Niño Salvaje describes it’s cuisine as “Nomad food,” and we recently visited with friends on a very busy weekend night to check it out.
The restaurant is located right opposite The Gran Hotel, and the frontage is completely open, so despite the fact that it was a very hot night, and the place was really busy, it felt airy and light. The decor is ultra modern, with lots of chrome and glass, and it fits the bill as a cool and sophisticated hang out. There’s a central cocktail bar, and people use the place for drinks only, as well as for meals.
We were seated at a table right at the front and we decide to choose a selection of starters to share, and then we each went for our own main courses. Most of our group enjoyed fabulous looking Gin and Tonics or ice cold beers, although as designated driver, I was stuck with sin alcohol beer, but at least it was a decent one from Alhambra.
The menu is quite small, but there are some really interesting variations of dishes on there. We started with two dishes of scallops, one with a bergamot foam and the other with Iberian bacon and black truffle. They were stunning – not only cooked perfectly, which is difficult with scallops, but also complemented perfectly with the sauces. We also had a selection of croquettes which were very pleasant, Julie loved the tigre mussels version of the two types, but I thought perhaps a little lacking in flavour. The bravas potatoes were the highlight of the whole meal and served in a way I’d never seen before. Layers of thin, perfectly crisp potatoes, with both the usual bravas spicy sauce, and a dollop of roasted garlic alioli. My mouth is watering while I type, and I already want to go back and eat more of this masterpiece of a dish which must take ages to prepare, but so special.
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For mains, our friends enjoyed pulled pork and prawn tacos, while both Julie and I had soft shell crab hotdogs. We chose them because it’s so rare to see soft shell crab on menus here, and it’s something we love. They were presented in hot dog buns with some delicious sauces that worked very well with them, although I think the usual sweetness of the crabs was a little overpowered.
Niño Salvaje also offers a small vegetarian choice, and on the rest of the menu you will find burgers, a choice of two very interesting sounding rice dishes, and there are daily specials which were explained to us by our server.
Desserts are called “Happy Endings,” and there was French toast, apple pie, chocolate cake and cheesecake available.
We’d ordered plenty, so none of us had room for desserts. The service throughout was excellent – despite the fact that the place was packed with people, we didn’t wait long for anything, and there was always someone around when we needed help. Our server spoke excellent English, which isn’t that common in Arrecife restaurants.
Niño Salvaje is in Avenida de la Mancomunidad in Arrecife, and we’d advise booking. You can see their menu and contact details at their website: Niño Salvaje.
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