Restaurante Oliva — Restaurant in Nerja

A wonderful way to spend our anniversary.

So, it is 19 years since we first went out together, so we decided to treat ourselves, and where better to do so than in this lovely Nerja restaurant.

We began the meal at Olivia with tasty bread, butter and oil - Pan multigrano con mantequilla casera con tapenade aceituna negra y aceite de oliva y sal negra. Then our amuse was Mousse de Salmón a la remolacha crujiente con esferas de aceite de oliva y salsa de pimiento rojo, this really tingled on the tongue and was a great delight to both of us.

For starters I opted for something a little unusual, for me, Ensalada Malagueña con anguila, naranja y patata. The eel was smoky and tangy, the orange provided a sweetness, and the tiny baby potatoes had clearly been boiled, then peeled then shaped – a labour of love (or hate) for whoever has to do this in the kitchen. Fresh and tasty it was an excellent start.

My partner went for carpaccio de solomillo de retinita con alioli de albahaca y queso manchego. The pine nuts added a crunch and the manchego was a nice variation from the more common parmesan used on carpaccio. So, my partner really loved it. It was served with a special olive oil and pepper which my partner really enjoyed.

Between courses we had Perico – una bebida verde con sabor a sandía y orégano – the original of this is more like a mojito, but we opted for the sin alchol version as we don’t drink alcohol.

For mains I went for the pluma Ibérica con migas de chorizo, huevo curado y mayonesa de pimientos – I’d struggled to choose as there was a lovely lamb dish on the menu too. But the pluma was wonderful. I don’t know who would deep fry and crumb a chorizo, it must take lots of time, but it provided a lovely spicy, peppery flavour to supplement the meat. My partner was very tickled by the way the huevo curado was served as it was shaved over the meat, like a cheese might be, but it did add a pleasant tang to the dinner.

My partner opted for Lomo de ternera con trigo tierno al jengibre, wasabi y salsa de miel de caña – the meat was tender and sliced the same size as duck is normally cut. The wasabi was a very strong and tangy accompaniment to the ginger wheat. My partner said he tried it individually and then combined all the ingredients and it was nice initially but really wow when combined all together.

I had Selección de quesos nacionales – six cheeses from a mild cow cheese, through a zingy sheep and goats cheese to a scarily pongy gorgonzola style cheese that was served on its own toast. The flatbreads to accompany it were very crisp and the grace and raisins were also a nice variation. I avoided the honey and quince in the pot, assuming they would be too sweet for me.

My partner had Coulant de chocolate con crema de azafrán y fresas caramelizadas – the chocolate was perfect with a soft centre and a crisp shell, it was sweet but not overly sugared. The strawberries were huge and nicely flavoured too. Overall a success.

My partner had the chocolate truffles with the espressos at the end...

An exceptional restaurant just off the Plaza de Espana. We sat on an oak inlaid table underneath a chandelier of soldered cutlery - possibly remnants from the establishment's original premises in alley across the square. Only 34 covers (no outside seating in March) and every table was reserved. Very good service, friendly, even if there was the occasional language problem. Music a tad loud, but not over intrusive.

And the food? Well, where to begin. I love steak tartare, it is such a rare dish to find these days. It came served with capers, shallots and black truffle, plus quails egg. Lovely. We shred it, which felt like sacrilege but no one objected. We all ate exquisite fish: sole with orange and fennel, monkfish with Motril shrimps, hake with red pepper laced croquettes. All wonderful, interspersed with tiny amuses, like the fresh baked bread with herb and olive crusted butter, or the consume with mushroom foam. Deserts were equally fine and quite substantial. I had the five Spanish cheese selection with a glass of sweet Reserva de Famillia. Wine was a chardonnay, Chloe, from Malaga.

I have to say it was superb allround. For the quality, the price was more than reasonable. There's a tasting menu if you want it. As a testament you, when diners left, tables were relaid and re-reserved. A...

Very good restaurant with amazing food (both from veggie, fish and meat perspectives)! The waitresses were all lovely and very nice. We strongly recommend if you fancy a « fancy » lunch or dinner with amazing tasty food.

portions: this is a gastro restaurant, they don’t serve you maxi-best-of-size portions, But all highly qualitative ingredients

lengthy service time: again this is a gastro restaurant, everything is handmade and cooked at the moment and not in advance. Did you know that cooking take time? Maybe not, maybe you’re too used to « places where you can eat food »

price: maybe study business economy and you’ll learn that everything comes at a cost especially when « slow production times » and highly qualitative ingredients are in the mix. Also, cooking is a skill and has value.

Again if you fancy a quick cheesy pizza and cheap fried food, that’s not the place to come.

PS: I’m not friend with the owners. Just trying to demonstrate that everything has a cost even when it’s not monetary.

Go there if you fancy a real meal cooked with love...