SKINA Two Michelin Stars This is a minute restaurant in the old quarter of Marbella. It offers an interesting and bold approach to top-quality gastronomy. The cuisine is traditionally inspired, showcasing meticulous technique and the highest-quality ingredients. The food is nothing less than sublime. We had excellent, knowledgeable and friendly service from our waiter, Jesús, and the rest of the staff. The restaurant held one Michelin Star for ten years and now has t

BACK! TAPAS BAR & RESTAURANT Michelin Plate IIO David Olivas and Fabián Villar, chef and sommelier, respectively, are the creators of Back! A colourful and modern restaurant, with a focus on traditional and updated Andalucían cuisine. Although it states it’s a tapas bar and restaurant, it is probably more of a restaurant. The menu caters for tapas, sharing plates, set menus and new inventive culinary creations. On this occasion, we had the Menu, Grand Back 2020 (9 steps f

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

A FEW DAYS IN PLASENCIA - CÁCERES Our initial reason for going on this trip was to see the almond blossoms, but unfortunately, we were a little too early, so we spent our time in and around the town. Plasencia, a walled market city in the province of Cáceres in Extremadura, has a population of around 40,000. Situated on the banks of the Jerte River, Plasencia has a historic quarter, a result of the city's strategic location along the Silver Route (Ruta de la Plata), which gua

LA COSMOPOLITA MALAGUEÑA Michelin Plate IIO This place is a great little spot just off the calle Granada in the centre of Málaga’s old town. The decor is immaculate, with a traditional twist. You can have tapas at the bar or sit in the main restaurant. There is also an outside terrace for warm evenings. We returned one evening in January for a few late-night tapas at the bar, where we enjoyed Ensalada Rusa (Russian Salad) Bacalao (deep-fried cod) Albóndigas de cola d

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

RESTAURANTE VISTAS  One Michelin Star We had a short hop over the border into Portugal for a round of golf at Monte Rei Golf & Country Club. The course is set on over 400 hectares in the East Algarve countryside. This refined country club with villa accommodations is 9 km from the Praia da Manta Rota beach and 13 km from the Castle of Castro Marim. We topped off our afternoon on one of Europe’s best golf courses with dinner at Restaurante Vistas, which has stunning views ove

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

RESTAURANTE LA SAL Las Negras is a Spanish seaside town in the province of Almería, belonging to the municipality of Níjar. It is located...