La Carboná

carbona (3)
I had been hearing so much about “sherry chef” Javier Muñoz Soto from various friends and colleagues that while in Jerez for Vinoble at the end of last May I convinced two friends to join me for lunch there. I was keen to try the place for myself as I had also been recommending it to clients who were visiting Jerez. And well, either we were unlucky and the chef was having an off day, or the place has been over-hyped. The other day I saw another friend praising her meal here on Twitter and I was dumbfounded. Then again she was with a VIP group visiting Jerez so perhaps they pulled out all the stops for them.

The restaurant itself was unexpectedly massive, with tall beamed ceilings, which felt less barn-like as it started to fill up a little. There are also a couple of attractive private dining rooms that you can book for private parties (btw, apologies for quality of photos here – the restaurant was very dimly lit inside, even at midday).

Wines were good and reasonably priced (all things considered) with starters ranging from 4.50 – 12.50€ and main courses from 12 – 22€. Although the food was pleasant enough (other than an overcooked turbot, which in the end we weren’t charged for) it also wasn’t sensational – and for 20€ a plate you really do expect something above average. Most dishes were accompanied by a sherry sauce of some sort (hence the “sherry chef”) but it was only really apparent in the presa dish that came with a lovely PX sauce. All in all we found it a lacklustre experience. Not bad, but not really worth the money.

Finally, we were not only charged 1.25€ each for bread (5€ for bread?), but the IVA was not included in the prices on the menu. The latter not only feels like a cheap trick, but I believe this is also not legal in Andalucía.