Eva Estepona – The Luxurious Editor

Eva Estepona has opened on Playa del Cristo as a Greek-Mediterranean beach-club restaurant with an elevated pool terrace, sea views to Gibraltar and North Africa, and sundown cocktails. By day it’s a mellow pool membership with loungers, an infinity pool, a lightweight menu and low-key DJ units. Then sundown sips lead into terrace dinners by government chef Alejandro Rivera, or dine inside, selecting from the signature seafood ice counter.

After an extended build-up, Eva Estepona has now opened with a gentler type. The high-octane seaside membership and dinner present as soon as hinted at has given technique to a heat, welcoming and mellow vacation spot for lazy pool days and dinners overlooking the Mediterranean. On the coronary heart of it’s a Greek-Mediterranean restaurant that spills out to the pool membership and a good-looking terrace, all shifting to a simple rhythm that fits this nook of the western Costa del Sol, writes Andrew Forbes (The Luxurious Editor).

Mediterranean Days

The elevated eating and pool deck appears straight over Playa del Cristo, with views of Gibraltar and, on clear days, the define of the mountains of North Africa. Olive bushes ring an infinity pool. Loungers and day beds face the water. You hear the slip of the tide beneath and a low DJ line that retains the afternoon shifting with out tipping it an excessive amount of into get together mode.

Days right here stretch properly: a refreshing dip, a leisurely learn, one thing mild to eat, then perhaps one other swim. The menu embraces the Mediterranean, with mezze to dip into, crisp salads, grilled seafood and regionally prized greens.

Sundown Sips

From 17.00 to twenty.00 the terrace celebrates with sundown sips. Two cocktails for €25 is the standing supply, which pulls an after-beach and after-work crowd as the sunshine softens over the bay. The drinks record performs with the Greek pantheon and a contact of theatre. Ares blends rum, Campari, banana and low, wealthy and chilly over ice. Aphrodite mixes berry vodka with coconut and mango. Each arrive topped with a citrus bubble that pops as you carry the glass. Dionysus blends Aperol, strawberry and chardonnay with a cheeky trace of bubble-gum.

Eating with a Greek Accent

Dinner shifts the tone. Government chef Alejandro Rivera steers a Greek-leaning menu that makes use of Andalusian produce from native natural kitchen gardens and Estepona fishermen. The centre of the room holds an ice counter set round a twisted olive tree, displaying the day’s fish and shellfish. Select your catch and the kitchen will grill or bake it to your liking.

We began with mezze: tzatziki, baba ganoush, heat flatbreads and some scorching bites for the desk. The kitchen retains a transparent line on high quality. Each dish makes use of richly flavoured substances, and there are each day specials chalked up as soon as the boats are available in. The Greek salad arrives in a damaged amphora-style dish that appears theatrical however earns its preserve by conserving tomatoes and feta cool. These native Coín tomatoes have been distinctive.

The moussaka with artichoke is available in a scorching copper dish, its layers of roasted aubergine, artichoke, potato and stewed beef sweetened by the freshest tomatoes. I selected the entrecôte, bought by the 100 g. Even at 400 g the smallest portion felt beneficiant, effectively marbled and stuffed with flavour.

To complete we shared the millefeuille, which returns to that amphora concept for dessert and lands with good stability. The wine record covers Greece and Spain with confidence.

The brand new Estepona Expertise

The design ties all of it collectively. Worldwide studio Yodezeen has gone for clear traces and heat moderately than theme park pastiche. White partitions and handmade mosaics catch the sunshine. Pure stone grounds the area. Inside, rustic lampshades forged a smooth glow throughout crisp linen. The eating room rises to double peak, an olive tree at its coronary heart ringed by the ice market. It feels calm at lunch and quietly dramatic at night time when the terrace fills, the spotlights come on and the ocean turns darkish blue. The primary restaurant takes round 120 covers, the sea-view terrace nearer to 170, with an intimate upstairs room for smaller teams.

This can be a beachside restaurant with a pool membership that values element. Day beds are bookable, and there are three non-public areas for occasions. Costs sit on the upper aspect for Estepona, consistent with the setting and the extent of the visitor expertise.

Eva’s lengthy delay has led to a greater match for this stretch of coast. Estepona features a grown-up pool terrace and a Greek-Mediterranean restaurant that understands its place. Softer edges, sharper flavours and a view that instructions your consideration way over any dinner present may.