“A SUCCESSFUL restaurant in Marbella must have a sense of fun,” explains Ram Nandkishore. And he should know, having opened no less than 10 establishments in the town, including Mumtaz and Polo House.
“People don’t want to go to a boring place that takes itself too seriously… people come down here to have fun and to be amused. They want places with a sense of humour.”
There is no doubt that, despite the recession, the Costa del Sol town is holding up well when it comes to the restaurant stakes.
The town has half of the region’s Michelin stars and a growing number of quality eateries springing up almost by the week.
The most exciting news came in December when Dani Garcia’s Calima restaurant got its second star, the first to win the accolade in Andalucia.
One of Spain’s best food ambassadors, the Marbella-born chef told the Olive Press: “Marbella just keeps getting better and better and the real tragedy is that it is not being properly rewarded for its great cooking and variety.”
The signs however are certainly there. One of its best restaurants Casanis, for example, has just opened a new establishment in Madrid, while the incredibly chic Love to Eat is even looking to open in London.
Owner of Casanis, and nearby Casamono, Guy Sirre explained: “We have worked incredibly hard to keep up the levels of quality despite the recession.
“But everything has to be right,” adds the Belgium. “The style, music, service, food, lighting and more. Everything is important.
“It is when the quality levels drop that you are in trouble. During a downturn, people go out less to eat, but when they do they don’t mind spending money, as long as they know they are going to have a good meal. I think in Marbella there are plenty of places that can tick that box.”
Complete list of Michelin stars in Spain:
3 stars:
Akelare, Arzak, elBulli, El Celler de Can Roca, Martín Berasategui-Lasarte, Can Fabes, Sant Pau)
New 2 stars:
Azurmendi (Larrabetzu, Vizcaya), de Eneko Atxa. Calima (Marbella), de Dani García. Ramón Freixa Madrid. Miramar, de Paco Pérez (Llançá, Girona)
New 1 star:
Caelis (Hotel Palace Barcelona). Dos Cielos (H. Me Barcelona). Moments (H. Mandarin Barcelona). Hisop, de Oriol Ivern. Ferrero-Paco Morales (Bocairent). Gadus (Cala D’Or) Mallorca). Alborada (A Coruña). Venta Moncalvillo (Aroca de Rioja). Mirador de Ulía (Donostia). Zaranda Hilton Satorre (Llucmayor, Mallorca). Kabuki (Madrid). A Poniente (Puerto de Santa María). Santo (Hotel Eme Catedral, Sevilla). Capritx (Tarrasa). Arrop (Valencia). Maruja Limón (Vigo). Ikea (Vitoria-Gasteiz).
