Casa Rural El Pati De La Iaia

The food was okay, though the tasting portions were skimpy and the beers came in cans. The menu was presented as innovative, but it relied on familiar, inexpensive ingredients like zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes. The setting didn’t add much glamour either: little tables with floral cloths sat in what seemed like part of a farmyard, at the back of an old house. Everything felt very simple, almost shabby, and the dishes and glasses were very old. At first we found the private house with its door shut and thought it wasn’t open. We pushed the door, a dog came out barking, and a man followed right away and said we could come in.

The owner let a second adult join the workshop, which was meant for two children and one adult through a KidBox gift box. That part was fine. But we expected to pick fruit and make homemade jam, and instead the jam was made in a Thermomix and came out as juice. We were told to add gelatin sheets at home. This should be made clear whenever the workshop is advertised, because it didn’t feel like a homemade workshop at all. I came away feeling quite cheated, and we were disappointed with the experience, even though we hadn’t gone in with expectations.

The service was very good, but it couldn’t make up for the rest. We stayed at the start of the month, and while the room looked lovely, it was really dirty, with dust everywhere. The air conditioning was broken, so we were hot with only a dilapidated penguin-shaped heater. There was no Wi-Fi, and breakfast could’ve been better.

I wouldn’t recommend the place. The tasting menu was awful in both quality and quantity, not merely disappointing. Service itself was okay, but the staff were terrible. The owners, chef, and waiter were all in slippers and tracksuits, quite a sight.