Review: the FOOD (Costa del Sol)

Our first trip to Spain was on our honeymoon. Back in the spring of 2001, at the time the coldest spring in eighty years, we backpacked Europe for six weeks. We LOVED Spain. In part because we were finally warm but that had as much to do with the people as the weather. It helped that SM’s Spanish was decent at that point and my understanding wasn’t bad. The cities were stunning, each in its own unique way. The art amazing. The nightlife exhausting in the best possible way. I’ll say it again, we LOVED Spain. But when we entered Spain from France while the drinks got infinitely better, the food got infinitely worse.

We went to Barcelona, Madrid, down to Seville, then back up to Barcelona before leaving for Italy. There were, like, two restaurants that we liked in Barcelona, one in Madrid, and we found nothing impressive in Seville. In France I got food poisoning, but I still enjoyed everything I ate at the time I ate it even if I much regretted it later. And the first meal in Italy, random little pasta place in Milan, had us closing our eyes in ecstasy. Other than Venice, a city in which no one apparently actually lives, we could not scrounge up a bad culinary experience in Italy. We even had good culinary experiences in Germany and Switzerland. So we just chalked it up to the food not being very good in Spain.

Then we meet all these Brits who spend ages in Spain and they wax poetic about the phenomenal food to be found there. At first we dismiss them because, well, they’re British. Mostly English. A place at the time not particularly well known for fine cuisine. Then we meet a few French folks who begrudgingly acknowledge that there are, indeed, some fine victuals to be found in Spain and we start to wonder. Maybe we just had bad luck in the comida department during our first time there.

Our second time through Spain was very spur of the moment. After my Dad surprised me in Hungary on my birthday we traveled together for a month through Hungary, Romania, and Morocco. When Dad flew home from Casablanca we headed up to Tangier with another two or three weeks left in our trip. Originally we’d planned to work our way back through Morocco to Marrakech. Sitting at a restaurant looking across the water at Spain we look at each other and say, why not? We take the ferry across the water. The woman who runs the hostel in our arrival city of Algeciras recommends the tapas place next door. OH MY GOD.

The food in Hungary, in Romania, in Morocco- it was all quite good. We had not a single bad meal and a couple of places were outstanding. Maybe this little tapas bar, whose name I sincerely wish I remembered, stood out because it was so unexpected. But every tasty little bit was an explosion of flavor. There was this chickpea dish that I have been trying and failing to recreate ever since. Just deliciousness everywhere all up in my mouth. Then we move on to Málaga (afuckingmazing), Granada (even fucking better!), and up to Madrid which was okay.

This time in Marbella and back in Málaga we were ready to be wowed and we were not disappointed. A bad meal was not had during the trip, though the local penchant for late night eating did lead to one wicked case of heartburn. Here are a few of the places that stood out for me.

In Málaga we made it back to Casa Vicente. Our first time in the city this was one of the many excellent recommendations made by the staff at our hotel. Apparently, it is quite famous. The last time we were in Spain it was February and very off season so we had this place mostly to ourselves the multiple times we went. Though everything was good it was the pil pil that we came back for.

Pil pil is an incredibly common dish in the region. Like many of the best dishes it is made up of a few simple ingredients: olive oil, shrimp, garlic, smoked paprika, and a hint of spice from dried chili. What makes Casa Vincente’s stand out is the sheer amount of garlic and the small size of the shrimp. The pil pil are brought out still sizzling in classic terracotta dishes. It is served with bread that has a crisp crust on the outside and is nothing but delightful fluff on the inside. The abundant garlic is minced so finely I am half convinced it is shredded. The small shrimp are never overdone which makes me believe they cook in the oil on the way to the table. What we end up with is almost a paste that when spread on the bread is a little bit spicy, a little bit smokey, a lot garlicky, and all good. The kind of flavor and texture combination found in great restaurants and the kitchens of grandmothers the world over.

So, yes. We like it. Go there. Enjoy.

Spanish food is delicious but while I wouldn’t call it rich, exactly, it’s not heavy on the fresh fruits and vegetables. At least not what we’ve been exposed to. Enter Byoko. I was craving fresh fruit and dense fiber for my morning meal so we Googled healthy breakfast Málaga, which led us to this place. Byoko was exactly what we were looking for. Fresh pressed juice blends, organic everything, oatmeal, chia seeds, dense whole grain bread, the dishes ranged from paleo to vegan. I got the overnight oats with fresh fruit and fruit compote. I forget exactly what SM ordered, I think something with chia seeds and yogurt, but it was quite yummy as well. My green tea was nice. It was green tea. But the apple ginger juice was divine.

In Marbella Google-fu led us to a little place called La Fuensanta Bodeguita whose food is as wonderful as the website is terrible. Traveling with LB is a very different experience for us. We need to do everything around her schedule and her interests. This time around we saw not a single museum on the Costa del Sol, but we saw at least a dozen different parks. That’s how we sightsee nowadays, hopping from playground to playground taking in ruins and castles and the like in the in-between. That’s how we ended up in the area near this restaurant. It’s a little out of the way but well worth it.

When we sat down I ordered a couple of things and SM ordered more. A lot more, as it turned out. Made to order the food arrived in waves: meatballs, ribs, eggplant (or aubergine if you prefer), anchovies, and more. When I expressed confusion at the deluge of food they were happy to take some back despite the fact that my husband had, indeed, ordered half the menu. This was in part in the hopes of finding something that our threeteen-year-old, who has become as finicky as any toddler despite my best efforts, would eat and in part because the place is very affordable. We ended up keeping every single item ordered and doing our damnedest to leave as little as possible behind. LB’s favorites were the meatballs and the flan.

Any one thing this place has to offer: excellent food, generous portions, affordable prices, friendly staff and owners, charming atmosphere, would be enough reason to step away from the heavily touristed areas and seek it out. All together it really is a must. Enjoy.

By the time this is posted to the blog I will be in Portugal so look forward to more reviews of hotels and restaurants in the sunny south of Europe coming soon.