When we heard that Viktor and Paul had left Casa Roja in Puerto del Carmen to open their own restaurant, we were there! Barstro is a bistro with a twist and situated in Oasis de Nazaret, Lanzarote.
The residents of Nazaret must be delighted with the opening of Barstro, apart from LagOmar and the sociedad if you want to eat out, it was previously a trip to La Villa de Teguise or further afield. This purpose built restaurant is wonderfully equipped, there’s a central dining room which is ideal for groups and special occasions plus an enclosed terrace area with views out across the countryside.
Paul has an amazing kitchen, we can’t wait to see what he’s going to create in there with a promise to change the menu every 2 weeks. We were given a full tour of the premises and they are impressive, the kitchen is open to the restaurant so you can see Chef at work.
Viktor is the Maître d’ of Barstro so you can be assured of fantastic hospitality with just the right balance of personal attention and great service. We ordered a glass of Bermejo vino blanco seco, whilst the sun was setting and we browsed the menu. We were pleasantly surprised at the prices, the tapas menu ranges from €3.50 to just over €5.00, main meals €9.50 - €13.50 and desserts €4.00 - €6.50. Viktor explained that their price policy is aimed at the resident market.
We settled on our starters, I couldn’t resist the warm pork scratching served on a bed of garden leaf salad with apple dressing, whilst Miguel ordered one of the specials a savoury puff pastry served with mushrooms and mussels. I love pork scratching and wasn’t disappointed in my dish, the pork was deliciously crispy without the risk of breaking a tooth and worked well with the fresh salad drizzled in apple. I was envious of Miguel’s pastry though, so struck a deal where we shared half of each! Yum, what can I say, this dish is superb, it was strongly flavoured of fish, the pastry was still crisp even with the sauce and the pumpkin seeds on the top added to the overall taste – definitely one to try if it’s still on the menu.
Our main courses were both ordered off the menu, Miguel didn’t hesitate selecting the rib-eye steak and home cut chips, whilst I opted for something different, red tuna with wasabi paste and served on a bed of black noodles. The steak was incredibly tasty and very tender, Barstro aren’t mean with their portion of chips either, there was a good bowl full included which I just had to help Miguel out with. My fish was delicious, I adore wasabi but if you didn’t then the tuna can be served without, there was also an option to have the dish without the black noodles which I hadn’t tried before.
Then it was time for my favourite part of the menu, desserts! We listened to the emphasis each was given as Viktor read out the options and just had to order the poached pear in white chocolate and coconut soup and the raspberry brulée. We weren’t wrong, these puddings are to die for! The chocolate and coconut soup has been engraved on our taste buds, wow, this was quite unlike anything we’ve tasted before, it’s fabulous you have to try it. The brulée was wonderful, crispy top, fluffy centre with a pop of sharp raspberry, definitely a dish with a twist.
Barstro is a fabulous addition to the restaurants available in Lanzarote, what’s more it’s fairly close to where we live so we’ll definitely be checking out the menu changes in the future. Paul and Viktor are a first class team, we’ve witnessed it before at Casa Roja but now they have the chance to shine in their own right. We highly recommend this restaurant, they’re open from 12:00 to 23:00 every day, feel free to pop in for coffee & cake, just a drink, tapas or evening meal, you’ll be made to feel very welcome.
Facebook: Barstro