Georgina Recommends – El Patio, Golden Mile Marbella
Formerly Camuri, this large restaurant, bar and lounge is located next to Aldi along the Golden Mile with easy parking and an interesting, international menu which is well presented and amazingly well priced considering the lovely setting and great service. After holding an event here in their gorgeous internal patio, we decided to give the menu a try and we were delighted we had. Here’s how it stacks up.
The location– Milla de Oro Km.176 29600 Marbella, Málaga. This is a great location, on the way from Marbella to Puerto Banus, next to Aldi and opposite Coral Beach Hotel. It’s well sign-posted, but the exit can sneak up on you, so look out!
The food– The food was a real surprise with a mix of Japanese/Asian dishes and Mediterranean classics, plus snacks and International favourites.
We asked the reason behind it and the very well-informed waiter told us that it was originally Mediterranean in their first restaurant at Laguna Village, but there was lots of demand for oriental food, so they added some dishes to suit. These really took off and they found an excellent Japanese chef, so this aspect of the menu developed and now it’s a 50/50 split and unusually they are both really high standard. They have also responded to demand for hamburgers, salads and snacks and diversified even further. The only problem with this is that it’s a big menu and very difficult to choose, as everything sounds delicious.
After much deliberation we decided to try Asian starters and Mediterranean main courses. For starters we shared a Tuna tartar with avocado and baby leaves with wasabi. We also chose Maguro Tataki: Tuna in batter of black & white sesame on a bed of mashed celeriac in soy & honey sauce. They were beautifully presented, delicately flavoured and well balanced, really delicious and quite generous for a starter. At 10.50€ each these were some of the most expensive starters, but we all know that good quality tuna is pricy, so that was to be expected.
For main course we chose Duck breast with foie accompanied with Apple in two textures & sweet wine reduction, which was delicious and amazing value at 11€. It would be even better with a few potatoes to balance it, but it was a good dish even so. The real star was the slow roasted leg of lamb, served with potatoes and well cooked veg and a stunning sauce. It just fell off the bone, after apparently several days of cooking, and I would highly recommend it. Next time I want to try their really affordable stir-fry/noodle dishes like Singapore noodles with shrimps, vegetables & dry curry or Prawns in Schezuan sauce served with basmati rice, which at just 10€ and 11€ respectively seems excellent value for money.
We followed these delicious main courses with a stunning chocolate coulant or fondant, which is cooked to order and was the absolute perfect mix of rich chocolate cake and melting middle. With a good coffee it was a total treat and well worth the wait at the end of the meal. If you’re thinking of ordering it, you can order it with your mains, or just have a leisurely end to the meal.
The service – The service was a wonderful surprise for such an affordable restaurant. The level was really high, whether it was just topping up your wine regularly and well (with one hand behind the back and not a drip in sight), or the very well-informed team who could make recommendations and generally help every step of the way. They were charming, helpful and knew just the right level of service to give – highly impressive and almost unheard of in this price bracket.
The decor/atmosphere – El Patio is a really good looking place, with a huge terrace outside, a tastefully decorated and furnished interior with a gorgeous lounge area with open fire. It’s comfortable and cozy, so perfect for winter evenings.
We went on a quiet weekday evening in November, so there were only a few tables taken, yet the atmosphere was really nice – relaxed, yet sophisticated and again amazing given the price. This would be a great place for a party as there’s tons of space and the internal patio is understandably popular for weddings, birthdays and events. They did a fantastic cocktail reception for our client for 20€ per head and I would highly recommend them for their flexibility, professionalism and general quality of both wines and canapés.
The price – I am amazed that this restaurant manages to serve such delicious, well presented food, with spectacular service in a really lovely setting at these prices! The main courses particularly are amazing value for money. Salads are 8-10€, pasta 9-10€, main courses range from 10€ for pork medallions with wild mushroom sauce, 11€ for duck with foie, 12€ for a salmon fillet with romesco sauce, even the fillet steak is only 18.50€! This really represents amazing value for money and I can’t wait to go back and try some other dishes.
Contact – They have a new website for El Patio – http://www.elpatiorestaurante.com/ , alternatively call 952 765 533 or email info@elpatiorestaurante.com.