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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

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.

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Previous to recently enjoying an evening meal in this restaurant, I could only personally recommend one other Chinese restaurant in this immediate vicinity; that one being in the nearby town of Torre del Mar. It was quite by chance that I came to dine here; the restaurant is on a corner of a main street surrounded by shops.

We were greeted with a smile and sat at a table of our choice. Inside the décor is Chinese, quite luxurious but not overbearing. The only complaint was the consistent background muzak of pan pipes, which after 2 and a half hours was starting to grate on my nerves!

The menu was overly-extensive – a book in its own right – so our party of three decided to settle on the Set Menu for 4 Persons at 54 Euros. This set menu comprised of seven different starters, including Dim Sum, Peking duck and  spare ribs. The restaurant manager then came over to our table to ask if we would like to have a break and wait 15 minutes or so for the main courses. I replied that I thought I had already eaten the main courses! What followed was a struggle in the fact that the starters had been ample enough. The main courses consisted of delicacies such as chicken in oyster sauce, beef in a rich dark sweet sauce and king prawns – all accompanied by platters of special fried rice and separate vegetables. All the food was served piping hot, and we were given a change of silver cutlery for each course.

The food, service and atmosphere were faultless. However, the house red wine and coffee were inferior. The deserts were of the pre-packed frozen variety when I had expected fresh fruit, and something more in keeping quality-wise to the rest of the meal.

We did have an enjoyable evening, but be warned that if you are going to eat here all the portions are on the bulky side so wear something lose around the waist!

I shall definitely be eating here again, and it’s certainly an ideal place for a special occasion such as a birthday party.

Access and parking is not a problem, the entire restaurant is clean, comfortable and well-lit, and the staff speak many languages.

(Note: the photos were taken with a Nokia Navigator mobile phone, and therefore do not do the food justice).

C/Camino Viejo de Malaga 6, 29700 Velez Malaga
Tel: 952 506 966

Posted under Restaurant Reviews

I often visit Crumbles Cafe Bar for breakfast or somewhere to have lunch, so why do I do it?  To be honest I like a wide variety in my choice of meals and Spanish dishes particularly appeal, but every now and then I crave those familiar dishes like a traditional English Sunday lunch….. and that is why I like to eat at Crumbles.  Many English restaurants just don’t pass muster.  Fortunately, Crumbles is really good with well-cooked and delightfully served dishes, and frankly helpings that make you think about whether or not your waistline can take a few more inches.

Crumbles is really easy to find because it is on the right hand side of Avenida Antonio Tore Tore on the way down to the beach, just before the turning off to Hotel Manaike .

Opening times: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 9.30-18.00. Saturday and Sunday 10.00-17.00.

Avenida Tore-Tore 22, Torre del Mar. Tel: 635 080 095 or 618 640 086.

For those of you with a GPS ………

Posted under Restaurant Reviews