Veranda del vino is a restaurant/wine bar overlooking the Porto Heli gulf. It’s cosy and inviting, and they also have a wine shop opposite (Always an excellent idea to combine food and wine together). I like to think my area is food so I refrain from talking extensively about wine (Or we will be here all day!) This is not because I do not want to or cannot, there will be times that I shall mention a bottle or two in my blog, but for my storytelling and reviewing, it is all about the food. For Porto Heli, the fusion of a wine bar/restaurant and wine shop all in one place is most welcome and an asset to the area. Having visited cava del vino already, I had in the back of my mind that we still didn’t visit the restaurant yet, so on a warm evening in May, we sat outside on the terrace to finally try it out.
The weather makes this even more comfortable, I know for all the Brits reading this you will be wondering about the climate. In May it is not cold so you can sit outside on their terrace and enjoy the views without shivering! Now back to the food: The menu has some good options but not knowing at the time and now understanding what the star means next to the items on the menu, the prawns we chose were frozen. When you see this next to any item, it does mean that it isn’t fresh, so just giving you the heads up. I do not touch frozen shellfish, because it is a waste of time but if you are desperate for prawns then you have do have a choice. I chose the traditional meatballs with a herb and yogurt sauce. Mini bite sized which I like. The prawns in all fairness were not too bad at all, and the chef had taken the time to clean them and take out the vein, which hardly nobody does here. But my criticism will be: Please source fresh ones.
For the larger plates it had to be the slow cooked lamb, and it was delicious served with pasta. The pasta was over and needed to be al dente the Italian way, there was also quite a lot of it. Nevertheless though, I enjoyed the dish. My guest also had the same but served with potatoes due to a gluten intolerance, and I preferred it this way! Veranda del vino serves both gluten and gluten free bread, and I applaud them for that, it did not go unnoticed.
In Porto Heli, this restaurant is good for the local area, and it stands as one of the strongest. I will come back to try some other dishes and to enjoy a pleasant night on the terrace gazing out onto the sea. Choose a nice bottle of wine to match your food and you are all set for evening.
