The ravioli felt very lonely


 The trouble with the average Sealed Knot [insert reenactment group of choice] is that battles of flat fields mean the crowd get to see what is near them and that’s it. Well, Sagunto got round that by building its amphitheatre on the side of a big rock but first, let’s do some fine dining.


Restaurante Arrels, according to Google, is all about fine dining.   It gets 4.6 stars, from 934 stars and will set you back 100 euros or more, according 187 people.   https://www.restaurantarrels.com/  I always wonder with reviews.  It is often the best or worlds or the worst of worlds.  Some 1 stars seem to be based on the theory that when it says ‘budget’ it didn’t mean it and why isn’t it five stars.  Sometimes a certain lack of empathy is shown.  On the other hand people are nice and want to be nice or, if they have spent a lot, maybe don’t want to appear to have been done.  



Two weeks ago Dae said ‘We had the tasting menu of 135euro, with 95 euro wine pairing, for lunch. It was amazing. So experimental, unique, fun, for food and wine. I have never had white wines with tastings like so. It was fun and interesting, some being fortified wine tasting like brandy, some being sweet and sour, very different from fruity and citrusy wine I have had in spain. I am thankful for the sommelier who got all these different types of unique wine for me to try. We loved it. The place is cozy and nice, with a great ambiance. We recommend this place for anyone that wants unique dishes and have a life experience.’



There is a one star from six months ago.  I suspect the place can bear me repeating it.  As ever, save up, and check it out for yourself.  It does start with a big claim.


We have never felt so disappointed.


The building is beautiful but the decoration is not striking, nor that the tables are dressed. I am not an expert nor do I have an exquisite palate, but I know how to distinguish when there is a product and a preparation. The staging does not justify the price. There is no product to support it either. We were left with the feeling of having eaten asparagus and pickles. Everything very mixed and everything in sauces.


A piece of picanya and a prawn, cut in half, drowned in an asparagus cream (of course). The oyster was smothered in a tripe sauce that was too futuristic, and the ravioli felt very lonely. There is little to review about the rest, many sauces, and flowers and nothing else. And the dessert, with ice cream that tasted like asparagus. Everything was very explained and the staff was very friendly. The service does it very well. We left with a feeling of being teased. Nothing to do with other sites of the style and nothing recommended.



Onto the Amphitheatre  The original was built in the early 1st century. It as reworked in the third and went the way of all things after the fall of Rome. In the Middle Ages it was used as an outpost of the castle.  In 1984 the thought or ‘rehabilitating’ the place was mooted.  It was archaeologiclised and then a new theatre, homaging the old, was built.   Marcus said ‘The Roman theatre was free to enter and originally held 8000 spectators but was now about 20% original and the rest reconstructed in modern yellow bricks.  I think there were one or two information boards but maybe not and I probably spent 10 minutes walking around the theatre before leaving.’





Onto the castle.  It is spectacular.  When we visited with a post toddler in possession of functional legs but get to be established sense of risk awareness or social responsibility towards a worried father, we noted a less than overzealous approach to safety barriers. 

The castle looks over the town and has been remodelled as time and tides of History dictate. Stuff has been found here since Iberian times.  The Romans lived up here and the Forum is obvious. The Moors built the curtain wall and others amended it.  It opens from 10am to 8pm in the Summer - Mondays and Sundays excluded. It is free to go in.  





Marcus does a good job summing it up.  ‘This is actually two castles on the two peaks of the spur with 2km of walls linking them.  They have evolved from Iberian, through Roman and Islamic fortifications and then further improvements in each century, culminating in machine gun bunkers being built in the Spanish Civil War in 1936.  We saw the Jewish necropolis, built into the hillside as we climbed and then entered through the gates into the castle itself to find that it was actually closed and only the information centre was open.  This was free and was very good, we probably spent 30 minutes learning about the history of the site and its occupants as well as watching an English language film. I have no idea when the castle itself will reopen and can't see any definite information online.’



And so we end.

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