Antonio Banderas reveals his favourite restaurants in Malaga: 'I don't go to posh places'

In the film, Banderas plays the Brazilian chef who accompanied Bourdain in his early days in the kitchen. It is a relationship that the two actors are also nurturing off-screen.

As part of a promotional event for the film in Spain, Banderas is hosting the up-and-coming actor from New Jersey, taking him round some of his favourite restaurants in Malaga.

The video, Menú del día, is available on production company A24's YouTube channel. It begins at El Pimpi, an iconic spot in the city that the actor is particularly fond of.

"To talk about Malaga's cuisine is to talk about this place. It's a very special spot. It was a brothel in the 19th century and a meeting place for artists. I used to come here with my girlfriends when I was 16," Banderas confesses.

After the first stop and after giving Sessa a quick lesson on how to slice ham and handle a knife, the on-screen duo continue their journey to La pérgola del Mediterráneo, where Banderas takes on the challenge of cooking a risotto.

His secret to nailing the dish? "The way you move your body while you're cooking," he jokes as he swings the frying pan with panache to sauté the vegetables. Judging by his co-star's reaction, it seems to work. "It's the best I've ever tasted," Sessa says.

Having enjoyed the rice dish while taking in the views and after strolling around the Farola area, Sessa asks him which restaurant he would recommend in the city. Banderas doesn't hesitate: La Máquina, "a really good place very close to the Cathedral".

This isn't Banderas' only recommendation. He says that his favourites are the popular restaurants specialising in fish that have their own boats, which ensures the produce reaches the table with exceptional freshness. "I don't go to posh restaurants. I go to restaurants where the food is phenomenal," Banderas declares.

He makes clear the passion he feels for his homeland. "I'm very grateful to America and I have a flat in New York, but I was born in Malaga and I'll die in Malaga," Banderas states.

He makes a reference to the Odyssey: "Ithaca is the place to which, in the end, Homer returns. Sometimes I feel like that. Despite having had so many adventures, met so many people and having made all the films I've made, I always come back here, to the place where I belong," Banderas tells Sessa.

Browse the Sur in English lifestyle and expat living hub