Slices
Seeds
about us
Benidorm
Eats was created by a married couple who love food and love to dine out. The
question of where to eat came up all the time -- even though they knew the city
well, it was not always easy to find the perfect spot for the perfect meal.
They needed a reference...a place to find all the information in one easy to use format. Since their jobs deal with people, recommending a place to eat is always a bonus. They scoured the internet, but found nothing that gave the information they needed. So as two dedicated foodies, they set out to create a guide to share with everyone...a guide to culinary adventure - Benidorm Eats.
how we work
As the "Benidorm Eats" gastronomy critics, we work fairly and
anonymously. We are Mr. and Mrs. Every-Diner, your culinary surrogate. We are
not paid to eat, and we judge a restaurant the same way everyone else does:
Would we spend our money to eat here?
Whether it's cheap and cheerful or five-star cuisine, we expect good food, not
favors. We like efficient, friendly service. We want a clean place. Reasonable
portions and value for money are always appreciated.
Feed us well, Benidorm, and we'll deliver our highest praise: returning to eat
again and again and sometimes with friends.
There are stories about restaurant critics: We're like that spoiled kid - we
hate everything. We disguise ourselves with wigs and hats. We weigh 400 pounds
and enjoy throwing it all around.
Not so here. For us, restaurants are home. We love the comfort and dysfunction,
the theatrics and bustle and the rituals it takes to transform
simple ingredients into deliciously marked-up meals. We respect people in this
business. The hours are long. The margins are slim. And they've got to deal with
a finicky public. It's not something everyone would want to do.
I, the web designer of this site, studied Hotel and Restaurant Management – I
have worked my way up from being a dishwasher to Hotel Assistant Manager. - and
remain in awe of the hard work and love, people like my former colleagues
in this business put into serving good food at a good price. Through my years of
experience working in this business, I’ve seen things that would curdle a health
inspector's blood on one hand and on the other I've seen the finest gourmet food
produced in the finest kitchens. And today this is the first time I am working
with my partner as gastronomy critics.
And we are not here to bite anybody’s head off….really, we’re just a couple who
dig food and words.
This is our procedure: We walk into a restaurant, order, eat, and pay.
We leave well fed, hopefully. We'll visit a restaurant at least twice before
reviewing it. Sometimes we dine with people, sometimes alone. Along the way we
observe:
Smells: There are good restaurant smells: char-broiled meat, wafting warm
chocolate cake. There are bad restaurant smells: bleach and other disinfectants,
or well-used fryer grease.
Cleanliness: The front of the building. The dining room. The restrooms. Waiters'
grooming. If they're not clean, it's a good bet the kitchens not clean.
Service:
Are there enough staff for the room? Are waiters keeping busy? Are any
diners craning their necks, trying to catch a server's attention? Did we wait 20
minutes for a menu? Did we get some lame variation of "red with meat, white with
fish" when we ask what wine pairs with roasted duck?
Atmosphere: We want to be comfortable. We want to hear the conversation at our
table. We want to read the menu without a flashlight.
Food: Yeah, last but not least, and always the most subjective - just what does
"cooked to perfection" mean? Does the food look good? Does it taste good? Is it
fairly priced? Is the menu well designed with a good balance of local and
seasonal ingredients? Do side dishes complement main courses? Is the bread
fresh? A good chef's like a good painter and can create a masterpiece with
simple strokes or complex layering. What is art? We know it when we eat it.
Now you have an idea of how we do things, well here are some we never do:
• We'll never announce our presence.
• We don't expect freebies, not even a slice of pie.
• We don't treat servers like our personal slaves.
• We don't send things back just because we are reviewers.
• We don't make unusual demands nor treat the menu as a mere suggestion of what's
available.
When we’re out eating, we just want a good meal without any hassle.
Give us a fair deal, we'll give you a fair shake.
Now what's cooking, Benidorm?
