Whilst having a great time with husband and friends, the vegetarian cuisine was nothing to write home about. We hired a catamaran and kayaked into a small cove for a meal on the first day. My companions tucked into fresh fish dishes whilst I was offered a mixed salad or vegetable stew. This turned out to be carrots and green beans and was a mere accompaniment to the fish. The young waiter explained to me that it was a fish restaurant. It was as if my friends were welcome but I should have stayed on the boat!
The following evening an even larger crowd of us went to a fabulous restaurant called Parilla with beautiful gardens illuminated with fairy lights. After cocktails on the terrace we chose our food. It turns out that parilla means grill and yes, it was a steak restaurant. Luckily there was a vegetarian option of asparagus and sun dried tomato risotto. It tasted a bit like boiled rice with specks of vegetables but was passable. The starter was delicious; melted provolone cheese with oregano, cherry tomatoes and pesto.
At Thai Beach the following day my starters were served separately upon request but the only dish I could eat from the banquet was Pad Thai noodles whilst those around me tucked in to fish and meat dishes. To be fair, when the heavens opened and we had to rush inside, they reset a table and provided more food. The copious amounts of rose wine and the pouring of sambuca along with the sun reappearing, the dancing and the most beautiful sunset more than made up for any culinary disappointment.
So, on the last day I decided to try Pastel de nata, a delicious Portuguese sweet egg custard encased in a crisp pastry shell. Delicioso!
