Living on the costa

The palate of chef Dani García, with two Michelin stars, and his taste for traditional Andalusian cuisine are noted with the bars that the chef recommends to visit in his hometown, Marbella, betting on the Jerez-style shredded meat, Cordovan salmorejo and churros with sugar.

Thus, when sitting at the table, the chef who internationalized the tomato with liquid nitrogen and who became popular for his innovation in the kitchen, opts for the traditional flavors of Andalusia in establishments that in many cases he has frequented since he was a teenager. This was announced in the program The pan by the handlefrom the chain Ser.

Is he case of ‘Fiesta, the market bar’ and its shredded meat muffin, which is one of the Michelin star selections. “Dani has been coming since we were both outside the market and inside, practically since I was a teenager and almost when he had no intention or imagination of being a cook”, pointed out the owner, Rubén Pérez, recalling that when he was much more assiduous, since “now his things do not allow him, he asked for the shredded beef muffin and one more portion”.

The traditional cuisine and the family wake rule this bar, where “shredded meat has always been one of the flags of the house”, a recipe that Pérez has learned from his mother, who was a native of Jerez de la Frontera, and to which he has implemented “a few variations with a few more herbs”.

Regarding its elaboration, he has indicated that “it is very simple”, despite having to “make it in the pot for two hours”, and it is based on “pork loin head” seasoned with various herbs such as “thyme, oregano, almoraduj and laurel, fine sherry wine, water, onion and a lot of garlic so that the purecito exudes, which is what gives the sauce its flavor”. Therefore, having breakfast in Marbella in the style of Dani García can go out “for less than 5 euros” in this peculiar and consolidated establishment of the Municipal Market.

María José López is the owner of the tavern ‘La Niña de El Pisto’, located in the old town of Marbella, which comes from a family of hoteliers from Córdoba. Her gastronomic experience in the Costa del Sol city has already spanned 16 years in a establishment that exudes Andalusian character from all its corners.

Their Cordovan-style salmorejo or its fried aubergines They are the favorite dishes of the Michelin star, whose basis for success is their ingredients and their preparation based on “love”. In this way, to prepare the first of the dishes, the woman from Cordoba uses both plum and vine tomatoes, some to give flavor and others to give color, “a little garlic so that the client remembers me well, a good olive oil and a kilo of bread”.

For the fried aubergines apply a touch of sparkling water, “well cut and well floured, that they stay very thin” and that the latter “is not caked”. “The flavor at the end is very much ours from Córdobawe have brought Córdoba to Marbella”, stated the hotelier, who highlighted “the texture or creaminess” of the salmorejo or the smoothness of its aubergines.

Another of the establishment’s star dishes, whose name derives from the nickname of his grandfather and later his father, is precisely ratatouille, a dish that “takes about 4 or 5 hours to make because we like to cook everything at the right time”, said López. “We are frying the vegetables and we are taking them out, the tomato is grating and at the top with a fried egg or a loin of cod at low temperature”, has added the hostel, who has assured that “ahere well eaten and well drunk, for 25 euros for sure” trying all these dishes and “a couple of glasses of fine”.

The third place chosen by Dani García is Churrería Marbella, located in Plaza de la Victoria, a typical establishment in the city that is already run by a third generation of hoteliers. Its owner, Francisco Javier Clavijo, has highlighted that the business has taken “quite well” to be part of the list of preferred sites of Dani Garcíarecently announced in a radio program, which has meant that “Many recommended people come and watch us on TV”.

The secret of churros is “put a lot of interest in it, the dough is well made and the oil cleans daily” with the usual ingredients such as “wheat flour, water, yeast, salt and bicarbonate”. This Michelin star breakfast favorite is characterized by “be a very hollow churro without oil” and that as the chef himself indicates, “they are inflated and crunchy”, the hotelier has related.

Likewise, the offer of the churrería is complemented by “sandwiches, muffins, wholemeal bread or their characteristic natural juices”has highlighted Clavijo, who has assured that in this traditional place in the center of Marbella por “5 euros you can leave with breakfast”. In the business they are “used to the visit of Dani García”, which is why they have created “the Michelin wheel”. “As he comes here so much, with the mess the Michelin wheels have been put on,” he added.