I can’t believe that we’ve never been to La Cabaña before. I’ve heard so many good things about the place, but somehow we just haven’t got around to making a booking.
Well now we finally have, and you really should do the same!
La Cabaña is run by Debbie and Darren, a couple of Brit ex pats who have been on the island for around ten years. Debbie runs front of house, and Darren works alone in the kitchen.
The restaurant is small and intimate, and the kitchen is totally open plan – you can see what Darren is doing all the time. It’s a great feeling – almost as though you are with some friends simply sharing a home cooked meal. The menu is changed regularly, based on the best produce available at any given time. And Darren weaves those ingredients into a fabulous combination of flavours, producing unfussy, great quality food, cooked perfectly.
Jules started with grilled goat’s cheese served on a crostini with poached pears and caramelised walnuts. Goat’s cheese is a staple here, and so much of it is bland and flavourless, but this was full bodied, and tart, providing a perfect accompaniment to the sweet additions. I enjoyed a warm duck salad, served with a divine Hoi Sin sauce. The duck was perfectly pink and moist, and the sauce cut through the duck’s inherent greasiness.
For my main, I had a Uruguayan filet steak served Diane style. The meat was amazing, and there was just enough sauce to provide taste without drowning the quality of the meat. Cooking a steak perfectly is a rare skill – but this was bang on, with a seared crust and the juices sealed inside. Julie went for the honey roast duck breast served in a Seville orange sauce and on a bed of mash. The duck was crispy and succulent, with delightful al dente vegetables.
The whole meal, and the atmosphere was spot on, and it was fabulous to see some different wines on the list. We enjoyed a bottle of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, which worked really well with the food.
But we didn’t stop there! We had to sample the dessert delights, and I had an amazing chocolate volcano, which consisted of a chocolate sponge, with warm fondant erupting from inside it – chocolate heaven on a plate! Jules had a portion of Amaretto and Toblerone parfait, which was delicious and very naughty. Both were served with a complimentary glass of dessert wine.
For the size of island, Lanzarote boasts a huge number of restaurants and many are excellent. But I can honestly say La Cabaña is a cut above most – it’s a genuinely world class place where nothing interferes with the basic notion of serving fantastic food, cooked to perfection. The intimate atmosphere works beautifully, and a reasonable sized group could effectively book the whole place for a celebration.
If you haven’t tried it yet, I heartily recommend that you do so. You should book, as the restaurant is small.
You can find their contact details here: La Cabaña
Post to Twitter