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Riberet Restaurant in Bocairent
Restaurant Riberet in Bocairent.
Visit date: Sunday 4th February 2007
"Sant Blai gloriós, deixeu-nos el xic i emporteu-vos la tos"
...so goes the Valencian saying to help get rid of a cold.
San Blai is the patron saint of Bocairent and last weekend (3rd and 4th Feb) saw the fabulous Moors and Christians fiesta in Bocairent in all its glory.
Having witnessed a startling procession in that town some years previously, I was keen to return to witness the full Moors and Christians battle re-enactment along with the hoards of gun-toting, gunpowder-blasting warriors and the miniature (but still 3 story) castle that they temporarily build in the main plaza.
Obviously, no such visit would be complete without sampling something of the local food so, acting on a tipoff from some friends who happen to be Bocairent residents, we made our reservation for Restaurant Riberet - now firmly positioned as one of our favourites and rightly now on the list of Valencia Trader Recommended Restaurants.
Firstly, there's plenty of parking and it's located just outside the main town of Bocairent but well within easy walking distance across the splendid bridge offering spectacular views of the vaslley nestled at the foot of the Bocairent "fortress".
Good parking means better digestion and a vastly improved visitor experience - so they immediately get points for the location. They don't have their own car park but there is plenty of space on the roads just around the back of the restaurant.
We were immediately and pleasantly surprised by the immaculate decor, the impeccable table decorations and the highly attentive staff (which, incidentally, are dressed in monk-like robes - and we'll come back to that subject later).
I should point out that we visited as a family of four - 2 adults and 2 young children (who are now getting used to sitting at a table for a couple of hours!) and we were all made to feel very welcome and the staff were extremely patient with the kids (they even exchanged the expensive wine glasses for tumblers for the kids thereby relieving some tension in the parents).
We were treated to freshly home-baked bread or various types and offered exquisite olive oil to taste with the bread. Next we were treated to a complimentary appetiser of a chicken and cheese pastry served on metal spoons which the kids loved because it looked like Uri Geller had got to the spoons beforehand.
We ordered starters of "Pericana de Bocairent" (their own recipe consisting of olive oil steeped in dried peppers, citrus fruit and salt cod) served with perfectly toasted crutons. This was remarkably tasty although perhaps on the pricey side since the crutons disappeared quite quickly leaving us with a pot of oil and no idea what to do with it (like staring at 10 Euros going to waste).
Next up for starter was vegetable tempura - served interestingly on skewers and with a perfectly cooked batter.
The wine arrived (we ordered El Coto - crianza - from an extensive and well organised wine list) and was accompanied by the best display of wine opening, cork testing, tasting and pouring that I've yet experienced (they even had a plate brought out for the cork). We had to explain the whole thing to the kids who were quite bemused and wondered why their peach juice didn't receive the same attention.
And so to the main courses. One child ordered "Arroz del Senyoret con gambas y pescado" - dare I call it a slightly fishy paella? Unlike some restuarants, Riberet prides itself in allowing any of the rice dishes to be ordered by a single person and this particular rice dish arrives in the delightful miniature paella dish in which it had been cooked (to perfection I might add). Needless to say we gave sufficient warnings to mind out for the hot tin (and we were rewarded with no burns to treat). It must be said that we all started picking at this as soon as it was brought out and it was, indeed, brilliantly cooked and a treat for the tastebuds.
Our other child enjoyed "Fideua tipica de Gandia" which was quite a soupy noodle dish and was merrily wolfed down.
My wife and I orderd "Arroz meloso de bogavante y almejas". A "meloso" rice is one that is slightly soupy and cooked with more broth than, say, a paella. Bogavante is lobster and almejas are small shellfish. The dish was served with some parts of the lobster still in its shell and we were given a couple of nutcrackers (shell crackers really) to give it a good going over.
This rice dish was served in the centre of the table, which allowed us to ladle out extra helpings, and was extremely delicious (although I would say that the same dish at the La Caseta restaurant in Rotgla was richer and thicker and so more to my taste). The kids enjoyed watching us make a complete mess of trying to crack the lobster shells.
And so on to pudding... in the end we were all so full that we only ordered two sweets. One child had simply a vanilla ice-cream (best he's tasted, apparently) and the rest of us decided to explore what was named on the menu as "Hamburguesa de Chocolate" and which was described as something that had to be discovered. Three spoons please!
I must tell you that during ordering, one of our children absent mindedly had crossed his legs and his foot kept on riding up the cassock of our waiter who, I must say very patiently, jumped out of the way. Twice. Our apologies to the waiter (child duly admonished) but we did laugh about it afterwards.
The chocolate hamburger was astonishing - but I'm glad there were three of us to share it. If you've ever tasted the combination of bread and good rich dark chocolate you'll know that this was a complete treat. The fondant chocolate hamburger melted in the mouth and the various chocolate sauces and the mint leaves (instead of lettuce) added to the taste sensation.
Having eaten our fill and ordered coffees (I'm a manzanilla drinker myself - that's camomile) we were taken aback when an additional sweet dish was brought to the table. Four exquisite and perfect meringue tarts and a spectacular curved round of toffee and almond brittle. Easily and happily demolished!
The overall effect of eating at Riberet is that one is being carefully looked after. They take pride in what they serve and what they are doing in general. The chef (Salva Hernandez) knows his onions (literally - he also knows a lot about mushrooms) takes pride in his work and his presence is made very obvious in all aspects of this carefully run restaurant.
We're looking forward to our return visit (perhaps minus the kids next time) and to explore the medieval "snickleways" of Bocairent after another Riberet feast.
Cost of meal for above as above including wine: approx 100 Euros.
Well done, Riberet, you've made it into the Valencia Trader Recommended Restaurants list.
Highly Recommended
Map:
More information (some in English) at: www.riberet.es
Author: Valencia Trader Restaurant Critic
Created: 2007-02-06 18:11:00 | Updated: 2008-08-19 15:22:56
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