I walked every day past this restaurant, as it is on my way to the city centre, and had always been attracted to it. It was nice to see a place with people eating at every hour, especially because it doesn’t lie in one of the main touristic streets. So I started wondering how could be the food, and I noticed a small screen in one of the windows, where they broadcast pictures of delicious meat dishes. I also like the aesthetic of the place, very luminous, furnished with basic tables and chairs, it gave me the idea of elegant, clean, simple and cosy at the same time.
So, as soon as my brother arrived to spend a week at my place, I grabbed the chance to explore this place with him and his friend. And it was love at first sight.
First of all, although it was already 23.15 and the place was supposed to close at 23.30, we were immediately given the only free table, and the owner welcomed us with one of the most effective smiles I’ve ever seen in a restaurant. He advised us immediately that a couple of dishes were no more available and left us to the study of our menus.
And it took quite a while before making up our minds. The place is specialized in South American meat dishes, and all the different options sounded so juicy. In the end we opted for some Pimiento del Padron (deliciously grilled green peppers with sea salt on top) and a plate with 5 different types of ham as a starter and a Asado de Tira (grilled ribs) for my brother , while I and the other friend opted for an Entrecote de Cebón (beef entrecote with melted cheese on top). As soon as we had ordered, a wonderfully smiling waitress brought us a more than welcomed aperitif (a sweet, fresh vermouth de barrica to be accompanied by carrots and bread with a mayonnaise of beetroot and a sauce made of green peppers).
Then we could enjoy our really generous portions of meat, tender and juicy. All dishes came with potatoes and red peppers and were so huge that I didn’t have the courage to eat bread with it, and still had some difficulties finishing it all. We accompanied the meat with a pretty robust Spanish merlot. I must confess that I was incredibly satisfied with the quality of the meal, and the other guests too, so we decided to challenge the fullness of our stomach to venture and taste the desserts. We tried to do it softly, though, so I ordered a lemon sorbet, actually made from real lemons, I could find lots of small pieces inside, enriched by a generous splash of vodka. My brother opted for a vanilla ice cream mixed with Melody Catalan cream (a sweet liqueur that tastes just like the dessert of the same name). The best part of this was when the waitress actually came with the bottles and poured both vodka and cream at our pleasure and even left the Melody bottle on our table if we just wanted some more.
And while we enjoyed all this, the clock had moved to almost one and still sign of impatience from the staff. Everybody was still smiling and in a good humour (I detest when staff lets you know that you are no more welcome by wearing ‘fed up’ faces). We asked for the bill and there came two further surprises: first we were offered a digestive of our own choice, so I choose my favourite Spanish one Hierbas Dulces, an anisette based liqueur typical from the Island. Second surprise was the amount charged, just 75 euros for all the lovely food and care we had received. So we left with a good tip, but most of all, very happy about our experience at the Bolixe.
