La Finca, Hotel La Bobadilla

I know this blog is all about restaurants on the Costa del Sol but today I feel I must let you all know about a fabulous restaurant which, as you might have guest already, is not on the Costa del Sol. The restaurant is called La Finca and is part of La Bobadilla Hotel, a stunning, luxurious, rural hotel, located near “Villa Nueva de Tapia” (Granada province). During the summer you can enjoy dinner outside on their picturesque courtyard and throughout the winter months you can sit inside their warm, cozy restaurant. If you want to be romantic ask for a table next to the fireplace. Their menu is international with a Spanish touch and it’s spectacular to say the least. For starters, I suggest you definitely try one of their pasta dishes, ravioli with wild mushrooms and black truffle sauce or homemade cannelloni filled with spinach and “Taracon” cheese and dressed with a white truffle sauce. As a main course their lobster gratin with spinach and a sparkling cava sauce is a must. And for those of you who like meat, beef tenderloin with a black truffle sauce which my meat-eating husband described as “meat lover’s paradise”… I think that means he loved it. For dessert I recommend their chocolate cake with white chocolate ice-cream or their chocolate soufflé, perfect for any chocoholic. La Finca is stunning in every sense of the word. As far as price is concerned, well it’s a luxurious, elegant restaurant so be prepared. La Bobadilla Hotel (La Finca) is only one hour from Malaga, so whether you live on the coast or simply spend your vacation days there, take some time out and spoil yourself to a magnificent dinner at La Finca and a romantic weekend at La Bobadilla.

La Finca, Hotel La Bobadilla, Carretera Salinas-Villanueva de Tapia (A-333), Km. 65,5. 18300.
Loja - Granada, Tel.: 958 321 861

La Tabenna Del Puerto, Marbella

Located in the fishers harbor of Marbella is La Tabenna Del Puerto. I have eaten here a number of times and I can honestly say that they serve some of the best sea food. If you decide to eat at this restaurant you must try their “pulpo a la Gallega” , Galician octopus, it is so good that I now no longer order this dish in any other restaurant. Another mouth-watering dish is their “pimientos al piquillo”, fire roasted peppers stuffed with a seafood mousse and accompanied by the most delicious, smooth, creamy sauce. If you’re on a low-carb diet then I say don’t order this dish because I can guarantee that you’ll be ordering extra bread simply to dip into that sauce. And for those of you who aren’t planning on kissing anyone, try their “gambas pil-pil", a hot sizzling prawn dish with lots and lots and lots of garlic. And I also highly recommend their “puntillitas”, battered and fried baby squid, so crispy, so delicious and probably so fattening but worth the calories. These are just some of the dishes they have to offer. I suggest you start by sharing a number of dishes with your friends and family and then as a main course order some fresh fish such as sea bass or sea bream. When it comes to sea food, other restaurants could really learn a thing or two from La Tabenna Del Puerto. But in terms of décor… ouch, this place is an eye soar. Luckily the restaurant is set on the beach so on a beautiful day you can sort of overlook the ugly décor or maybe I should be saying the lack of décor. The place is somewhat run down and not much thought has been given into creating a warm atmosphere. As a matter of fact, you definitely do not want to sit inside; it’s cold and darn ugly. But like I said, outside on their terrace it’s not too bad. This restaurant might not score high in a beauty contest and might be in need of a facelift but what it lacks in beauty it makes up for with friendly staff and fabulous food. Proofing that real beauty really does come from the inside!

La Tabenna Del Puerto, Purto Pesquero, Local 6, Marbella, Málaga, Tel.: 952 82 83 25