We met up with some friends for lunch and the restaurant they'd wanted to go to had apparently vanished in the all too depressingly familiar way that we've become accustomed to during "La Crisis". On the same street (perhaps even in the same location), we found Verde Rame, a newly opened "Italian" restaurant. The "Italian" is in quotes because though it appears to be a standard Italian restaurant, complete with wood-fired pizza oven, the restaurant also serves more conventional Spanish-style fare.
What got us into the place was the posted fixed-price menu that included a rice dish with duck and artichokes as one of the mains. I was expecting a more risotto-style dish, but instead it was cooked in standard paella-style in a pair of round shallow metal paella pans. It arrived piping hot to the table, and though at first glance it looked a little over-cooked and dried out, once you got past the crusty surface, the rice turned out to be moist and tasty. All of us also ordered the same starter, a cream of zucchini soup that was perfect for combating the winter chill; and quite good as well, though it could have been served a little hotter in my view.
For dessert we ended up ordering the yogurt mousse, which turned out better than I expected, and the pear tart/cake, which was only so-so.
The lunch menu cost 14 euros per person (plus another 3 euros each for drinks), IVA included. This is a couple more euros than one would expect for such a meal, but about right for what is a popular pedestrian shopping area in the center of Valencia. Also, the ambiance and decor was a notch up from your average tapas bar and the staff were friendly and attentive.
Overall, the place didn't wow me or disappoint me in any particular way. But, I wouldn't have a problem taking a group of friends or acquaintances there for another meal. Next time I go there though, I'll try one of their pizzas and/or pasta dishes to see how good an Italian restaurant it really is. If the pizza is as good as that wood-fired oven suggests, I may even bump my rating up a notch or two. read more