Botanico Novelda is my most surprising restaurant experience in Alicante province.

After a planned trip to the cathedral in Novelda - Santuario Sant Magdalena, which was supposed to be a kind of mini of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, we let a Google search determine a restaurant inside Novelda. We made the decision completely on the spur of the moment that we were going to eat in Novelda. We should not regret this. Novelda and the area around the restaurant were probably something that made us not have the highest hopes, even though several people on Google had given good recommendations. But we were hungry and we figured we'd be full anyway. The interior of the restaurant was nice with a botanical theme. We were greeted by a very pleasant English-speaking waiter. Sometimes it's not always like that when you're a little off the beaten track. After a brief consideration, we ordered both the Tender Artichokes, which I've previously been told are absolutely best from late October to March/April, and the Red Shrimp Croquettes. We asked the waiter for a glass of good red wine from the district. Novelda is also a wine district. Tender Artichokes came with a wonderfully good sauce and this was a very tasty start to the meal. We then got the Red Shrimp Croquettes. This not only looked amazing, but tasted absolutely heavenly while melting in your mouth. Combined with a very good red wine from Novelda, the experience could hardly be better. I regretted then and there that I had not ordered more and had this as a main course. Since there were no prices on the menu, we were a little unsure whether we should order what we wanted most, as this might be expensive. We had not planned Michelin awards for this meal. We chickened out and chose something at the top of the menu - Teriyaki Duck Magret, Pineapple with Rum and Torrezno with its skin. I didn't regret it for a second when I got the food, although I would have liked to try it at the bottom of the menu. The main course tasted absolutely brilliant and the portion was such that you could eat well and full. And eventually I had more than a glass of wine, so to speak. We finished with a The Pink Panther. A mixture of ice cream and sorbet with different berries. A nice end to a fantastically good meal.

We were a bit excited about the bill as we were sure that we had far more than we had thought! When we saw that we ended up at just over 40 euros per muzzle, we just had to smile. This is no more than you pay at mediocre restaurants in more central areas. I ate better here than at Michelin restaurants I've been to. I immediately decided that I would return here to try other dishes on a suitable occasion, even if there is some distance geographically. Often the best surprises come when you are spontaneous! Table reservations are made here; https://botaniconoveldarestaur...

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