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July: Dinner for 2 at La Vall |
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This month, one lucky person will win an opportunity to eat in one the best and friendliest restaurants on the Costa Blanca. Owned since 2005 by Allister and Alison Catchpole, La Vall has fast earned a reputation for great food at a fair price. Nestled in the Jalon Valley, it has an enviable outlook onto some of the most stunning scenery on the Costa Blanca. A recent review of the restaurant is reproduced below.
THE PRIZE
A 3-course dinner for 2 from the a la carte menu, including bread, alioli and a complementary bottle of wine.
THE COMPETITION
Simply answer the following question...
Where would you find this famous church on the Costa Blanca…
 (a) Altea
(b) Benidorm
(c) Calpe
(d) Denia
Simply click here to email us your answers to be included in the draw
RESTAURANT REVIEW
reproduced with permission from La Vall
 It's the sort of place you might expect to stumble across in London 's Covent Garden but in the Vall del Pop it's something of a rare and surprising jewel.
La Vall opened in May 2005 - on the Benissa/Jalon road near the Lady Elizabeth School - and from day one owners Allister and Alison Catchpole set out to do something different.
You won't find the cheapest fare in the valley here – but what you will find is a mouthwatering selection of unusual dishes, beautifully presented and prepared from the finest and freshest ingredients. In fact the dishes are very reasonably priced when you take into account the huge attention to detail involved in preparing them.
“We're not interested in churning out conveyor belt food,” says Allister, former head chef at the Marriott Hotel in Ipswich . “We'd rather serve a small number of people who really appreciate what we do, rather than just pack in as many people as we can.”
As far as Allister is concerned, food is an art and it's one which has been his abiding passion since he started cooking professionally at the age of 14. “You eat with your eyes,” he says. Which is why so many of the dishes he produces are a true work of art (they look so good it's almost a shame to mess things up with your knife and fork!).
Allister and Alison are a dynamic young couple who met at the Ipswich Marriott and worked together there for four years before moving to Spain . Alison was the restaurant manager and executive events organiser whilst Allister busied himself by gaining a reputation for excellence (the restaurant was placed top of the hotel chain for its food and hygiene standards for three years running).
 “We'd done all we could there and we felt it was time to do something for ourselves,” says Allister. “We spent two months searching for a restaurant in Spain and were at the point of giving up.”
“When I walked into this restaurant it took me about three minutes to decide this was it. The kitchen was exactly what I wanted and I loved the valley straight away.”
Just three weeks later La Vall opened for business. Since then the restaurant has been going from strength to strength, attracting serious “foodies” of many different nationalities with a delectable array of dishes such as home cured gravadlax smoked salmon with dill craime fraiche and a Peking duck starter.
Besides an elegant dining area and adjoining bar, La Vall also has a large outdoor terrace and a spacious sports bar with a big screen for showing football matches and other sporting events. Allister and Alison are keen to encourage families and are only too happy to switch channels to the soaps or children's favourites when there are no big sports events taking place. All the areas together can easily accommodate 100 diners, making La Vall ideal for special events and formal functions. |
