Asambra (Altea) - Restaurant review

7.5 - Cool. Welcoming. Tasty and local

"Where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same"

I never really watched the American sitcom Cheers, but my friends and I always wanted wanted to find a bar where every staff member knew our name and more importantly, which drink we wanted before we even ordered it. Perhaps you were more of a Friends person, wishing you could be hanging out with the shrieking sixsome in Central Perk, having Joey wink at you whilst unable to find his work apron nor doing much work at all during his short lived spell in the overly bright coffee shop. Well at Asambra, their simple slogan is Bar.Friends. Food and You. And although they cannot guarantee you friends, you will definitely get some lovely food with some super service.

Tucked away on Carrer d'Octobre within sight of the Repsol garage on the roundabout and overlooked by apartment blocks on both sides is Asambra. Loosely translated from Valenciano as 'get together', we arrived for our dinner to find a collection of younger, more hip Alteanos, gathered for an evening cana on the back terrace creating a lovely, family buzz. Asambra is exactly the type of locally owned bar and eatery you'd expect from modern Spain. A cool decor and interior, welcoming service and traditional cuisine with modern twists.

With our order placed, we soaked up the pleasant evening air on the rear, grassy area with a glass of a very solid Ribera and a crisp, refreshing Verdejo. We could see the front terrace slowly getting busier with what seemed the area of choice for mostly diners. Our opening dish of Asambras own special calamari arrived first. Rather than a more typical batter, the squid rings were in a breadcrumbed coating and were served alongside two condiments of a citrusy type mayo and a second more earthy dip that resembled a mushroom/truffle base.

Both went excellently with the squid although the squid itself was of mixed quality in terms of tenderness. Within what seemed a couple of seconds of our first plate disappearing fom the table, our next two arrived. The pepito - a beef skirt sandwich served with roasted peppers and a chimichurri dressing and the Barranquet - a simple 150g burger with bacon and cheddar. The burger was of the smashed variety which, although I am not always the biggest fan of, was very good. Succulent beef and crispy bacon. What more can you ask for?

The pepito however, stole the show. The beef skirt or entrana was ridiculously tender and flavoursome. The chimichurri added the necessary bite. Overall, an absolute winner.

We were too full for the very appetising looking desserts so had to settle for another round of drinks instead. Oh no!

Great service, a great vibe and very good food. An extremely fussy friend of a friend has Asambra on a list of only half a dozen restaurants in Altea he will go to. There may not be a Rachel or Pheobe knocking around and the staff didn't know my name but I am awful glad I came.

Asambra - Carrer 9 d'Octubre, 1, local D, 03590 Altea

https://bar-asambra-altea.negocio.site/