Chef's tartar, at María Pistolas
** Malaga ** continues in its gastronomic boom with the opening of a wide range of new restaurants. We approach some of the best opening of the capital in this 2018.
With care, the wisdom of his career and the passion for his work, Marcos Granados It has carved out a niche among the greats of Malaga cuisine. He likes to pull from tradition, from a recipe book with history and linked to the Mediterranean and kilometer zero.
But he always goes further getting the flavors of his proposals to be full of infinite details. It is these nuances that make a visit to the restaurant whose kitchens this chef from Malaga manages essential. Also those who have inspired the denomination of it: ** Nuance. **
Hue: Mediterranean essence
It is part of the ** Molina Lario ** hotel and is one of the most interesting openings of 2018 in Malaga gastronomy.
Replaces the old Café de la Bolsa and it represents a step forward for the space, which is now more than ever open to the city at any time of the day. The kitchen is open from one in the afternoon until closing.
"And the menu, organized according to the different cooking points, offers more than enough alternatives for anyone to repeat frequently", Granada explains. "In addition, we have achieved a great relationship between quality and price," adds Myriam Ortíz, director of the hotel.
Matiz's poached egg
You don't have to go very far to continue the gastronomic route, because in front of Matiz you can find **Palo Cortado,** a historic place in the city that has reopened its doors, now in the heart of the city. His menu is designed by the chef Michael Palma and it has numerous touches from Malaga, lots of spooning and market products.
It has proposals to get carried away like the artichoke flower and other classics like some broken eggs, besides a lot flavor of the sea, wonderful meats and delicacies such as Thai squid. And you can take it all where you like: at the bar in an informal way or at the tables with a little more formality.
To change the third, it is worth approaching the surroundings of carreterias street, road that has experienced a real explosion of life thanks to the opening of numerous gastronomic spaces (and a lot of tourist apartments).
One of these corners is ** María Pistolas, ** where you are greeted by a large cactus that –in case you did not know beforehand– reminds you that you are entering a Mexican restaurant. It is worth starting the menu with a good cocktail (like a rich Passion Serenade, based on tequila, lime and orange) and, from there, get carried away by guacamole, nachos and a delicious catalog of tacos based on duck, veal, octopus or chicken. Which one is richer?
Taco of beef tenderloin from María Pistolas
Very close by, ** Fonzo ** has also recently opened, a place taken from Malasaña to reach one of the most rogue streets in the center of Malaga, Mariblanca, forgotten for too many years. Modern, casual and irreverent, It has carved a niche for itself in a short time.
And it's the same for you to have a few beers as for dinner some of its exquisite bites based on local and fresh products. They have delicious vermouths, craft beers and a good vibe that stays in your heart.
Red potatoes with rosemary and fig
And, beyond, both in the center and in the neighborhoods, there are many other places open during 2018 that must also be on the radar, from the Japanese tavern Sake Izakaya , ** Kawai ** or Parallel (all in the center) to ** Primitivo ** (El Palo) or ** La Pera ** (Teatinos) . And there are some more, but not all fit in this report. Patience.
COCKTAIL TIME
To end the tour, a cocktail is always good. And hidden among alleys there is an ideal place for it. Yo dim lighting, fringed lamps, a piano holding two chandeliers, and some thirty old botanical prints on the wall is what is discovered by entering it.
Tripe with octopus and mushrooms, in Primitivo
A faint jazz music comes from somewhere to put the soundtrack. The scene is completed with someone ordering a Negroni at the bar, one of the most classic mixed drinks in history. You are still in the center of Malaga, but if you get confused, you still think you have traveled back in time to the years of Prohibition, almost a century ago.
**Inspired by the uses of alcohol with healing properties, The Pharmacy ** arrived in spring to open the door to a practically unknown terrain in the capital of the Costa del Sol.
The arrival of this cocktail bar has served to elevate the concept of cocktails. In fact, the establishment he runs Elijah Bentolila won the award for Best new cocktail bar in Spain in the World Class Competition held at the beginning of June.
Pharmacy
Watching this bartender prepare the Herbal Negroni a customer just ordered is a spectacle that includes sculpt a block of ice craft low oxygen, grind provencal herbs to infuse the gin, the handling of artifacts with strange names and the use of homemade campari.
can be tasted in any of its three rooms (there is one with capacity for 30 people, another for 25 and a more intimate one for six), but there are also two stools to savor cocktails inside the bar itself.
Elías Bentolila, the artist of The Pharmacy
The letter, which changes twice a year based on seasonal products, It has about thirty proposals, but Elías adapts to the tastes of the clientele with multiple variations.
Boletus infused gin, homemade hazelnut syrup, organic fruit juices squeezed daily... "Our idea is to take care of the cocktail to take it to the highest category," says the bartender.
The Negroni from The Pharmacy
Even more recent is the cocktail bar ** Chester & Punk **, inaugurated last October 5 in the middle of Uncibay Square. "We have understood that the combinations are an upward trend and we wanted to make it easy for the city," underlines one of its managers, José Simón.
Colorful neon and graffiti by local artist Lalone illustrate a spacious room that is also an example of the philosophy that drives this establishment: a mixture of elegance with informality.
Chester & Punk
They want to become a bridge between those who have never tried a cocktail and those specialists who do not need to look at the menu to order one. And, in addition, the 25 cocktails that they propose can be accompanied by some other snack, such as a pringá sandwich, some other Campero from Malaga, cod confit or some delicious dumplings.
Open from early afternoon to two in the morning (three o'clock on Fridays and Saturdays) it's a great place to end the day with a great taste in your mouth.
Bon Appetite!
Chester & Punk, to toast at the end of the day or at the beginning of the night