Xe Que Bó, Alicante Marina
Sometimes the seedy looking places turn out to be greatest. When walking along a Spanish seafront a good tip is to choose the place that has the most punters irrespective of decor or appearance. Xe Que Bó, Alicante Marina is just one of those places. It looks tackier than a Leeds nightclub carpet, but the food is fab.
Scrambled egg, asparagus, mushroom and ham was the pick of the dishes we were served. This is where a picture tells a thousand words, saving me the troubling of thinking any up, much to the annoyance of serious food journalists.
A close second was calamar plancha – food porn of high order. A whole char-grilled squid with Kenny Everett style crossed legs all ready to reveal a rubbery, slippery, garlicky vulva, and like Cupid Stunt it was all done in the best possible taste.
Agramont Rosé was an agreeable diversion from fine wine. There’s a time and a place for peap chlonk…and a short break in Spain is a great reason to glug through numerous litres of dog wash. At €11 per bottle this was actually much better than “cheap” although that was what it cost.
The crowd of diners, compared to the lonely seats at other establishments, confirmed that this is the best place on the marina. We spent most of the afternoon using bread to mop up the sauce from the squid. Highly recommended.
The bill, for two, at €72 plus service, included 3 bottles of wine, two liqueurs, 2 espressos, 6 bottles of water and numerous tapas (pretty sure they missed a few, on reflection) was even better value than a second hand yacht, and much more within my meagre credit-crunched reach.
Xe Que Bó,
Muelle 8 – Zona de Levante
Marina Deportiva
Puerto de Alicante (Alicante)
Spain
T: +34 965 20 55 03
W:Â t’interwebxequebo.com