Our first stop is the beach town of Praia da Rocha. I last came here in 1998. I noticed that the main strip does not resemble that time. It is now full of karaoke bars and shops selling tourist ware, apart from the classical Bella Vista Hotel and Spa.  We spent our first two nights at the HOTEL DA ROCHA    Four Stars Avenida Tomás Cabreira, 8500-802 Praia da Rocha, Portimão +351 282 424 081 www.hoteldarocha.com It is a nice, clean hotel with friendly staff. The swimming pool

ACÁNTHUM One Michelin Star PERMANELY CLOSED 2024 After two years at San Sebastian's Arzak, Xanty Elias came home, determined to shake up Huelva's dining scene. His two tasting menus (from €75 with wine) only change twice a year. They may include pistachio, crumbled cookie and white chocolate dust, laid out as a map of the nearby marshes, and include palate-thrilling dishes like beef sirloin (solomillo) with spiced lard and tangy, mustardy mackerel with tender lupini bea

RESTAURANTE ES VENTALL Michelin Plate IIO A return to Sant Antoni during the Covid-hit summer of 2020 saw us return to one of our favourite restaurants in town. On this balmy July evening, everyone was sitting in the garden area as we tucked into the following, Croquetas de gambas (prawn croquettes) Atún tartar (tuna tartar) Hummus Berenjena tempura (aubergine tempura) Costilla cerdo (de-boned pork ribs) Paletilla de Cordero (10 hours, slow-cooked, shoulder of lamb)

RESTAURANTE CA N'ESMERALDA This restaurant has been in operation for a few years. It is situated in a secluded location, hidden away from the main town area of Sant Antoni de Portmany (San Antonio Abad), near the end of Cala de Bou, overlooking San Antonio Bay. We popped in for a light lunch (do we really have light lunches?) and tried the following. Pan con aioli Papas asadas, alioli, hilos de chile y nuestro ingrediente especial (roasted potatoes, aioli, chilli threads, an

APONIENTE Two Michelin Stars   Chef de Mar Ángel León Gonzales now has his third Michelin star in his ultra-modern restaurant, which he has recently moved into. It is a converted 18th-century flour mill overlooking the estuary and, most appropriately, looking out to sea, on the banks of the Guadalete River. This is a review from 2015, the restaurant has moved to new premises and now has three Michelin Stars. The old restaurant is now an upmarket tapas bar/restaurant and is

CANTO We came to Canto, a recent creation of Simon Shaw, of El Gato Negro Tapas fame, on an unusually sunny Sunday Lunchtime In Manchester, for a meal before going to the football at Old Trafford later that day. You will find this younger sibling of Simon's in the heart of Manchester's latest to be redeveloped neighbourhood, Ancoats, on Cutting Room Square. It is quite a stunning, ample space with blue Portuguese tiles that reminded me of a recent visit to Braga. They use th

APONIENTE Three Michelin Stars A return visit to the Angel Leóns Restaurant (famous for its cuisine of the sea and only from the sea). We had previously visited the restaurant in its old guise in the centre of El Puerto de Santa Maria, which is now their upmarket tapas bar/restaurant. The new, far more glamorous place is just outside town, in what was an old flour mill, built in 1815. A small river/stream flows under the current building, and the energy generated was used

TAST- LLER Chef Mikel Peinador's small restaurant is in a back alley loft off La Rambla. It serves excellent, innovative food in a wonderful environment. The restaurant is like a quirky host's home and feels like a house dinner party. You think you are in his home, and he is cooking just for you. The loft is decorated with many interesting artefacts and close personal attention to detail. The only menu is the tasting menu, and everything is down to Mikel, who buys top-qualit

CASA MACA (HOTEL RURAL ES TRULL DE CAN PALAU) UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2022 Hotel Rural Es Trull de Can Palau was taken over by the Mambo Group around 2019 and renamed Casa Maca, so I don't know if the information is correct. I believe they now have a minimum spend policy of €150 per person (to be paid in advance) and limit the table to a maximum of 2.5 hours. Many have complained that it is significantly overpriced. It is still a great venue, but you should be aware of the chang

CASA JULIAN This is an unremarkable, easy-to-miss little Restaurant in the little-known Tolosa, 28 km inland from San Sebastián. Once you find it and walk in, you will think you are in the wrong place. You will see an area containing several fridges and a load of crates, and you are likely to turn around and walk out again until you are greeted warmly and seated in the old-fashioned dining room, which doesn't look like it's changed much in a century. The steaks are cooked to