The Hub
Altaona Golf, Baños y Mendigo, Murcia
Date of Visit: 03/09/2023
Despite choosing to live in a part of Spain that typically enjoys 320 days of sunshine a year, I quite like colder days and even the odd spot of rain. Not on a UK level of course; I still want the option to fire up the BBQ mid-December if I choose, without first having to check the long-range weather forecast.
This year, the incredibly warm summer has ended abruptly with the arrival of September which brought along some welcoming cloudy skies, cooler (for Spain) temperatures and thunder and rain. You can bet it’s temporary, but for now, my train of thought naturally (for me) turns to autumnal walks, Christmas (113 sleeps), and of course a Sunday roast lunch.
Fortunately, one of the very best Sunday lunches around can be found right here where we live on Altaona Golf (formerly, but frequently still known as, Mosa Trajectum) at The Hub.
In a previous review I revealed how I gauge a Sunday Roast by the quality of the Yorkshire Puddings. The truth is I gauge the quality of a Sunday Roast by comparing the Yorkshire Puddings against how my mum used to make them. And the roasties. And the gravy. Let’s start again. I gauge the quality of a Sunday Roast by comparing all of it against how my mum used to make it.
Considering the tough comparison, The Hub stacks up pretty well.
There’s a difficult choice to be made between turkey, pork, beef, or lamb. I choose the turkey. Thickly cut slices of succulent breast. As the meat juices find a natural escape route out the side of my mouth and down my chin, my thoughts are once again momentarily transported 113 sleeps forward to Christmas Day.
My wife, evidently feeling less festive than me, opts for pork. Equally as tender. I'm jealous of her accompanying crackling and do a swappsie with some of my stuffing. It's perfectly salty with a satisfying snap as I bite into it.
There’s no place for any limp roasted vegetables on this plate. Golden, crunchy roast potatoes vying for attention alongside a crispy oven baked parsnip, both in stark contrast to the buttery mashed potatoes. And then there’s those all-important Yorkies - huge, puffed-up brain-like batter puddings. They’re enough to make your Aunt Bessie pack away her apron for good.
A good selection of other vegetables; broccoli & cauliflower cheese, leeks, carrots, and green beans are served separately for the table to share. It has to be this way; the plate is simply not big enough to take it all.
But all of this is of course incidental without the main attraction. Gravy. Served as it should be, steaming hot in its own gravy boat. As I pour, a few drops of the richly thick meat juice refuse to leave the jug, clinging stubbornly to the spout. It’s futile. Unashamedly I tip the jug upwards and lick it clean, desperately trying to ignore the unfair stares from around my, and nearby, tables.
Undeterred by publicly having to loosen my belt to the next hole, I finish my lunch by squeezing in a gorgeous homemade chocolate brownie with thick, creamy custard.
Now, time for a siesta.
Sunday lunch at The Hub with turkey, pork or beef is €10,99. There’s a small supplement for lamb. The view from the restaurant, across the golf course to the mountains beyond is completely free.
Booking is recommended. The place was buzzing, but the service was still friendly and attentive.
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