Staff Reporter
TIKITANO is the perfect beach restaurant where the location is only matched by the food, writes Matt Jones.
IT’S not at the heart of any of the key Costa resorts.
But the dining secret of TikiTano in Guadalmansa, between San Pedro and Estepona is one of the most beloved places to eat for those-in-the-know.
This beautiful beachside restaurant, now part of the Besaya group, is a must try for any foodie living on the Costa del Sol and beyond.
The location is perfect, with ample parking in this quiet urbanisation, and then comes the definitive WOW moment, as we were led by our host Christina to a table on the shaded terrace with stunning views to the beach and inland mountains.
The attention to detail is impressive in the extreme, with the decor cleverly planned and each table offering up impressive views.
An army of staff buzz about offering up specials of the day and an impressive drinks menu.
Before ordering our head chef Chema, who oversees the group, came over to introduce himself.
He has a very impressive CV, initially training in Bilbao before moving to the Michelin starred restaurant Zartziko, then to Goizeko Kabi.
He further improved his skill set in Bayona, in the South of France and later in Spain’s food capital, San Sebastian before moving to the Costa del Sol 11 years ago.
So no surprise this man knew how to cook.
And this showed, in particular, his Tuna tartar, what a dish.
Served with an avocado and mayonnaise mousse dressed with herring eggs and wakame seaweed, it was the perfect starter for a warm and sunny day.
We accompanied this with fried prawns with egg, piquillo peppers and garlic.
Moving to our main courses my caramelised salmon with miso, pak choi and beurre blanc of lemon was beautifully cooked and the flavours blended perfectly.
The classic Rossini-style prime cut of beef sirloin with foie gras was divine and the cut of beef melted in the mouth.
For pudding we went with the baked cheesecake recommended by Chema, which had an amazing texture and was served slightly warm.
His chocolate number, mixing dark and milk with chunks of brownie and white chocolate crunch with a secret ingredient to tingle the taste buds, was the tops.
Finally, we tried the Pavlova cake with strawberries and a red fruit coulis which is great for the summer heat.
As the restaurant’s catchphrase goes; ‘Welcome Back To Your Dreams’. We had certainly come home.
So, to reserve your dream table go to www.tikitano.com all call 952 79 84 49.
