Passion

We went there last week and was sorely disappointed. We come to stay here three or four times a year and this was our first visit here.
The service was so slow, even by Spanish standards! They didn’t even have the excuse of being busy, the restaurant was less than a third full.
The restaurant shares menus (and ownership) with the Cuban place right next door. The food promised much from lovely looking menus and a very plush higher end interior décor.
It’s obviously trying to be something a little better than the typical precinct restaurants its surrounded by. Underlined by snooty servers who appeared to look down their nose at their few and far between customers.
We all got the distinct impression they would all have preferred to have been elsewhere and that we were just an inconvenience as we interrupted their arrogant sauntering around the restaurant.
The food and drinks eventually arrived and at first glance it looked good!
I ordered the paella which was brought out in a huge sizzling pan and plated for me at the table. HOWEVER, the server thought it best to turn her back to me whilst she did this. Which begs the question… why bother with the table side theatre if you’re going to do it with your back to me?
This made me suspicious as to why? It’s not like there wasn’t enough space inside to do it at my side!
The paella itself was a huge let down. Was nothing better than I can cook at home. In fact it was far from it.
The mussels had been shelled (which makes me think they were frozen!) and the chunks of fish were overcooked to the point of being unidentifiable. The prawns were also unshelled and bordering on raw.
Upon entering the restaurants noticed a table where a (spanish) woman had a plate of linguini with huge, in she’ll mussels and looked really good. So how come mine were small, chewy and unshelled?
It looked almost as bland as it tasted.
As for the rest of our party, it was unanimous around the table that the best thing by far were the burgers from the Cuban place next door.
Overall it was overrated, over priced and underwhelming.
My advice… go to the Cuban place next door. The Passion is definitely lacking here!
We will not be retuning.

Este sitio es curioso porque se encuentra en una zona donde la mayor parte de los restaurantes y bares están enfocados a los extranjeros y guiris y se vende como bar español con tapas españolas.
Para empezar, se llama Passion con dos eses, que eso tiene de español lo mismo que Obama y luego en el menú, lo único español que hay es la ensalada mixta, la ensaladilla rusa y los huevos rotos con jamón.
El sitio es muy moderno y muy bonito, tiene una terraza con bastantes mesas, y los camareros son muy agradables. Los pobres llevan una camisa de manga larga fucsia con corbata con el calorazo que hace en Murcia.
Como restaurante, genial, como restaurante español, pues no.