Fine Dining Fine Dining
Words by Sam Jones 01/10/2007
MADE IN SARDINIA Simple pleasures BY SAMANTHA JONES Italian food lovers and anyone who can’t resist fine Mediterranean cuisine will be pleased to hear about a new restaurant just waiting to be discovered on the edge of Puerto Banús. Made in Sardinia opened its doors earlier this summer and is already receiving rave reviews (from both Italian and international customers) for its excellent food, welcoming service and friendly team of staff. The owners are four friends who teamed up while managing restaurants in London and decided to relocate to Spain to launch their own project. It certainly adds to the charm of the place that each one of them is from the same town in Sardinia. The menu has all the makings of a good authentic Italian restaurant – an excellent choice of dishes, salads, antipasti, pastas and fine Italian wines – but, listening to the flair and gusto with which owner Roberto talks about the food, we knew we were in for something even more special than normal. We started with the “Insalata Italiana” which, although simple – tomato, buffalo mozzarella, avocado, rocket and basil – was one the freshest salads I’ve been served in a long time. All sorts of original antipasti make up the starter menu so we left the choice to Roberto, who surprised us with home cured gravlax of salmon served with fresh artichokes and pecorino shavings; and lightly grilled calamari marinated with orange, fennel, ginger and a touch of thyme – both presented an interesting combination which literally melted in the mouth. Fresh pastas are a speciality at Made in Sardinia and the inventive choice of dishes did not disappoint: fresh black ink ravioli filled with perch in a courgette, prawn and fresh tomato sauce; and linguine with wild clams, mullet roe, tomato, garlic and a touch of chilli. Specials using the freshest produce are prepared daily but, on this occasion, we simply couldn’t manage the risotto with king prawns in a bisque sauce. Sardinia is renowned for its fresh fish and succulent seafood – a tradition which Roberto and his chefs did proud with a delicious oven-baked sea bass cooked with vernaccio wine, mussels, wild clams, fresh tomato and olive. Finally, as we delved into homemade tiramisu and a refreshing panacotta with strawberry coulis, we agreed, despite how full we were, that desserts were definitely a must.We sat back having enjoyed a truly authentic Italian meal with superb, friendly service to match. “It’s really simple,” Robert explained, “as long as you have all the right ingredients, you can’t go wrong.” I wondered, how could something so simple taste so good? Surely he meant the simply perfect combination of delicious food, great wine and excellent service which makes you want to return time after time again.
■ Made in SardiniaCC CristamarPuerto BanúsTel. 952 906 608 TERRAZA DUAL Irresistibly Italian From the owners of popular Banús beach club Mistral, comes Terraza Dual – the chic Italian restaurant on Marbella’s Golden Mile, fusing a menu of authentic specialities served with a creative touch, excellent service and stylish surroundings. One of the main secrets behind the continued success of the restaurant is the team of Italian chefs and waiters who do their best to bring a dining experience you could expect to find in Florence, Milan or Rome. The pizzas are said to be the finest Marbella has to offer − baked in a fabulous traditional oven, they come served thin and crispy (the “real” way) with both traditional and more inventive combinations of toppings. Freshly made pastas are equally as delectable, while fresh fish of the day and antipasti − including a salmon and hake carpaccio with spinach or a more unusual duck with hoi-sin sauce and mango − are prepared to the highest standard. Dual’s list of meat dishes proves consistently popular, and including finely sliced fillet steak in pepper, rocket or gorgonzola; succulent rack of lamb in mint; delicious veal; and duck breast, grilled and served with raspberry sauce. It wouldn’t be the real thing without a tempting list of Italian homemade desserts and Dual prides itself on panacotta with chocolate or strawberry syrup, hot chocolate budino and tarte tarin with apples, pine nuts and sultanas served hot with vanilla ice cream. Another ingredient which stands Dual apart is the superb list of wines which includes well-priced Italian, Spanish and French specials such as Malbech, Valpolicella, Viña Sastre from the Ribera del Duero region and Sancerre. A large covered terrace, take away service and separate smoking area are also available.
■ Terraza Dual Marbella Mar Marbella Tel. 952 925 250www.terrazadual.com GUY MASSEYFine cuisine for the homeAfter launching his restaurant in Fuengirola this summer, Guy Massey soon realised there was a need for an additional service: outside catering. People on the Costa del Sol like to enjoy outdoor dining for most of the year, often holding their wedding receptions and other parties at home, but – as Guy notes – “the catering aspect can be daunting and off-putting”.He now plans to take the worry out of those preparations, no matter how large or small the event, by offering his gastronomic cuisine for any receptions of parties where fine food is the order of the day.Using only fresh seasonal produce, Guy has a reputation for providing imaginative and creative food, not only for major banquets such as ones he has prepared for the Emperor of Japan, King of Greece and Queen Elizabeth II, but also for more informal gatherings.
■ Guy MasseyPueblo Lopez FuengirolaTel. 952 585 120www.guymassey.es MEZZO Creative cuisine in chic surroundings Mezzo is the latest addition to Marbella’s restaurant scene, offering superb international cuisine in stunning surroundings where diners can experience dining on a level with cosmopolitan destinations such as London, Paris, Barcelona and New York. Beautifully presented dishes are creatively prepared using the freshest produce, and new menus are introduced according to the seasons. Diners can enjoy an attractive, chic atmosphere and professional attentive service.
■ MezzoCC. Coliseum 4Blvd. P. Alfonso HonenloheMarbella Tel. 952 900 230
