A Sunday dose of Vitamin Sea!

If you are lucky enough to live in the beautiful Marina Alta, you will be aware of the value of Sunday here. The shops are closed and everyone has the day off as Sundays are still classed as the “day of rest”. When we relocated to Spain, although many years ago, this was a thing of the past in the UK even then. Restful and relaxing Sundays were something we had vague recollection of from our childhood. Now that we are used to it, we thoroughly appreciate the freedom of switching off for the day and making plans to make the most of the best day of the week.

Here at Jacaranda Spain, Sunday is the day when we like to jump in the car and take a leisurely drive. Some weeks we take our dog Sunny to the beach early morning and stop for Almuerzo (brunch) on the way home. Another favourite plan is a drive into the mountains to find a rustic restaurant serving real Spanish dishes. This week our decision was to try somewhere new for lunch and appreciate the fact that we live in a priviledged location with THE best weather and climate! The office of Jacaranda Spain is located in the Spanish town of Jalón, in the Valle de Pop (aka the Jalon Valley), where we have many great restaurants within walking distance or a short drive. However, this Sunday we decided to drive to the coast. The only dilemma we faced was- which coastal town to choose; Calpe, Moraira, Javea, Denia, Altea, Albir….

This week we chose Moraira, with top priorities “sea views and seafood”. Moraira is a coastal town that used to be a small fishing village. These days it has a real cosmopolitan vibe, quieter in the winter months but always has a buzz about it. There are a multitude of top class restaurants serving a host of different cuisines, literally something for everyone; Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Greek, Japanese, Lebanese, French and more. Seafood and fish restaurants are aplenty and all buy their fish from the Lonja (fish market) in Moraira Port, where you can watch the fishing boats come in-  you can guarantee it is fresh. 

With our wish-list in mind, we chose a great little restaurant, on the strength of it being next door to our favourite Indian restaurant. “Al Mar” promised and delivered exactly what we were hoping for- sea views and sea food. After all the name Al Mar translates to “To the Sea”!

Al Mar has a mission- “Our mission is to delight guests with top-quality local ingredients and personalized service, offering Mediterranean cuisine alongside fresh meats, fish, seafood, rice dishes, sushi, and house specialties”.

The weather was nothing short of spectacular! November weather tends to be mostly sunny and warm in the afternoon but chilly mornings and evenings, before and after the sun rises and sets. Sitting outside on the terrace in summer can be sticky and unpleasant- strictly for tourists! When you live here on the Costa Blanca, in August, you tend to specify that you want an inside table with AC. However, in the cooler months it is a wonderful treat to sit outside, in the warm winter sunshine, looking over at the sparkling Mediterranean, with a glass of vino and some good company.

We chose the Menu del Diá as there was a great range of dishes on it and it was great value for money. 

Carpaccio of beef and a burrata salad to start with- absolutely delicious! 

For main course, I had Sole Meuniére and my partner chose a Surtido de Mariscos (platter of shellfish) ; King prawns, crawfish, mussels, scallops and sea snails with a light but creamy saffron and chive sauce. Both were beautifully presented and cooked.

The service was relaxed and friendly and we felt we were welcome to sit for the whole afternoon. On the inside, the restaurant is open plan so you can see into the kitchen, which always impresses me. We were served an appetizer of warm tomato gazpacho before our starters and there was a mango sorbet in between courses. As the dishes were light and fresh, we both had desserts, Panacotta and Creme Brulée with honey and saffron (yum), followed by coffee and a limoncello. I should also say, the A la Carte menu is very tempting, a lot of people seemed to be ordering steak and we can only guess that the place is well known for serving good quality meat as well. 

Al Mar exceeded our expectations, a beautiful location and a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Whatsmore, to our surprise- there were no surprises (when the bill came)! 35 euros per person included ALL of the above, as well as, bread and allioli and a bottle of house wine. There was also another Menu del Día option for 28 euros a head, which offered paella as an option. The only extra thing on our bill was the bottle of water. It is a sad fact that most restaurants charge extra for everything and leave you wondering if you have been ripped off.

This little restaurant was a great find and one to add to our list and return to. We highly recommend Al Mar to all of our friends and clients.