We had an absolutely gorgeous fish soup here mid June 2009. You could tell already by the smell that the stock was made from scratch, confirmed by the lovely taste. The presentation was inspiring, the tastes blended harmoniously and continued to do so until the last spoon. As previously mentioned the service was very good as well. When we returned today they were unfortunately closed but will be open Thursday to Sunday I believe.

We have eaten at this restaurant four times now, once when it originally opened, a couple of times in between, and finally last night [20/2/09].

First visit – the food / presentation AND service were all fantastic. Food wise a great combination of tastes, and you came away thinking this is going to be so good for the town of Raglan. The Tapas entree was wonderful, with little feta tarts, asparagus spears, char grilled capsicum, olives, and tasty treats prepared by the chef, who had obviously made considered choices to arrange a platter of food that worked well. I had salmon on a chickpea mash, hubby had a steak, both were beautifully presented, and something a little different.

Second Visit – Again, this was a good dining experience that we shared with friends.

Third Visit – Our third visit was approx three weeks ago. The Tapas entree was completely different to the previous times, and whilst I understand that organic and seasonal foods are used were possible, the whole look and feel of our meals was QUITE different, and lacking in the WOW factor. The service was still great.

Final Visit [20/2/09] – The Tapas entree was different AGAIN, this time had odd combination’s like baked beans?, Italian sausage, olives and some kind of squid stew mix that was SO chewy and tough. This was all combined with the normal fare of olives, breads, wrapped feta, piled high into an unappealing dish which ended up looking like leftovers.

There was also a noticeable upward trend in pricing of all mains. My husband had the lamb, which was served in great hunks (at first I thought it was sausages), served with a capsicum stuffed with rice, and a side of potatoes. No other veges. The other two mains we ordered for our table were not much better. However, the saving grace of this whole dining experience was that the service is still very good.

Overall very disappointing.

Zaragoza started out asMore a much needed breath of fresh air in Raglan; and it seems to have lost it’s way a little. I note that they recently were advertising for a chef, perhaps they are yet to re-appoint one.