s as fresh as they claim!
However, if you want what is defiantly the best steak in the area, come here. It´s good. It´s really good. In fact, It´s the best I´ve had. Fresh, straight from Asturias and Galicia. Really, if you want a steak, go here. Damn, but it´s good. Get the picture?
Oh, they have quite a number of irritating little faults, which I can´t decide if are due to inefficiency or eccentricity. No wine list, because they´re still deciding on a cellar. But, a good selection of excellent wines which they rotate quite quickly. No central maitre d´ to keep control of the staff, which in a restaurant of this calibre is unforgivable. The menu is slightly too small, although since everything on it is immensely fresh and well cooked that doesn´t matter too much. They could do with adding just a spot of veg and potatoes to the meat. They are under two huge electric lines which constantly hum while you sit outside, and aren´t connected to the network, so they have to have a generator in the corner.
The meat is all cooked or roasted in their wood burning ovens, which gives a delightful tang to the food. The fish is always fresh, and lightly cooked. Puddings seem rather inexistent, but a decent range of light starters.
A wonderful setting, great, nay, historic, food, and all in all it entered my top 10 restaurant list straight up there near the top of the list.
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Where is it?
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| On the Los Gallardos – Garrucha road (just under the power lines!) Reservations: 607 771 470 Restaurant Loma Blanca on Google Maps |