Review of Hotel Restaurante Alberdini, Competa, Malaga, Spain

2 Weeks ago Mr. Grumps, myself and two friends, Ken and Siss, enjoyed a special summer evening being wined and dined at Hotel Restaurante Alberdini.

An unusual and interesting Hotel.  Actually, it’s so much more than a Hotel.  There is a bar, a restaurant, yoga classes (amongst others), a swimming pool for guests and some rather unusual accommodation too.

Mr. Grumps and I actually had no clue as to this pre-arranged evening.  We were actually kidnapped and force fed!  Really, we were, read how this came about in my previous post here.

The Alberdini as it is commonly known, is just a few minutes drive from our home and yet not somewhere we have visited often.  Isn’t that just typical?

Upon our arrival we were shown to our reserved table and our waitress quickly took our drinks order.  We were then given the menus to peruse.  Same menu as when Mr. Grumps and I last dined there some two years before.  However, there was one new item we had heard much about named ‘Steak on a Hot Stone’.  I guess this needs no further explanation as “it does what it says on the tin”.

The menu is extremely varied and we were also informed of the Specials available that day.

Whilst I had been tempted to order the steak on a hot stone, I was also a little nervous by the prospect of cooking my own meal.  The intention was to enjoy myself and therefore did not want the bother of worrying about ruining my steak.  Siss however needed no convincing and ordered the Fillet Steak option.

Jabali (Wild Boar) was offered as a special that day so I was keen not to miss this opportunity as it’s rarely an option in most restaurants.

Mr. Grumps chose the fish special of the day being Dorada (Sea Bream) and Ken ordered the Pez Espada (Swordfish).

Nobody ordered starters which suited me because I was in the mood for a dessert that evening and new I could not manage three courses.

We were all given a choice of side dishes to accompany our meals.  Not being a massive fan of chips I requested rice, whilst the others chose roasted new potatoes.

Orders placed we were chatting and drinking when 4 small terracotta pots were placed on our table containing sopa de ajo blanco.  White garlic soup, a common cold soup served in Spain.

Despite being a popular soup, none of us had ever tried it before so this small offering was a good opportunity.  Unfortunately, we were not keen but a nice gesture.

When our Main Meals arrived, all eyes were on the Fillet steak served on a hot stone which Siss had ordered.  No need to explain why, just look at that beauty in the photo.

Served with 3 different sauces on the side with vegetables and  potatoes.

Ken’s Pez Espada looked fabulous with garlic, parsley and olive oil sauce drizzled over the top.

The Dorada too looked delicious accompanied by potatoes and a side salad.

I was a little surprised to discover my Jabali served as a stew.  I had presumed it to be a large cut of roasted meat.  I made this assumption  based on being told Jabali was a special that day, not Estofado de jabalí.

Whilst I did enjoy the Estofado de jabalí I will definitely question how it is prepared in future when an option.  I’ve previously eaten Jabali elsewhere which was roasted and more suited to my palette.

We all enjoyed our meals but I feel Siss made the best choice with the Fillet Steak.  I will definitely order that next time we visit The Alberdini.

Only myself and Siss ordered desserts.  Sorry no photos, Siss was tucking in hers the second it placed in front of her and I was busy pushing aside the dreaded “Squirt Cream” surrounding mine. 

Siss chose the Chocolate Mousse and I could not resist trying the Chocolate Brownie.  Both good choices, but please no more “squirt Cream“.  That stuff should never have been invented.

All in all a fabulous meal.  Great service too, nothing was too much trouble and the prices are reasonable.

Special thanks go to Ken and Siss for kidnapping us and providing a memorable evening.