Restaurant Review - Akelare

A spectacular hillside vista overlooking the ocean means that the best time to visit here is either at lunch or on an evening with a late sunset e.g. in late June.  The décor is modern, with the dining room on two levels and a separate bar.  Breads were pleasant rolls but may not have been home-made (5/10).  For amuse guele there was an excellent fresh sardine in an apple sauce (9/10) and a much odder cold dish of pasta and local cheese (4/10).  To start with a pair of scallops with an outer shell of artichokes were excellent (7/10) while a traditional fish soup was very well made, with superb aioli (6/10).  Baked lobster with French beans was delicately cooked (8/10) while tuna seared lightly was served with a sauce of local yellow pepper and, oddly, a fried egg (7/10). 

Carrot cake with a carrot sorbet was ordinary (4/10) while local cheeses were in good condition if generally uninspiring (5/10).  There is an elaborate menu of coffees and teas, and wine prices are absurdly low to London eyes – Vega Sicilia Unico 1981 (a great year) is just GBP 100, which is below retail price in London, supposing you could find it.  Overall perhaps 6/10.

Its elevation to three Michelin stars in 2007 is bewildering to me.