We had been enjoying the boat procession for the end of Fiesta del Carmen, in Puerto del Carmen, and decided to enjoy a meal at Mardeleva. The location is stunning, and you overlook the harbour from the large outside terrace, which has plenty of shade. There are tables inside if you prefer to be in air conditioned comfort.
Mardeleva has an extensive menu, but they also do daily specials, and it was those that really piqued our interest. We opted to share four dishes from the specials board, and we were asked if we wanted them in any particular order, but we just suggested “as they come.”
Prawns with guacamole
What a start! The prawns were cooked in the lightest batter, and served in a bowl with a slight spicy guacamole to dip them into. Delicious and a perfect starter.
Chipirones
These were baby squids and pieces of larger squid, battered and fried and served on a bed of mashed sweet potato. We love chipirones and these were cooked exactly the way we like them.
Queso Frito
These are squares of goats cheese, covered in breadcrumbs of cooked on the griddle. They were served with a delicious fig jam. As is normal here, the cheese used is a young one, and for me, lacking a little in flavour. I’d prefer this dish to use a cheese with a bit more flavour.
Zamburiños
These are small scallops, and Mardeleva cooked them on the half shell in a super hot skillet, dripping in garlic butter and with lemon juice squeezed over them. They were absolutely spectacular and the star of the show, perfectly cooked and seasoned!
We’ve been to Mardeleva a few times over the years, in fact they opened over 20 years ago when we first arrived on the island, and we’ve always had a great meal there, but this was one of the best.
A real standout of the restaurant is the service – there are plenty of staff on duty and they are super friendly and very accommodating.
It was the perfect choice and we highly recommend it. Our total bill came to 40 € a head including drinks and a tip.
You’ll find Mardeleva at Calle los Infantes, 10, Puerto del Carmen. You can call them to book on 928 51 06 86 and they are open from 14:00 until 22:00 from Wednesday to Sunday.
For Information, we don’t give reviews in return for free food or advertising and we never tell the restaurant we’re planning to review them. We simply rock up, eat our meal, pay the bill, and then write our review.
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