Giles Brown
MICHELIN-starred cuisine is coming to the unlikely setting of Calahonda next month with the opening of a new bistro.
Chris Oakes – once described as the ‘most controlled of the modern chefs’ – is opening a small bistro The Twilight Bar in the El Zoco centre.
The West Country chef, who previously worked at London’s Claridges and had his own Michelin-starred chef The Castle in Gloucestershire, opens his new venture next month.
A well known chef in British circles, in a 1986 book Great British Chefs, Oakes was described as cooking food that was incredibly ‘innovative’.
His dishes included duck served with the skin and fat and a dish of red mullet with braised onion and rosti – Oakes’ signature dish.
Previous to moving to the Costa del Sol, Oakes enjoyed a spell at the lauded 80-bedroom Stafford Hotel in London. He was also once head chef at Cambridge University’s Trinity College.
His partner in the venture is globetrotting chef Leighton Curtis who has worked as head chef at the Ritz-Carlton in the Cayman Islands, as well as in Australia.
Leighton told the Olive Press: “We have been all over the world, cooking in Michelin-starred restaurants and hotels and decided that we wanted to do something on a smaller scale.
“We waited until we found this location, which is perfect with just 36 covers.
“We’ve brought a few dishes out of America and a few out of France,” he added.
I’ll bet the pricing is innovative as well – will I need to take an electron microscope with me to see what’s on the plate.
The ‘New Cooking’ is for chumps who are quite happy to get screwed on the price, so they can say they have ‘eaten’ at a particular restaurant – all ego trips have to be paid for.
ha, well said, iv never seen the fascination of a dollop of spud with A baby carrot on top surrounded by red smear of pomegranate au jus, every one to the own, and good luck.
Re the previous comments, i would like to point out that the most expensive dish on the menu is 24€ we do not want to charge London prices we want as many people as possible to come and enjoy the experience of fine dining. hope this clears up any mis-understandings
Have read it’s booking up fast. How , when there is no number to contact. I looked through the window while in a neighbouring restaurant and have to say, menu might have been innovative in 1986 but very dated and way over the price of all other excellent restaurants in the zoco centre. Time will tell. I wish them luck but does sound very ‘bigged up’
As someone who has eaten Chris’s food on many occasions — all I can say is how lucky you guys are — especially with the local ingredients that will be available.