Barbacoa Bacarra - Gandia Playa

I have been to Barbacoa Bacarra a couple of times now. It was recommended to me by my then Spanish teacher, Neus, who is now wandering through Geneva perfecting her French. I hope that wasn't because my partner and I were proving to difficult to teach...she will probably be angry with me for not doing a simultaneous translation into Spanish.

Anyway, Barbacoa Bacarra is at Gandia Playa about a block back from the beach. It is an upstairs, outdoor barbecue restaurant, with a cool look, trendy but grown up and welcoming. Although the bar itself doesn't do cocktails, they can run to a mojito, and a very good mojito at that. We first went to dinner on a Tuesday night. The weather hadn't been great although it was the last week in August and so the restaurant was fairly quiet - but not empty, by any means. Monday to Thursday Bacarra do a fixed price dinner of 20€ and it is just fantastic value. For 40€ for two of us, we had a salad, two starters they pick - which in this case was the Chicken Coca - bbq tender chicken on bread base and figatell con foie - a faggot with liver. Both were delicious but the faggot was particularly good. It was preceded by a little amuse bouche , which to my shame I can't now remember (I wasn't taking notes, sorry!) but I know I liked it!!!!

For the main the choice was their Parillada de carne or Rape - Monkfish - from the main menu. We both plumped for the parillada and it was terrific and plentiful. Dessert was an Ice Cream Sundae, which I should not have eaten.....but did. 

Coffee and a bottle of wine was included, as was toasted bread.

Clearly we liked it as we went back for dinner with two guests on Friday 13th. Nothing portentous about the date as this turned out to be the last weekend of the season and the restaurant was doing a fixed price meal - this time as it was the weekend a fin de semana menu for 25€. The amuse bouche was prawns wrapped in pastry with a sweet jam dip - very nice and the salad contained cured salmon. One of our guests was not a big salmon lover but the salmon was tender and sweet, and he liked it.

There was a choice of main courses - three meat and two fish. Two of us plumped for solomillo - fillet steak (for this money - insanely good value!!) and two for the magret del pato - duck breast. Both the steak and the duck was nicely cooked but this being a Spanish barbecue restaurant it is fair to say there was a lack of vegetables, although it did come with some mushrooms. The fixed dessert was a warm chocolate brownie with cream and ice-cream - which was sinful but excellent. I know this is one of Neus' favourite desserts, so I felt I had to try it on her behalf. Beautiful, chocolate and crunchy but soft. Fab.

Again, coffee, wine, water and toasted bread with garlic were all included and four of us had a great night out for 100€.

 I would urge you to go, particularly while the weather is till warm in the evenings as it is a relaxing and pleasant atmosphere, with good service. Sadly, owever, Barbacoa Bacarra only opens from the Fiesta de San Juan in late June until the second weekend in September when the season finally ends. I can see it being somewhere we regularly go next summer!