november-2011

ALICANTE
The reign
in Spain
Where do you go for the best food in Spain,
now that El Bulli has closed its doors?
According to Mr Bulli himself,
Ferran Adrià, Alicante is king
DRIVING WEST FROM ALICANTE
towards the twin towns of Elda-
Petrer I’m starting to doubt
whether this province really is, as I’ve
been assured, the garden of Spain. The
year-round sunshine, which makes the
beaches of nearby Benidorm and Santa
Pola so popular, has cracked the soil and
bleached the earth bone dry. The only
real colour comes from the setting sun,
turning the limestone mountains first
a glorious orange and then pink. We’re
here, though, because many respected
authorities say that the province of
Alicante is the best place in Spain, not
just for growing food, but for eating it.
At first glance this claim might seem
absurd. The rainy town of San Sebastian,
hundreds of miles to the north, is where
you find the largest cluster of Spain’s
many Michelin stars. And El Bulli, the
“best restaurant in the world” from
62 Thomas Cook Travel
Words Trevor Baker Photography Chris Terry
2006 to 2009, according to Restaurant
magazine’s industry poll, was also located
far north of here, next to Barcelona,
before closing to the public in 2011. It
would seem obvious that Catalonia and
the Basque Country have the greatest
claim to be Spain’s culinary capitals.
El Bulli’s legendary chef Ferran Adrià,
however, disagrees. He recently told
his biographer, American food writer
Colman Andrews: “The province of
Alicante is where you eat the best in
Spain. It has the best products in the
country, especially the seafood.”
This is one reason we’re driving 30km
west of the sea to visit a fish restaurant.
The respected Spanish restaurant guide
Lo Mejor de la Gastronomía – The Best
in Food, which is actually based in
San Sebastian, has included La Sirena
(14 Avda de Madrid, Petrer, +34 965 371 718)
as one of the best fish restaurants in