GOURMET INTERNATIONAL | REVIEWS OF FINE FOOD AND WINE RESTAURANTS Join our international membership and submit your review of a gourmet restaurant.

I set off from Velez-Malaga full of anticipation at enjoying an evening with friends at the Bistro.  Of course, completely in character, I managed to get lost even though I was using SatNav to find the place.  Eventually some charming Spanish people gave me directions and I arrived to find an entertainer with a wonderful singing away.  As my eyes slowly adjusted to the subdued lighting I gradually recognized friends that I had not seen for a while and I was pleased to find that although I was about thirty minutes late, nobody had started to eat yet.  In fact orders had not been taken.

The ambiance was really nice and I was quickly into the spirit of the evening.  Everyone was out to have an enjoyable evening and the entertainment was very good.  I had decided that I would wait until after the first course before asking anyone to have a dance but it was not very long before a couple broke the ice and were showing us how it was done as they strutted their stuff on the dance floor.  The dance area was not very big and the more flamboyant amongst us were going to find it just a little restrictive.  However as the evening wore on it soon became clear that close proximity to others was not going to inhibit some of the ladies who gracefully demonstrated, even with the constraints of the dance floor, they could perform some amazing and ingenious dips and twirls.

As the food arrived and served with impeccable style, I became more engaged in the interesting conversations around me and the food was everything one could wish for.   I had elected to start with a tuna salad and it was a fresh well balance starter with just the right amount of fish and salad that had not been overwhelmed by lettuce.  This was helped by a generous helping of red wine from my friends,  Steve and Carol.  As I had decided to be very sparing in the amount of alcohol that I consumed this was sufficient for the whole evening.

Of course, as this was a dinner dance evening, each course was followed by a dance or two or three.  This was definitely an evening where you could burn off your calories as you consumed them.

I had elected to have the chicken in mushroom sauce as my main course and I was served with a generous helping which kept me from dancing for about thirty minutes unlike some of my table companions who were were much quicker off the mark and had eaten their meal and were dancing the night away with enthusiasm.  (I did not know that anyone could eat that quickly.)

The desserts arrived and mine was waiting for me as I came off the dance floor.

Eventually, the singer had decided that he had entertained us long enough and bade us goodnight.  He was generous enough to concede an encore and sang us one more song and then it was time to thank the organizers and be on our way at something like 12.45.  However, not before the restaurateur had played us a song with his guitar.  It was a little while before we realized that it was the song about living next door to Alice.  Some of my friends were quite  imaginative with the  wording.

We made our way to our respective cars and prepared to go home, knowing that we would really like to revisit the restaurant, having had a really good night out.

The whole evening was organized by Tony and Judith from Move to the music If you ever fancy a good night out dancing then try them.  Good music, good dancing and very good company.  Note:  They have changed their venue.

Bistro The Gallery,Avenida Del Prado 4, Aloha
29660  Nueva Andalucia, Marbella

Telephone 952 818 262
Mobile 661 826 652

For those of you with GPS you can find it at:-

36°30′1.17″N  4°57′35.95W

Posted under Restaurant Reviews

I went on a visit to the restaurant Viuda because it was recommended as a very good restaurant with fabulous fish dishes with my good friend Michelle from axcespropertydirect.com. The outside was very unobtrusive, unostentatious, indeed I have driven past many times and not seen it before.  Having been told it was wise to book first and in particular, for a Saturday night, I had taken the advice and went and found it and booked a table for two.  On arrival I could see that my informant had given good advice because every table was occupied and there was a happy, chatty atmosphere.  The spectacle that awaited us as we were shown to our table was breathtaking.  The beginning of sunset at around 8 pm had begun and nature’s artistry was at the very height of its glory.  We were looking over the sea and towards Malaga and the colours displayed were awesome.  Awesome is not a word that I would use very often but frankly, it is the only word suitable for the sunset display that we were witnessing.  All we had to do was wait and see if the food was as good as the ambiance.  I ordered a prawn tortilla and my companion, a prawn cocktail.  The waiter was very tolerant of our poor Spanish, but our food and wine arrived after a few minutes and we started to really enjoy selections.

For a second course I had ordered a mixed grill of fish and Michelle ordered a single fish dish as we chatted.

It was some time after 11 pm that we finally took our leave and I think we were the last to leave but at no time did the staff seem at all impatient.  They just busied themselves with whatever restaurant staff do when they are anticipating going home.  We had had a thoroughly enjoyable time and would highly recommend a visit.  But…. one word of caution.  The helpings are generous and in order to do justice to the food it is wise not to eat anything for six to eight hours before arrival because you will never be able to complete your meal which is beautifully cooked and served with the minimum of fuss.

For those of you with a GPS  the restaurant can be found at the following:-

36°44′40.67″N  4° 2′30.77″W

Posted under Restaurant Reviews, Videos

My friends, my son and I finished off a relaxing day by treating ourselves to icecream dishes at the recommended, newly opened, Tutti Frutti icecream parlour along the Torrox Costa promenade. There was adequate seating outside so we chose to sit in the shade. We ordered two icecream dishes from the multi-language illustrated menu: Brazilian Delight and Summer Fruits; scoops of icecream topped with whipped cream. I went inside to chose some mixed flavoured scoops from the vast selection of soft icecream in the display cabinet. I chose coffee, hazelnut, chocolate and mint. Although the servings were quite generous, they were also so yummy that I could possibly have eaten another serving!

It was definitely a fine choice for a treat to end our day.  Perhaps my only grumble was that I did find the prices a bit steep, but I shouldn’t complain because my friends treated me.

Another review for the Tutti Frutti icecream parlour can be found here.

Posted under Restaurant Reviews

Proof was provided today that Torrox Costa possesses many of the finest eateries East of Malaga. Part  of a relaxing day out at the beach with long-standing friends of mine and my son consisted of a menu del dia lunch at chinese restaurant Asiatico Jing. A three-course substantial quality meal was provided for a mere 5.95 euros each. For starters we chose Chinese salad and a light savoury soup. The main course consisted of chicken with almond sauce, beef with vegetables and a spicy sauce chicken. All accompanied by egg fried special rice that was cooked perfectly. Dessert was a choice of icecream, flan or a cup of coffee.

I’m not a lover of chinese food, but I was impressed by the high standard of this restaurant’s cuisine. In my opinion, there is nothing more off-putting than having food served with an over-abundance of oil, sauce, salt or monosodium glutamate food flavourings which, unfortunately,  is the case with dishes prepared in many chinese restaurants. The food at the Asiatico Jing chinese restaurant does not fall into that category, and was deliciously faultless.

Asiatico Jing was busy – as always – despite the ‘credit crunch’. Its popularity is due to its first-class cuisine. I have now dined twice at this restaurant, will do so again, and highly recommend it.

A further review on Asiatico Jing can be found here.

Posted under Restaurant Reviews

I experienced one of the best lunches I’ve ever had in Spain today. My good friend, Tony, invited me to Meson La Terna restaurant in Velez Malaga. The exterior of the restarant is rather unassuming, i.e. standard and low profile, but clean and sleek looking, so on entering I was pleasantly taken aback by the picturesque traditional spanish interior decor, complete with 3 stuffed bulls’ heads decorating the dining room walls.  I was impressed with the real cotton linen tablecloth with matching serviettes, and other attention to detail. (I rarely re-enter an eating establishment that provides me with thin paper serviettes unless the food is impecable, but that rarely happens!).  We were immediately greeted by smiling faces – a rare occurence these days; the manager, the waitress and the chef came out to greet us. Read More…

Posted under Restaurant Reviews