Georgina Recommends – Amrita Restaurant, Shanti Som
A few weeks ago I discovered the gorgeous Amrita Restaurant at the Wellbeing Retreat Shanti Som, up the road from La Cañada. Although the retreat is only 20 minutes from central Marbella it feels a world away and is a beautiful place to take some time torelax, unwind and enjoy a delicious, but healthy meal.
In the review in The Independent in July, journalist Jane Anderson called the food at Amrita “top-notch” and commented “If there was ever proof that healthy food can taste wonderful, it’s in [Amrita’s] Asian-Med fusion menus.” I couldn’t agree more and it’s open 7 days a week for lunch, so everyone can go and give it a try.
Here’s my review of Amrita Restaurant.
The location– Shanti-Som is the new luxury hotel, restaurant and spa specialising in tailored yoga and detox programmes and the location for Amrita restaurant. It’s on the Ojen road up from La Cañada shopping centre, but set in some really beautiful, wild scenery. Don’t be put off by the bumpy track through the trees going up to the retreat, once you get there you’ll love the oriental vibe and stunning architecture. Owner Kezia has collected some amazing items from her travels over the years and this lovely looking place is packed with interesting items, from the enormous stone Buddha at the entrance to other more subtle touches of the Far East.
The restaurant is located just past the reception and you can choose from a stylish dining area inside, or to sit out in the courtyard to enjoy the sunshine. We chose the latter and it was a delightfully tranquil place to enjoy our meal.
The food – The food at Amrita is Asian-fusion and seriously delicious. They use healthy cooking methods and organic, seasonal ingredients where possible, but it definitely doesn’t feel like you’re on a diet. Every bite was yummy. It was pleasing to find a restaurant which did Thai food well and wasn’t afraid to use the chili heat that makes the cuisine so exciting.
To start Andy had the king prawns in a green curry paste and I had a glass noodle salad with chicken and prawns. Both were lovely, but the noodle salad was the real star with just the right blend of sweet, sour and hot; a fresh, light dish packed full of flavour. For the mains we had monkfish and mussels in a red curry broth and sea bass in a green curry sauce. The fish was beautifully cooked and the broth with the monkfish was amazing.
Make sure you leave room for the pudding, as the chocolate cake is an absolute triumph. It´s made without flour but sticky and sinfully full of chocolate, like a really killer brownie without the nuts. We were told that Antonio Banderas told the chef it was the best chocolate cake he had ever eaten when he visited the retreat and I must agree with him – amazing!
The service – We were really well looked after from the moment we walked through the door, being shown through to the restaurant by the receptionist and then given a lovely welcome drink of refreshing lemonade with mint. The staff were all incredibly friendly, helpful and knowledgeable and we had a great waiter with a very good knowledge of the wines and who was able to recommend a really good bottle to complement our meals.
The decor/atmosphere– Eating lunch at Amrita is a very relaxing, tranquil experience with the sound of water and wind chimes and the smell of incense. Shanti-Som has been beautifully designed to inspire relaxation and wellbeing and you can enjoy a slice of it for a few hours over lunch. We had a tour of the retreat after lunch which I would really recommend as they have created a very special place indeed and I mean to go back to enjoy the spa and some beauty treatments as soon as I can.
The price – I was expecting that due to the beautiful setting and high quality food that it would be expensive, but I was pleasantly surprised. Starters are between 6 and 8€, mains from 12-18€ and puddings are 6€. The wine was reasonably priced and I think the value for money in terms of the surroundings, experience, food and service is exceptional.
Contact – Visit the website for more information on Amrita Restaurant or call 952 86 44 55 to make a reservation.