With eight Michelin stars to their chef's name, it promised to be a memorable evening of fine dining.

But sadly, for actress Tracy-Ann Oberman, her romantic dinner-for-two was unforgettable for the wrong reason – after her husband tried to eat his napkin.

The couple had been left increasingly baffled by the Spanish restaurant's bizarre take on haute cuisine provided by acclaimed chef Martin Berasategui.

Their confusion reached its peak when the her husband Rob Cowan decided to tuck in to a white dish served in a rope-bound block of stone – only to discover he had taken a bite out of a napkin.

Unhappy: Tracy-Ann Oberman and her husband Rob Cowan (pictured together in 2010)

Miss Oberman, 51, who starred in EastEnders, later complained online about the meal at the 'pretentious' restaurant, calling the staff patronising.

Posting pictures of how their food had been served on Twitter, she wrote: 'This is what happens when you apply a Michelin star or two or three. Honestly.'

With another picture of food on what appeared to be a wooden slab, she wrote the caption: 'This made us squeal.'

The actress added: 'You know it's a Michelin star when the napkins are inflated with water in a Neanderthal carver holder. Rob tried to eat it. They [staff] were horrified.

Whine and dine: Miss Oberman's romantic dinner-for-two was unforgettable for the wrong reason – after her husband tried to eat his napkin (above)

Served by acolytes of nonsense! One course of her meal was served on a piece of wood

'The amuse bouche was served with a reverence that bordered on religious fervour. Bloody Michelin pretentiousness.

'Delicious food served by acolytes of nonsense on receptacles of pure folly. #minireview.'

Mr Berasategui has eight Michelin stars across his restaurants, where a 14-course tasting menu sets diners back £200 and an apple pie costs £28.50.

Miss Oberman, who also writes scripts for BBC Radio 4, addressed a tweet to the chef, telling him: 'Your food was exquisite, your presentation a tad pretentious but your staff were so patronising. It's a restaurant not a church.'

She also directed her Twitter posts at the We Want Plates account, which claims to be on a 'global crusade against serving plates on bits of wood and roof slates, chips in mugs and jam-jar drinks'.

We want plates! Miss Oberman shared photos of the food, including this pot that was used to serve a starter

We want plates! She also directed her Twitter posts at the We Want Plates account, which claims to be on a 'global crusade against serving plates on bits of wood and roof slates'

It is not known which one of Mr Berasategui's 12 restaurants the couple were dining at, though his main restaurant is located close to the town of San Sebastian in northern Spain.

Previously named one of the best 30 in the world, the restaurant has a typical £40 starter that includes a single oyster with 'iced cucumber slush'.

For £63, diners can tuck in to a main course of 'stuffed Iberian pork trotters with quince paste and crunchy black pudding pearls'.

In the foreword to his menu, the chef, who won his first Michelin star by the time he was 25, writes: 'We would destroy the spirit of the meal if we served them in very large portions.

'I only conceive the following dishes in small potions with the brevity of three or four mouthfuls.'