Restaurante Krystal, fine dining in Meloneras

Looking for Gran Canaria’s best restaurants? We’ve been voraciously exploring the flavours of the island since relocating here in 2004. Allow us to reveal one of our latest culinary discoveries to you.

When Mr GCL, Gran Canaria’s only resident broadsheet journalist, was dispatched to review Hotel Riu Palace Maspalomas, he looked longingly through the windows of its fusion restaurant, Restaurante Krystal. For he was booked in on a half-board basis which saw him eat dinner and breakfast at the hotel’s buffet eatery. So, he was delighted to get a golden ticket checking in at Hotel Riu Palace Meloneras.

That gold ticket came in the form of an envelope with three invitations to dine at the á-la-carte Restaurante Krystal. One for Mr Gran Canaria Local, one for Mrs Gran Canaria Local, and one for Gran Canaria Local Junior. Here’s our three-part guide.

1. Restaurante Krystal: how to get there
2. Restaurante Krystal: what to drink
3. Restaurante Krystal: what to eat

1. Restaurante Krystal: how to get there

You can catch one of Global‘s many south-bound services (30’s the quickest) to the Faro de Maspalomas terminal. After that, it’s a short (as in under 10 minutes) walk to the Hotel Riu Palace Meloneras. The hotel opens its door to non-guests when it comes to its fusion restaurant.

We drove there. Door to door, it took us 45 minutes from our Las Palmas de Gran Canaria base. If you were based in the island’s southern resorts, your journey would take you far less, such as the one from Puerto Rico which falls below the 20-minute mark.

2. Restaurante Krystal: what to drink

As is the way with resort hotels on Gran Canaria, we were greeted with a complimentary glass of cava at Restaurante Krystal. GCL Junior didn’t miss out on the bubbles despite being under age. For he was handed a flute of Appletiser.

The wine list is organized by red, rosé, and white twice. First, you’ll find local reds, rosés, and whites followed by national reds, rosés, and whites. We ordered a bottle of Las Tirajanas rosé (€24,50) from the south of Gran Canaria, coloured as pink as the flesh of the strawberry it resembled in taste.

3. Restaurante Krystal: what to eat

The Restaurante Krystal is divided into four sections. We started with some tapas for sharing. The Moroccan briouats were filled not with the traditional chicken/lamb and cheese, but olives and cheese which transported us from North Africa to Greece.

Whilst Gran Canaria Local Junior feasted on some pizza which our waiter helpfully provided, Mrs GCL opted for a starter of tuna tartar with avocado and ponzu sauce, combining Canarian fish and fruit with a tangy Dutch-Japanese hybrid of a sauce. Mr GCL’s mushroom ragout with a poached egg, potatoes and truffles transformed him into a pig used to sniff out the fungus delicacy of which they’re both so fond. He was similarly smitten with his main course of sauteed vegetables with goats’ cheese and honey vinaigrette, a riot of colour.

For desserts, the plan was to share. But Mrs Gran Canaria Local couldn’t be separated from her creamy chocolate souffle with rasberry sorbet, a rich mix of cocoa and that most sophisticated fruit after pear. Likewise, Mr Gran Canaria Local jealously guarded his gloriously boozy apple crumble with vanilla and Calvados sauce. And as for GCL Jnr, he monopolized the seasonal fruit he enjoys on a daily basis, but this time he savoured them with extra intensity by way of a passion-fruit frappe.

Disclaimer: Three fifths of the Gran Canaria Local family were guests of Riu Hotels. All opinions are their own. And candidly shared with you above.