Harters

Opposite each other, on one of the wide alleys at the port end of Los Cris (Calle La Paloma?), sit two small restaurants – La Paloma and Ciao, Ciao. In obvious healthy competition with each other, they offer a tapas lunch for two people for a total of €20. We tried both. Different days of course.

Ciao, Ciao – Here they offer 16 tapas for your money. First to arrive is bread and alioli. Of course, until you get your bill, you think this the first of your tapas. It isn’t. Bread is an extra charge here as it is everywhere else. But what is a meal without bread? What you get is, jamon iberico, chorizo, squid rings, Russian salad, tortilla, grilled vegetables, albondigas, vegetable paella, chicken drumsticks, mushrooms in cream sauce, croquettes, cheese, Canarian potatoes – and some other stuff which I’ve forgotten. Of course, for this price, it’s not top quality ingredients but it’s not lowest common denominator either. And because everything comes at once on two serving platters, there’s a heavy reliance on pre-prepared food heated up in the microwave.

La Paloma – Not as much variety as Ciao, Ciao but slightly larger portions and a little more work going in to the preparation. Prawns & mushrooms (good), chicken drumsticks, albondigas in tomato sauce (good), pork in an indeterminate sauce (not so good), squid rings, croquettes (gloopy texture), fish sticks in sauce (think cheapo copy of prawn cocktail), Canarian potatoes, sardines.

Really very little to choose between the two places. Both offer a good value lunch but the extra variety at Ciao Ciao probably swings it for them if you have chance for only one meal.