We’d heard many good things about Dolmen from readers, so we looked forward to our visit, with friends.
Dolmen is a Sardinian restaurant and is located in Calle Las Tabaibas in Costa Teguise – in front of the car park close to Villa Toledo and Playa Bastian. It’s fairly small, but has tables both indoors and outdoors.
The interior is fresh and clean, and there is an open kitchen, so you can see the food being prepared. There are reminders everywhere that the restaurant is Sardinian, with pictures on the walls, and even branded water glasses.
Denise, our waitress started out by telling us which dishes were on the menu that evening, and giving us a short description of how they vary from more traditional, Italian style cookery.
We were offered, and tried, a Sardinian beer while we perused the menu (very nice!), and we also ordered a bottle of Bermejo blanco second to enjoy with the meal.
I chose Carpaccio of beef for my starter, which, unusually, was served with a peanut sauce. What an inspired idea, and it worked beautifully! As well as the sauce, it came generously doused in lovely peppery extra virgin olive oil and shavings of Parmesan. It also came with toasted crispy flatbreads, which were salty and a perfect accompaniment.
For my main, I went for Fregola pasta in black squid ink. The waitress had explained at the beginning that it was a dish which needs 30 minutes notice, and that it was like a risotto, but using small pieces of pasta instead of rice. It was my first time with Fregola, and as a rice fan, I wondered if I’d made a mistake. But it was superb – the fish stock was incredibly rich and perfectly seasoned, and it was topped with two splendidly cooked prawns. A real winner, and something I won’t hesitate to order again.
Julie went for Dumplings filled with red prawns and ricotta with a crawfish bisque with prawns and garlic. The dumplings were well sealed little pockets of deliciousness, with two perfectly cooked prawns on top. The bisque was a thick, rich, fishy taste of heaven.
And for her main, she chose Uruguayan Fillet Sirloin. It was offered raw, medium raw or medium. The steak was perfectly cooked, charred on the outside and pink inside, and was served with a truffle and wild mushroom sauce. It was accompanied with a small side of chips.
Julie also went for Tiramisu as a dessert and said it was the best she’d ever had – she’d go back tomorrow for that dish alone! It was beautifully presented, full of flavour and creaminess in wonderful contrasting layers. Fortunately, it came with four spoons!
The overall experience was fantastic and I can see why one client told us they had eaten there three times during their week-long stay. The food is like the island of Sardinia – vibrant, colourful, and full of zesty flavour.
Definitely one you should try.
Dolmen is at Calle Las Tabaibas, Local 1, Costa Teguise, and you can call them on 622 63 36 43 to book a table.
We don’t let restaurants know we’re coming, and we don’t accept discounts or free meals in return for a review. We simply rock up, choose what we feel like and write about it.
You can see more reviews here: Lanzarote restaurant reviews.
