Aitene restaurant
This is one of the most fascinating restaurants in all of Denia due to the owner Ximo, and that there is no menu.
A friend told us about this restaurant on the main street, advising us to get there early before it opens so that you will get a seat. He also told us that Ximo is a tad grumpy and a no nonsense kind of guy. This really intrigued us so we rearranged our schedule and decided to head there for dinner. In Spain, the Spaniards usually don't start dinner till 2100-2200h which we are definitely not used to. On a week day, we are heading to bed at that time. Aitene is opened Tuesday to Saturday at 1330h till the fishing boats come in and dinner is only on Friday or Saturday from 2030 till midnight.
Eager to get a seat, we ended up on the front door at 2000h. My husband tried to convince us to go to the bar down the street for a drink but by the time we have discussed it, 10 people had joined the line. No way were we leaving and loosing the possibility of the best seats in the house.
At 2030 precisely, Ximo opens the door and greets each person with a handshake for the men and a kiss for the women. The restaurant has 12 stools at the bar and three tables of four but you will find those that missed out on seats will perch themselves on the window sill. Ximo is the bar man with his wife and cook managing to keep up with managing all the food.
Behind the bar is a fridge with bins of fresh seafood. Each one will become a course until you tell him to stop. Each plate will have 4-6 items per person so go there hungry. Wine choice is minimal it is either Vino Blanco or Vino Tinto and the other beverage is beer. No stemmed wine glasses in sight, just simple straight sided drinking glasses which are in keeping with the intimate homy atmosphere.
Our first plate was the famous Red Shrimp. They are simply cooked as soon as he brings them from the market and served cold. now some people are a bit squeemish about eating the shrimp the Spanish way. Snap off the head of the shrimp, place it in your mouth and bite down just behind the eyeballs and suck everything out. Ximo will check your plate to make sure you have sucked it dry. That may disgust some of you but it tastes delicious like a prawn bisque. Now as for the rest of the body, many eat shell and all and leave only the tail. It is not necessary to remove the vein. I started out peeling the shell off the first time but now eat shell and all.
We managed to get through six plates before we had to give up. It’s so much more fun to find a restaurant that the locals love, this way you get to almost be a local as well.
The next plate was one of my favourites, Mussels in butter, and a bit of sherry vinegar and lemon. The vinegar give the dish a very subtle pickled taste which makes the mussels sing.
Third plate of tender deep fried calamari.
Pescaito Frito three different types of fish,
Many years ago I had an adverse gastro intestinal effect from eating cuttle fish and that species had been written off my palate. Finally on the third visit to this restaurant, Ximo convinced me to try it one more time. I can’t believe that I missed out on 30 years of enjoying a dish like this.
Sepia (cuttlefish)
Monkfish is described as the ugliest fish we consume and that is why it is rare to see the whole fish for sale. It is also described as the poor mans lobster. Treated simply, monkfish is fantastic.
Rape (monkfish tails)
And dinner wouldn't be the same without a final drink of Orujo (Spanish Grappa) and Moscatel
As you can tell by my article, I loved this simple restaurant. Ximo has hit the jackpot at providing customers the best quality produce in the simplest was resulting in a beneficial outcome for bot himself and the consumer.
