Es Cupina - Formentera, Spain

My view of Es Cupina will be a little unfair as I went to it when it was rented out for a wedding. This of course meant that I couldn't order from a menu. What was on offer was still very good however.

To begin with let me talk about the location because I think this is what makes the restaurant stand out. It sits modestly at the bottom of a hill right next to the sea. Not only does this mean that you know your seafood has to be fresh but it also allows you to hear the crashing waves as you eat. We didn't, the music was loud and the party too frantic, but I imagine that would be the case under less celebratory circumstances.

We began with an Octopus, Potato and Red Pepper combo that came on a wooden board for sharing. It was perfectly fine but if you can't produce a decently cooked potato then maybe you should go back to culinary school. The second plate that came out was a Goats Cheese, Tomato, Bacon tower type sandwich. It was nice but a nightmare to divide between 4 and a slightly odd thing to have at a wedding. Third came the steamed Mussels in a Mariniere sauce. I don't eat mussels but they were huge and those that did eat them said they were delicious and juicy. Fourth were the clams which came in a more garlicy sauce. Everyone scooped those up pretty quick. Finally the savoury leg of our lunch ended with Fideua. Fideua being a paella with noodles instead of rice. It originates from Valencia, as does the groom, so it was a nice touch. It was passable, nothing special, but the prawns were huge and the ratio of seafood to noodles was generous.

Later that evening we had a BBQ. Es Cupina opened up their back garden and cooked up huge quantities of steak, sausages, and pork chops. All of which came with buns, lovely sauces and beautifully roasted potatoes.

It's a place to go without doubt. The location is second to none. The food is seriously fresh and the staff are very kind.

The only down side is you have to cab it or drive to get there. I drove but I have it on good authority that the fare from the middle of the island to this restaurant would have been around 17 euros.

Es Cupina

8/10

Venda de sa Talaiassa (Platja Migjorn), S/N

07872, Pilar de la Molar, Formentera

Illes Balears

Tel: 971327221

Big Easy - King's Road, London

K

Even writing about this place makes me feel ill. This was the worst meal I've had in a long time. In fact it was so wrong that I gagged three times while trying to consume what they call food.

Big Easy is advertised as an all American BBQ and Crabshack, a place to get a hearty 'home-style' meal. It's not. Firstly it's situated in one of the most fancy parts of London, secondly it's expensive, and thirdly who drinks margaritas in what's meant to be an old school 'home-style' joint? None of these things remotely resemble the idea of taking in some grub after (as they state on their website) 'a hard days fishing, shopping, or plain ol' hard work'.

The atmosphere is loud, partly because they have a bar downstairs with live bands playing til 10pm on weekdays, but also because the place is constantly packed. I just can't understand why.

We researched their menu by looking at their very basic website. We'd also walked passed a few times and thought the vibe looked good. I popped in one evening to asked the maitre d' if we could have a table and she said the wait would be around 2 weeks. It didn't turn out to be the case when I looked online.

The ambience was ok. It was busy but not overwhelmingly so. The decor was ok, a bar on one side and the restaurant on the other. Nothing special though, just quite themed. They try to be funky in decorating in such a way, this is compounded by the fact they think it cool to call the downstairs bar a 'speakeasy'. They also pump out relatively loud music in the bathroom. Probably to mask the sound of people throwing up their overpriced dinner.

So we started with the Calamari which was deep fried and came with Tartar Tartar sauce (£6.95). It was ok I suppose, but again nothing special. I then had the 2lb lobster for £19.95 (you can order a variety of sizes that are all priced accordingly). The Lobster came with a salad, chips and a choice of either a beer or margarita. It was awful. It was tough as old boots and smelt too. They boast their lobsters come from Maine in America, I just wonder how long it took them to get over here. The salad dressing was terrible (and I love salad). The chips were chips.

My husband had the BBQ Ribs and Chicken which came with Coleslaw (a good portion at £15.95). The ribs were tender, if not a little too sweet. The coleslaw was bland, and the chicken average. My husband didn't rate it either.

I think the best part of this experience was watching a large man walk in and have the waitress bring out a 4.5 lb lobster for him to look at before ordering. He then ordered an entire bottle of wine and sat there gorging with a shiny bib around his neck. He really didn't mind that people were staring. Sadly that was the best part of this shambles of a meal. I sincerely regret spending nearly £70 on this mistake.

The only good thing I'll say about the Big Queasy is that the staff were nice and service was good.

Big Easy
3/10 (and that's mainly due to the company, not the food).

332-334 King's Road

London SW3 5UR

0207 352 4071

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Battersea Bar - Battersea, London

Battersea Bar is a low key yet friendly Caribbean style pub/bar on York Road in Battersea. The food is authentic and delicious, not to mention they serve large portions for good value (the average food spend is under £10).

We had the Jerk Jerk Chicken and Jerk Pork. Both came with Rice and Peas and a side of salad. I love hot food, and Jerk by nature is hot, flavoured predominately with Scotch Bonnet Peppers, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that they didn't dumb it down for English folk.

At the weekends they fire up the bbq and cook a variety of highly spiced meats. The smell wafts throughout the bar, making you very hungry indeed. If this doesn't suit you however, they also do a Sunday lunch.

Weekends also have DJ's specialising in Reggae music.

Highly recommended for a cheap Sunday lunch with a difference.

Battersea Bar
8/10

58-70 York Road

Battersea

London

SW11 3QD

0207 223 1241

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