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It never ceases to amaze me why some restauranters never seem to get it.  They appear to believe that once they open their doors and print their menus, prosperity will auttomatically follow,  or so they believe.  They don’t ask clients what they want, what they would like or prefer.  They stand back in wonder at how others are doing so much better than they are, but never ask why.

Here in Andalucia, where we run Dinner4two members club we sometimes  get a restaurant owner say, “We haven’t had a customer.”   When we ask them if they plan to make a special offer or have a special menu the usual reply is “No.”

How is it possible that these owners of restaurants don’t think outside their front door?  It totally defeats my imagination that someone can spend a large amount of money in furnishing and stocking a restaurant, then some time marketing and promoting themselves, and wonder why they haven’t enjoyed the level of success that others are enjoying.

If one takes the other side of the coin, many restaurants enjoy a comfortable level of success by providing what people eating out crave: such as the basics of good, well-cooked food, good presentation, a nice wine and a pleasant ambience.   On top of this they will change their menu and perhaps announce a specialty that they intend to offer on a particular evening.  El Salmon in Torre del Mar announced the they intended to have a ‘mussels evening’ ( I mistakenly thought it might be a male stripper evening until I noticed the spelling.)  They announced it to their customers, they told us about it and we were able to send text messages to all of our members so that they had a very good number of people turn out for their special event.  Well done to them.   Contrast this behaviour with the restaurant that should remain nameless, that had no plans, no special menu, no special event and no imagination.  I know which restaurant I would want to visit.

I do believe that we who enjoy eating out on a regular basis should make our voices heard and let a restaurant know what we would like and what we expect, but the way in which we do it will vary according to our style.

Posted under Restaurant Reviews

On a recent visit to Lima in Peru I enjoyed a wonderful meal with my Peruvian friends, family and collegues at ´The Rosa Nautica¨. This restaurant must be one of the most famous landmarks in Lima due to its location, a pier stretching out into the Pacific Oceon. The entire pier is owned by the restaurant, which is situated right at the end with fantastic views of the oceon. Along the pier are small kiosk-style shops selling craftwork, clothes and souvenirs of Peru.

Upon entering the restaurant, the customer is greeted by what may be described as a stylish tradicional hotel  grill decor.

With chandeliers hanging in the main hall and in the smaller salons for private parties, you cannot help but feel you have just walked into a 5 star hotel grill.

We were greeted by the maitre d’ and 3 waiters who showed us to our prepared table. After ordering an aperitif (pisco sour being the most popular) we studied the menu. The theme was a variety of fish dishes all prepared in quite distinct ways.  Meat dishes were available but of a more regular preparation.

As a starter I ordered a Peruvian favourite of mine, chupe de camarones, which is a prawn soup, but not as Europeans are used to.

The waiters cleared the plates then arrived with a lemon jello to clean our pallets;  the wine was served which we had chosen earlier. A small wine cellar yet a perfect selection covering over 11 countries.

The main course arrived of corbina served with a herb, lemon and garlic sauce accompanied with seasonal veg and papas (peruvian yellow potatoes).  A perfect choice I decided later.

Although I do not eat desert my companions’ choices looked wonderful. All in-house prepared and with a style that should win the best decoration prize.

Whilst dining we were constantly watching the ocean as we heared the waves lapping on the legs of the pier. Fishing boats leaving for the night, dolphins peaking their heads out of the water every so often and the scores of fish so visible in the clear waters.

A remarkable and memorable experience. Price wise, nothing!!  Bearing in mind that South America is somewhat cheaper than Europe or the USA. For 14 of us – starter, main course, desert, aperitifs, imported wine and coffee, plus one or two drinks at the bar,  the price per head was 35€.

The food, service, ambience and price I found to be superb and would suggest anyone visiting Lima not to miss out on this restaurant.

The Rosa Nautica,
Espigón 4,
Circuito de Playas,
Miraflores, Lima

Posted under Restaurant Reviews

My long-standing good friends, Ian and Mary, took me out for a surprise lunch on my birthday. We drove the coastal scenic route to La Herradura, and then up the rugged mountain road to the Mirador de Cerro Gordo – a restaurant perched in the cliffs 200 metres above sea level and in the middle of the protected natural park of Cerro Gordo. The views were breath-taking, and the air fresh with the scent of pine trees, natural flowers and herbs.

We sat at a comfortable table outdoors so we could look at the scenery whilst we ate. We each chose one of the Gourmet Sandwiches available on the lunch-time menu. These sandwiches are made with ciabatta bread and served with a cup of home-made thick chips and alioli. The sandwich filling of my choice was the home-marinated salmon with cucumber, crisp lettuce and black pepper. Mary chose the peeled prawns with cucumber and a Marie Rose dressing; Ian had the warm, griddled breast of chicken with salad and a mustard mayonnaise. The Gourmet Sandwiches cost 6 euros each which at first I thought was a bit pricey for a sandwich, but then concluded that it was worth the price after I realised how filling and delicious the sandwich was. The other lunch-time menu option was Mixed Tapas – which has to be ordered for a minimum of 2 people -  also served with ciabatta bread, and consisting of such delicacies as smoked duck, Serrano ham, gravalax, etc. Ian had just about enough room for a delicious dessert afterwards:  sticky toffee pudding with hot toffee sauce and toasted nuts.

A truly wonderful lunch set in a unique relaxing setting, with friendly service and gourmet food. As an added bonus, the restaurant comes complete with its own pet black squirrel, “Lady Lucille” who jumps outdoors from tree to tree, occasionally landing on the straw shades above diners!

The occasion was an experience I would most definitely like to repeat. If you plan to visit this restaurant in the evening I would recommend booking a table in advance. They also cater for celebration parties and weddings. More information is available on the restaurant’s website, including their menus and some tasty-sounding recipes.

For keen walkers there is a rugged path beside the restaurant which leads to the Cerro Gordo Tower; for naturists there is another path which takes you down to the Cantarrijan naturist beach.

Mirador de Cerro Gordo; Ctra vieja de Malaga
Tel: 958 349 099
Email: reservations@miradorcerrogordo.com
Website: http://www.miradorcerrogordo.com

GPS: N36° 43.940 W003° 46.055

Posted under Restaurant Reviews

From inception, the Dinner4two concept for restaurants and diners has been a welcome innovation for  restaurants on the Cost del Sol.

In an interview, one of the co-directors stated that he was extremely pleased by the response and was looking forward to the more formal launch in early June.

Asked what the main advantages are for he scheme, he revealed that the diners are able to buy an excellent dinner for two, once every month, at participating restaurants that have been chosen for their excellence of food, service and ambiance.  At the present time the main tranche of restaurants is based  around Nerja, Torrox Costa and Velez Malaga.  Plans are in place to make a second launch in the Benalmadena area sometime in June.

New clients are delighted to have such a wide variety of restaurants to choose from and all within easy traveling distance.
Visit their new site with up-dated information by clicking here

Posted under Featured Articles, Restaurant Reviews

Mexican Tortilla is quite different to the Spanish tortilla in that the former is a type of bread or pancake., where as the the Spanish tortilla is more of an omelet.

The tortilla Mexican style dates back over two thousand years and is served fried as toccatas.  It is enjoyed for its taste and its low fat content particularly in California where they are slowly becoming more conscientious about obesity.

Here is the recipe:-  4 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/8  teaspoon of baking powder, half a cup of shortening, 1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt and a cup of warm water.

Mix the dough with the shortening first and then gradually add the water with the dissolved sea salt.  It is possible that you will need some extra warm water but not too much.  After mixing by hand for about a minute or minute and a half you should leave the dough (covered) to stand for about twenty minutes.

After leaving the dough to stand, cut into about twelve even portions and roll into small balls of dough.  Dust a rolling pin and pastry board lightly with flour to prevent sticking.

Now roll the balls of dough into pancake like disks ready for cooking.

Once you have your disks of dough all prepared which you can stack separated by some non stick grease proof paper, you are ready to cook your Mexican Tortillas.

A cast iron frying pan is probably the best way but alternatively you could just grill your tortillas.  Turn them over every fifteen to twenty seconds until nicely browned and then stack on a clean towel to keep warm and clean.

You can serve them with a thin paste of butter, jam or even a meat filling.  Why not be experimental and try ir with a banana filling and some orange segments?  You never know, you might find a completely new combination that really excites your taste buds.

Posted under Restaurant Reviews