UPDATED - APRIL 2025 - CLOSED In October 2021, we visited a Vilarnau cava-tasting evening with tapas at Ibérica Canary Wharf, London. A brief history of Vilarnau Cava. Members of the Spanish nobility, the Vilarnau family, settled in Penedés, Catalonia, in the 12th century. Vilarnau is a contraction of the Latin “Vila Arnau,” i.e., the Arnau family’s “country house” or “domus.” Formerly, it stood within the estate of the Castillo de Subirats, where vines had been grown since t

EL INVERNADERO RODRIGO DE LA CALLE One Michelin Star We had an enjoyable and excellent vegetarian meal at this newly awarded one Michelin star restaurant run by chef Rodrigo de la Calle, who has worked at various Michelin-starred restaurants over the years, especially with Martín Berasategui at his eponymous restaurant in Lasarte. We chos e the #VegetaliaPowe r menu at €135 (there are other menus at €95 and €65), including water, bread, cheeses, and pairing with their dr

VENETIIS RESTAURANT This restaurant is undoubtedly a great discovery for us in Benalmádena Pueblo. Chef Matteo Manzato mixes Italian and Malagueña cuisine to stunning effect in a carefully designed, atmospheric environment. It has its own style, mixing great service, excellent food, and fine cuisine. The presentation of every dish is an ultimate picture that everyone would love to share on Instagram. We had the extremely reasonable tasting menu, un paseo por Ventiis menú degu

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

HOTEL MiM IBIZA ES VIVÉ́ Fresh from a reasonably recent overhaul, in quiet Figueretes, about a mile from Eivissa (Ibiza town), This uber-chic Miami-style art deco hotel is an excellent destination for Balearic chilling. All rooms and suites had an upgrade. With a series of pool parties and fashion events in a high season packed with sexy bikini-clad dance divas recovering on white sun lounges from the previous day/night excesses, please be aware this hotel is an over-18s-only

RESTAURANTE TAST AVENIDAS After a long, gruelling day of shopping/exploring the old town of Palma de Mallorca, we popped into Tast Avenidas (one of the few Tast venues around town). This one is in a great location in the city centre next to La Rambla. After being seated, we chose from the mainly pincho menu (a pincho or pintxo is a small snack, typically eaten in bars, traditionally, in northern Spain and especially popular in the Basque Country, Navarre, La Rioja, Cantabria,

FERA restaurant & BAR Michelin Plate IIO An excellent dining experience, only a minute away from the lively shopping area of Jaime III in Palma de Mallorca centre. The restaurant is in a tiny side street, set in a beautiful old casa with a garden featuring many local plants, where they also grow their own herbs. The restaurant garden. The excellent tasting menus by Chef Simon Petutschnig are either meat or vegetarian, priced at €65 each and are great value. Wine pairing at

NaDo Madrid PERMANENTLY CLOSED 2025 June 2021 This restaurant opened in late 2020, and we visited in June 2021. It’s not easy to find, as it is located underground in a cave-like setting. Chef Iván Domínguez, a native of A Coruña, has restaurants in both the city and Madrid. Both are called NaDo, which means “to swim in Galician, where his Atlantic haute cuisine originates. He is intensely interested in the so-called discarded fish from the Atlantic, and many of them appe

LOBITO DE MAR Michelin Plate IIO This beachless chiringuito on the N-340, on the outskirts of Marbella, is less expensive than Dani García’s other ventures; nevertheless, it still offers superb quality. It’s a very hip, modern and inviting restaurant with a vibrant atmosphere. On arrival, the fish in the display cabinet looked very fresh. I liked that they have made space for a tapas chillout section. We had a few tapas to start. Tapa de gazpacho. Tapa gambas blanco (w

KAVA Michelin Plate IIO In early March, we revisited one of our favourite places in Marbella, restaurant KAVA. Chef Fernando Alcalá, a former lawyer, prepares a menu of 10 dishes that change with seasonal produce and its availability at the market. There are two menús Menú Corto (six dishes) €55 Menú Largo (ten dishes) €85 Wine pairing is available. Each dish is comprised of three basic ingredients, with no fear of combining citrus, acids, and heat. Some of the ingre