El Faro – El Puerto de Santa María

Posted on April 29, 2019 by Shawn

The El Faro group (which actually consists of 4 restaurants and a catering company), used to be best known (by me) for the El Faro restaurant in Cádiz, where I’ve stopped for tapas a few times, but there is also an El Faro fine dining restaurant and tapas bar in El Puerto de Santa María which I’ve been wanting to try for ages, and recently I had the opportunity to visit twice.

Restaurante El Faro in El Puerto has been run by chef Fernando Córdoba and his wife Ana Isabel Puerto for over 30 years now. It’s located just outside the old city, not far from the bullring, in an old manor house surrounded by gardens, including the restaurant’s own kitchen herb and seasonal vegetable garden,, and the general appearance and atmosphere is “modern in a traditional style”. There are several dining areas of various sizes, some for private functions, but our interest was in the substantial area in front of the huge wooden bar, which is where tapas are available.

The cuisine itself is generally typical of the region, with lots of fresh fish and seafood, with seasonal variations, especially for fresh vegetables, and the quality is excellent. Very hard to pick a favourite, though on our first visit Chef Fernando let us order the taquitos de urta frito, served in the body of the fish itself, which is usually only available in the dining room. Fabulous presentation and flavour, but I honestly can’t think of a dish we’ve tried here that wasn’t exceptional. Tempura baby leeks from their garden? Almadraba red tuna tartare? Their exquisite tortillitas de camarones? I think it’s safe to say you can’t go wrong here.

We were also fortunate enough to have Fernando show us around the restaurant’s substantial bodega (150 sq metres, with over 400 wines), and talk to us about the joys – and a few pitfalls – of the restaurant business. His genuine enthusiasm and love of food and wine shows itself in every aspect of the experience. I love that he is passionate about sherry wines, and also about working with the abundance of local products that he has available. Fernando is a modest chef, preferring to be behind the scenes, but his food deserves centre stage. El Faro is a “must do” if you are ever lucky enough to be in El Puerto de Santa María.

Avenida de Fuentebravía Km 0.5
El Puerto de Santa María
Tel 956 870 952
€ € € €

Food 9 | Wine 10 | Service 9 | Ambiance 9

tortillita de camarones

zamburiñas with lemon and capers

ruby red almadraba tuna tartare

tempura leeks from their own garden

grilled almadraba tuna with vegetables, quinoa and citrus sauce

Foreño

Posted on August 12, 2018 by Shawn

Foreño opened its doors in Sanlúcar’s Plaza del Cabildo about a year ago, and when I was in town for Manzanilla Day, I took the opportunity to pay a visit. It’s the latest addition to the Tribeca group (Tribeca and Cañabota in Sevilla) run by the brothers Eduardo and Jaime Guardiola, and specialises in fish and seafood (the name Foreño is the local name for the wind that blows in from the sea).

There’s a pleasant bar inside, with both low and tall tables, and what I think is the prettiest terrace in Plaza del Cablildo. Efficient and attentive service too.

The menu is mainly big plates, but with some tapas. We had croquettes (choco and jamón), a scorpion fish paté, sea bream, and “postre de yema Calbarro”, the signature egg yolk cream dessert at Tribeca. All delicious.

Plaza del Cabildo 6
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Tel 956 960 185
€ € € €

Food 8 | Wine 9 | Service 8 | Ambiance 8

cabracho (scorpion fish) paté

croquetas: chocos and jamón

a side of garlicky potatoes

sea bream a la plancha

postre de yema Calbarro

pretty terraza!

Casa Bigote

Posted on August 11, 2018 by Shawn

Pórtico Bajo de Guía 10
Tel 956 36 26 96
€ € € €

Food 9 | Wine 8 | Service 8 | Ambiance 7

gambas de sanlúcar

we love gambas

tuna in manteca

chocos fritos

A Mar

Posted on August 11, 2018 by Shawn

Restaurante A Mar was opened in 2017 by chef Julián Olivares (also owner of Albores), and specialises in traditional fish, rice and meat dishes, with a limited tapas menu. It’s quite spacious, with the typical division into a bar area, a dining room, and a small terrace on the pedestrian street outside. The decor includes a preserved section of the old wall, and features “hanging gardens”, and display cases for market fresh fish and big slabs of meat destined for the grill (apologies for absence of interior photos). The dishes were tried were quite good, though our monkfish carpaccio came still partially frozen (we were told it was supposed to be that way). The grilled octopus and fried squid were better. There’s a wide range of local wines, especially sherries.

Latorre 8
Tel 956 322 915
€ € € €

Food 6 | Wine 7 | Service 6 | Ambiance 7

ensaladilla de gambas

monkfish carpaccio

calamares fritos

grilled octopus with potato parmentier

Mesón Asador Toro

Posted on August 10, 2018 by Shawn

I was first introduced to the Mesón Asador Toro by friends, and have returned on subsequent visits. It’s a fairly traditional bar-restaurant with plenty of space round the bar, a large dining area in a separate room to the side, and an outside terrace, and an overall very pleasant ambience. Service is efficient and friendly too.

The food is very good, with an emphasis on char-grilled meat (top choice the parrillada mixta – mixed grill – more than enough for two), but there’s a fair range of fish and seafood too. I probably wouldn’t have come here by chance, but now it’s become one of my go-to places in Jerez for no-frills homestyle cooking.

Porvenir 11
Jerez de la Frontera
Tel 628 353 282
€ € €

Food 7 | Wine 6 | Service 6 | Ambiance 6

marinated carrots (complimentary)

papas aliñadas (complimentary)

dressed baby gems with anchovies and tomato

croquetas Ibéricas

artichokes in sherry sauce

gambas al ajillo

pork meatballs in salsa

presa with jamón

solomillo in oloroso sauce

retinto beef entrecôte

pork ribs

mixed grill: presa, solomillo, costillitas, lagarto,
chorizo criollo, morcilla de burgos, chips

La Deriva

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Shawn

La Deriva has been on my radar since it opened in 2014 but as it’s a restaurant with just a few tapas options, it’s not great for solo dining. But on a recent visit to Málaga I finally arranged to meet friends there for a meal. There are two dining areas inside and the décor is modern with attractive ceiling lighting and exposed brick walls. There is also a sidewalk terrace out on the busy street (never a favourite, sitting out in traffic).

The menu is interesting – a combination of traditional and innovative dishes that we found to be a bit hit and miss. The “tempura” prawns came covered a dense chewy batter, while the tempura veggies were light, crispy and delicious. The tuna mormo was also very good, and we finished off with an excellent cheese plate. Overall a pleasant experience, though I wouldn’t say it’s particularly good value for money. Service was okay.

Alameda Colón 7
Málaga
Tel 638 08 65 29
€ € € €

Food 7 | Wine 7 | Service 6 | Ambiance 7

battered prawns with habanero alioli

tempura veggies with soy sauce

tuna mormo with sautéed spinach and pine nuts

cheeses

Soca

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Shawn

Opened in August 2016, Soca Restaurant, run by Joanna Coghlan, offers both Mediterranean cuisine and sushi. The attractive corner location has an L-shaped interior with seating either in front of the bar or along its other side, with a small sidewalk terrace. I just stopped in for a light snack and both the tapas I tried were excellent. I’d like to go back again with friends and try some of the larger plates for sharing. It’s another bright spot on previously down-at-heel Carretería street, which lately has been picking itself up with the arrival of new hipsterish bars, restaurants and shops.

Carretería 54
Málaga
Tel 951 53 26 34
€ € € €

Food 7 | Wine 7 | Service 6 | Ambiance 7

salmon nigiri with lime and teriyaki

Ibérico pork rib arepa with avocado cream and romesco sauce

Hierbabuena

Posted on July 29, 2018 by Shawn

My “home away from home” in Málaga is in the same barrio as Hierbabuena and so I’ve passed by many times over several visits, but it was only recently that I decided to try it out. It’s a real neighbourhood bar with an attractive interior and spacious terrace in the square, which is a great place to be on a summer evening. And it turns out that the food is quite nice too. Also … all day kitchen!

There’s a small selection of tapas on the menu, but it’s mostly medium-sized plates for sharing. Love the gambas al ajillo and the fritos, as well as their simple fresh tomato salad. Nice cold Victoria beer, decent wines, good service and fun casual vibe.

Calle Puerta Nueva 1
Málaga
Tel 692 830 267
€ € €

Food 7 | Wine 6 | Service 6 | Ambiance 6

tomato salad

pork skewer “pincho moruno”

lagrimitas de pollo with alioli

lamb skewer

breaded rosado

sizzling gambas al ajillo

rice of the day

Los Mellizos

Posted on December 23, 2017 by Shawn

Updated July 2018

In 1956 Pepe Montes y Loli Montero opened their first fish bar on Malagueta beach, later relocating to Benalmádena with their four sons in 1982. Today the sons run a chain of very successful seafood restaurants along the Costa del Sol, and are also fish wholesalers who cater to almost 100 other restaurants, so it’s safe to say they know their business. The location in central Málaga comprises two buildings across the street from each other – one a traditional bar and restaurant, the other with a more stylish look. We opted to sit at the bar in the trad bar, in front of the enticing displays of fresh fish and seafood.

The fritos are a house speciality, but they also offer a variety of grilled, baked or stewed options, as well as excellent quality charcuterie. We also loved the sizzling gambas pil pil, and white bean seafood stew.

By the way, the business group takes its name from the brothers Florencio and Ramón, although they are not identical twins (mellizos), but fraternal twins (gemelos). Recommended!

Sancha de Lara 7
Málaga
Tel 952 22 03 15
€ € € €

Food 8 | Wine 7 | Service 7 | Ambiance 8

salpicón de gambas

baby gems with peeled and marinated tomatoes

breaded rosada with alioli

chocos fritos (cuttlefish)

“tierra y mar” breaded veggies with chanquetes and prawns

boquerones al limón

white beans and seafood stew

sizzling prawn pilpil

Updated July 2018

Mesón Ibérico

Posted on October 19, 2017 by Shawn

José Luís Zorrilla opened the doors of the Mesón Ibérico in April 1998, with the ambition of making it a beacon in the world of tapas and good eating. His knowledge of food and his commercial experience has allowed him to offer the highest quality products at reasonable prices, with a touch of originality and a commitment to good service.

I first came here a few years ago on my own, and was at a bit of a loss as there aren’t many tapas on offer. I sat at the bar and tried a couple of the montaditos (tasty!) and left. More recently I visited with a friend and we were able to share a few plates. The decor is very old-school with lots of wood and white walls festooned with old photos, chalkboard menus and bottles of wine. In the bar area it’s pretty much self-service, and the ambiance is lively and convivial. I really liked it. And the food is terrific. Looking forward to a return visit.