Feature · Class & Villas

The way our grandparents made it

Since 1982, the Bolufer Catalá family has been cooking rice dishes, wood-fired paellas and seafood dishes in the Pla de Xàbia, combining the most traditional customs with the most modern cooking.

A family house

Restaurante Mezquida opened in 1982 as a modest spot for mid-morning snacks and set menus, founded by Cristóbal Bolufer and Josefa Catalá. Today it is run by four siblings: Mercedes and Mª Teresa lead the kitchen, where the experience handed down by their parents meets current techniques, and Guillermo and Cristóbal look after the dining room. The restaurant is spread over four air-conditioned dining rooms, in a rustic and modern style, and a garden terrace, with private parking.

Rice cooked over vine cuttings

The house speciality is rice, made with D.O. Valencia rice: dry, creamy and paellas cooked over vine cuttings. Fish and seafood arrive every day from the fish market and go into recipes from Valencian coastal towns such as cruet de peix, which won first prize in Xàbia's plat mariner competition in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Bread and desserts are made in their own bakery.

Not to be missed

On weekdays, Monday to Friday except the eves of public holidays and public holidays, there is a set menu of the day. The wine cellar brings together a selection of the best D.O. wines from all over Spain, and the rice dishes can also be ordered to take away.

• Arroz del senyoretWith peeled seafood
• Wood-fired paella valencianaChicken, rabbit and vegetables, to order
• Cruet de peixTo order, minimum 2 servings
• Cocas de XàbiaWith pisto, onion or greens with capellanet
• Grilled meatsGalician beef rib steak and entrecôte, aged for 30 days
• Home-made pastriesAlmond tart with flan, pumpkin tart with dark chocolate

Text by Class & Villas based on information published by Restaurante Mezquida.