This somewhat cruel comment has often been repeated in guide books to the Costa del Sol and no doubt refers to the past when ovens were a rare kitchen appliance, and a style of cooking evolved that didn't need them. Nowadays the scene is very different and there are restaurants that can hold their own with Europe's best. There are more and more places in the area providing excellent Mediterranean food in lovely settings and it is heartening to see expat and local “foodies” tucking-in together.
A fantastic example of this is Restaurante Cantueso in Periana, which is reached from the Velez Málaga turn at the El Ingenio roundabout and by following signs up to Vinuela and then Alhama de Granada. When you reach the Puente Don Manuel crossroad the Periana turn needs to be taken and once in Periana turn right at the new roundabout and from there Cantueso is clearly signposted.
Cantueso is run by Nicky Scott, originally from the East of England and who has tremendous experience in the restaurant business. She moved to Spain at the end of 2006 and took over Cantueso in 2007. However, the way Cantueso is now presented is a far cry from how it was when Nicky took over. She explained it was in much need of tender loving care and upgrading. Although she admitted improvements are indeed ongoing even now into their third year!
Cantueso is now a beautifully presented restaurant, bar and self-catering cottage complex
with fantastic gardens, a pool and a children’s play area. It has a number of outside terraces which all take in the unbelievable, unrestricted views of Lake Vinuela. In fact Nicky remarked “people often come by to just take a walk round the garden and admire the view”. In order to achieve this, the area around the restaurant and cottage complex was landscaped and planted with more than 1500 shrubs and trees. The gardens were originally designed by a Spanish firm from Mijas and have constantly evoked praise and countless photos. This in fact led to an idea of a photo competition last year and is once again being run this year. The only condition is that the photo must be taken in or around Cantueso. You only have to visit, there is no obligation to eat or drink. Other improvements Nicky has made is to pave the car parking area, extend terraces and refurbish the restaurant and kitchen areas. The 10 cottages were also upgraded and a safety fence put in around the pool which conforms to the latest European Standards. They see the safety barrier as a good selling point for families who want a secure environment for their family holiday. They have also raised the shallow end of the pool to make it better for small children, and despite the cost they see it as a worthwhile investment in safety.
“A view to match the food” is Cantueso's rather bold claim in their advertising and to check it out just log onto their website www.cantueso.net where they have a web-cam installed showing the view down the valley, together with current weather data. The website also has the current mouthwatering menus and special offers.
The cuisine at Cantueso is described as Mediterranean, because, despite having a very talented Spanish chef who cooks inspirational Spanish classics, they also like to add from time to time Italian and French dishes. They emphasise that what they are certainly not, is an English restaurant. Carmen Muñoz the Head Chef is in fact from Periana and has been at Cantueso over two years. She trained in one of Málaga's top hotel and catering colleges and only returned to Periana after several years working in five star hotels. She is a truly inspirational cook with a passion for quality and presentation. Her Sous Chef is a young Frenchman, Joel Falcone, and together they make a formidable team.
Nicky will tell you that when it comes to trying to feed so many different nationalities it can be tricky. For example the Spanish never want to see their vegetables on the same plate as the meat and often do not want them at all. To get around this problem Cantueso offer main courses in a way to suit Spanish tastes and then list vegetables as an optional item.
Children are not forgotten and have plenty of distractions too, as Cantueso has an indoor playroom, outdoor swings and a slide all within sight of the terrace. They even give small children a present of a yo-yo. It just happens to have the Cantueso logo and telephone number on it!
Another crusade at Cantueso is to introduce the infrequent visitor to Spain to a wider selection of wine. There is more to Spanish wine than Rioja says Nicky and a small but well researched wine list illustrates this. As with food there is also a marked difference in which wines the Spanish clients prefer. It may seem unbelievable, but Nicky can only remember two occasions when a Spanish customer ordered white wine. Maybe this explains why wine lists in Spain have very few white wines listed. Underlining their desire to get people drinking other regional wines, several wines are indeed offered by the glass.
Before they took over from the previous owners the customer mix was 20% Spanish and the rest from the expat community and holidaymakers. The Spanish percentage has been slightly increased with many special events here including weddings, communions, and on one occasion the Mayor brought 45 of his staff. For weddings and parties the whole complex can be hired and they even have space for a marquee.
Like most if not all local businesses they are affected by the global crisis but have been fighting back. They have introduced further special offers, wider advertising and marketing (even including Israel!) trying to make sure that no stone is left unturned when it comes to visibility. Locally they are trying to help pensioners who are suffering from the credit crunch with a special lunchtime 7€ menu and with other offers such as “dine free on your birthday or anniversary”.
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For more information call Nicky on: 699 946 213
