Table Reservation - Bracamonte

I visited this place last year and sat outside for lunch with a friend. The service was quick and friendly and the food was excellent with good presentation and... read more I visited this place last year and sat outside for lunch with a friend. The service was quick and friendly and the food was excellent with good presentation and well-priced. Last week I went again for lunch. This time I sat inside and ordered the Sopa de Mariscos with a salad, bread and olives. The soup arrived in a large tureen and was served onto my plate with great ceremony. It was full of fish and shellfish and featured two enormous mussels and giant prawns. The value was amazing and the banter going on around me gave the restaurant a very friendly atmosphere despite only a few people lunching. Next to me a man ordered tuna carpaccio and this was prepared at his table by the head waiter. It looked amazing and the customer, who turned out to be the new owner of the restaurant, offered me a taste, which I declined as I was on coffee by this time. I chatted to him about the place and he seems to have great plans for it whilst respecting its proud boast of antiguos sabores (old flavours) on its logo. The only downside is the location. It is on a corner behind a large Chinese discount store and in a semi-residential area with very low footfall. It is near to the main hospital and easy to park outside, but overall the position is such that it would be impossible to find it by chance. It s well worth a visit though and I intend to try it again on my next trip to see if a more substantial meal is at the same level as this light lunch. I 'm confident it will be!

We have known owner Paco since his early days as a waiter in a Competa restaurant, 22 years ago. We followed him as Manager to his first, leased, restaurant, El... read more We have known owner Paco since his early days as a waiter in a Competa restaurant, 22 years ago. We followed him as Manager to his first, leased, restaurant, El Pilon, in Competa, thence to his self-build Cortijo Paco, where he had to learn how to cook, as chefs were almost unavailable away from the coast. Cortijo Paco rapidly became, has remained, the number one selection for dining in Competa. He has taken that experience style to Bracamonte, a small, simply appointed but smart restaurant with a short, but interesting, menu. The bar attracts large numbers of staff from the nearby medical establishments, for coffees, tapas meals. Our shared salad was ample, varied totally fresh. My Rabo de Toro had a superb taste (thanks to the sauce) but did not come off the bone as easily as it should. A disappointment. My wife 's tuna steak was excellent far too big for her: the doggy bag became our lunch salad next day! The Ribera del Duero house red is very palatable not too bad value at 18€, but the bulk of the wine list is well over priced, as was the total cost of the meal, at 62€ : 50€ would have been nearer the correct price. However, he clearly appeals to northern European tourists, for whom these prices are apparently acceptable. We 'll give it a third chance!