WHILE Andalucia has finally caught up with the rest of Spain for fine dining, there is really only one place that does it properly: Marbella.
Amid its leafy boulevards and stretching as far as Cabopino and San Pedro, there are dozens of amazing places to eat.
Aside from its four Michelin-starred joints (it actually used to have more) and nine Repsol sols, it has numerous unsung, little-known spots of every type of food imaginable.
Forget these stars, for as a food critic and author of a restaurant book on Andalucia, I’m much more interested in the actual chefs themselves and the quality and variety of their food.
Since launching the Olive Press two decades ago, I’ve met dozens in Marbella, who do anything but the usual fried fish, which is traditionally Malaga’s best known dish.
Marbella’s legion of chefs prefer to gently coax the best out of the celebrated local produce that comes from nearby in the Guadalhorce valley or along the coast in Cadiz, Granada or Almeria.
Take the recent example of Stan Rozbitsyy at Koi, an Asian fusion restaurant on the Golden Mile, who not only brought in an entire 113-kilo bluefin tuna, but then stripped it to the bone and created one of the best six-course ‘omakase’ tasting menus I have ever eaten.
It came after a classic ‘ronqueo’ in which two butchers from Barbate stripped the handsome fish in front of 100 diners’ eyes.
The experienced executive chef oversees a number of Marbella’s top restaurants including CHOW, Nomad and recently-refurbished Red Pepper (see review).
“The level of quality has risen hugely over the last decade and you need to work hard to keep up,” he explains. “What this means is sourcing the best produce available and, of course, keeping our eyes open all the time for the best chefs.
“This often means having to import them from abroad.”
This is Spain’s ritziest resort, after all, and while most Olive Press readers will need to save up to dine at double Michelin star Skina, or at the likes of Nobu or La Petit Maison at the five star Puente Romano resort, there are plenty of cheaper spots if you’re in the know.
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A good place to start looking is in the dozen blocks below Marbella’s historic core.
Look out for places like Gaspar, Sideria Paca, Contracata, Perita, Casa Tua and Casa Albero.
Nearby you’ll also find a pair of Michelin-starred joints, including Nintai and Back, which won its first Michelin star three years ago, under the guidance of popular local chef David Olivas.
Olivas and Asturian Marcos Granda at Nintai (and Skina) are the godfathers of Marbella cuisine, now that previous king of the kitchens Dani Garcia threw in his three Michelin stars to design burgers for McDonalds.
But don’t worry, Olivas ran Garcia’s famous three star Calima for years and was the rock behind the king who oversaw his meteoric rise.
I’m as much a fan of the Japanese joint, Ta-Kumi, just up the road, which is consistently brilliant, while in San Pedro the amazing Bodega de Cantinero has the best collection of sherries in the world and some decent dishes to match.
For flamenco and food maybe try El Bordon in the Casco Historico, while for wine lovers Messina and Nicolas take some beating.
My favourite beach-side joints (hard to call them chiringuitos in Marbella) include Macaao, in San Pedro, Chambao, near Banus, and Bono Beach and Sabine, on Elviria’s stunning Playa Real Zaragoza.
In the heart of Banus is Mumtaz for the best Indian on the coast, Jacks for a burger, the Red Pepper for Greek and by the water – with the best views towards Africa – Navaya, which recently opened and is just finding its feet.
For fun it is almost impossible to beat La Sala by the Sea, which counts on over 10,000 confirmed bookings by the time it opens in the Spring.
Its sister restaurant La Sala meanwhile is an absolute institution, that somehow has not lost its sparkle for well over a decade.
An absolute must visit for every tourist spending a week in Marbella, it has somehow stayed ahead of the curve and has a great menu and wine list.
And if you are really looking for something really special, the best concentration of restaurants in Spain can be found inside the Puente Romano hotel.
It really is an extraordinary collection, including famous global brands Coya, Cipriani and Nobu, which has an adjacent hotel (within the confines of the Puente Romano resort) and was opened by co-owner actor Robert de Niro himself a couple of years ago.
You’ll also find the recently-opened La Petit Maison (the first in Spain), which is possibly the most glamorous place to eat in southern Spain, as well as celebrated Greek joint Gaia and superb Thai Gallery.
Best of all, is the first franchise of Malaga’s stalwart El Pimpi, now part-owned by fellow Hollywood star Antonio Banderas.
Opening last year, I was extremely impressed with the quality of the food when visiting earlier this year and it won’t cost an arm and a leg.
Meanwhile, for a good Italian you’ll struggle to find anywhere better than Cibo, a stylish place on the Golden Mile, where I highly recommend the langoustines cooked on the open grill as well as the Aracini, fried risotto balls with crab.
Another extremely glamorous spot is Nomad, in Nueva Andalucia, which was launched by leading chef Alex Craciun of the UK’s leading Jason Atherton group.
Hoi Polloi
Finally, looking for something really out of the ordinary, check out Sky Lounge in Puerto Banus.
A genuine secret spot, not only will you be dining above the hoi polloi, with the best views in Marbella, but you will eat really well to boot.
Best of all, you get a couple of hours of free parking in its sister hotel, Benabola, so you can go for the obligatory gander at the Ferraris and botox pre or post-meal.
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Celebrity Chefs
I’ve been luckily invited to numerous events, launches and competitions involving the world’s best chefs.
Thanks to one event, A Cuatro Manos, at Puente Romano hotel, I was able to interview French legend Joel Robuchon, before his untimely death a few years later.
I also got to grill Daniel Humm, of New York’s Eleven Madison Park while El Bulli legend Ferran Adria generously gave me ten minutes to discuss Spanish cuisine.
He waxed lyrical about how the Iberian food revolution had rapidly spread down south since his Catalan restaurant was voted the ‘world’s best’ for a record five years by Restaurant Magazine between 2002 and 2009.
And the list goes on with three-Michelin star geniuses Joan Roca, of Celler de Can Roca, Valencia’s Quique Dacosta and, this year, Jesus Sanchez, of Cenador de Amos, telling the Olive Press about his love of Marbella and the Costa del Sol.
And I even got to rub shoulders again with the Godfather of Spanish cuisine, Pedro Subijana from Arzak, at the successful Chefs for Children event in nearby Benahavis in April.
Click here to read more Marbella News from The Olive Press.
