Foodie influencer spends $86 at Ilia Topuria’s favorite island restaurant: not the review that was expected
A place that is pure sea and where everything turned out very differently than the content creator expected.
Ilia Topuria is one of the biggest names in Spanish and global sports. The two-time UFC world champion continues to rack up victories while drawing more and more fans in Spain to the world of mixed martial arts. Everyone wants a moment with the Spanish-Georgian star – including one of Spain’s most popular food influencers, who couldn’t resist asking Topuria a tricky question: what’s your favorite restaurant?
That influencer was Pablo Cabezali, better known as Cenando con Pablo, a culinary content creator who’s built a loyal following online thanks to his no-nonsense reviews of all kinds of restaurants. So, what was Topuria’s answer? The champion named Nou Collonet, a restaurant on the island of Tabarca, off the coast of Alicante.
Cabezali didn’t hesitate – he booked a visit to check it out for himself.
A foodie pilgrimage that fell flat
After making the round trip to Tabarca, which cost €10 ($10.80), Cenando con Pablo began his review. First impressions? Not great. The menu looked worn out – prices scratched out, others scribbled in with pen, and many dishes he tried to order simply weren’t available.
He started with fried seafood from the bay and shrimp from Santa Pola. “Not bad,” he admitted, but said neither dish stood out in any meaningful way. Next came an arroz a banda – a type of seafood rice – which he thought could’ve been cooked a bit longer for his taste, but overall found “decent.”
Then came the caldero tabarquino, a traditional stew from the island. Again, he didn’t think it was terrible – just nothing special.
At the end of the visit, he showed the bill – €80 ($86.40) in total – and offered his honest verdict. Even though it’s Topuria’s favorite, he couldn’t recommend it.
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