Tenerife south has many restaurants to suit all tastes but it's nice to find one which achieves exactly the right mix of Spanish and British.

Go along to El Mocán in Palm Mar and you can sit in the sun and enjoy a café con leche with a Spanish breakfast of cheese, ham and croisssant or Bacon and Eggs with all the trimmings. And in the evening, if hamburger and chips is your fancy, no problem, but neither is a platter of delicious serrano ham, with manchego cheese or a touch of tapas.
So, you can do that at lots of other restaurants, you might be saying. It's true but El Mocán just seems to have a very special atmosphere which gives you the best of both worlds.
This popular restaurant is Spanish-run with owner Carlos often in the kitchen as well as public relations. It's in a prime location in Palm Mar and has the benefit of a wrap-around terrace where you can choose the sunshine or the shade. You get the sun all day long and it's particularly lovely in the evening when the sun goes down over the sea beyond and the rays still spread across the frontage.
However, the interior is very nice too, spacious with modern furniture and a large TV screen which shows Spanish and European football. You can sit at the bar, read a paper or enjoy a snack or meal. There are also internet terminals for 1.20 euros for half an hour or two euros for an hour which often proves a great way of keeping the children amused whilst you have a bit of breathing space!
On our most recent visit, we enjoyed Chicken Breast with chips and Salad for six euros and a Margarita Pizza, also for six euros. However, we had been tempted by the Fillet Steak at just eight euros and the Mixed Grill at nine euros and those will be on the agenda for next time.
El Mocán also offers a good choice of pasta dishes, for between six and nine euros, crunchy salads, fresh fish, a selection of tapas such as squid, garlic prawns or Russian salad, toasted sandwiches, filled bocadillos etc. The food is well cooked, plentiful and always smells absolutely delicious, as do the spit chickens roasting outside which are available for take away and regularly catch our eye.
Drink prices here are very reasonable so it is a great place to meet friends and to just sit and relax. The staff do speak English though it is nice to practise your Spanish a bit in this amiable environment.
El Mocán is very easy to find. Drive through the Palm Mar arch, carry on for about two minutes and park when you see the Covoran supermarket on your right. The restaurant is just near it. It is open every day, from around 8.30am weekdays and 9am-ish on Saturdays and Sundays for breakfast, lunch, evening meals and everything in between including a coffee and cake deal.

Tenerife News edition 425