La Algarbía: creative local cuisine in Malaga's Guadalhorce valley

Enrique Bellver

Pizarra

Monday, 1 July 2024, 12:39

I first met Daniel Nebro in Coín when I was thinking about starting to cook and now, after many years, I have just met him and his partner Cristóbal Márquez in the restaurant they have been running for four years in the centre of Pizarra, La Algarbía. They are proving that to make fun cuisine, with loads of creativity and at reasonable, not to say 'normal' prices, you don't have to be located in the centre of Malaga or on the first line of the Costa del Sol. It is enough to have initiative, patience and a desire to please the clientele. Qualities that both possess and which they put into practice every day, which is why after four years, the establishment continues to be a reference point for the whole area, as is demonstrated by the daily influx of customers.

If one has to define La Algarbía, one must first do so in the words of its creators, Dani and Cristóbal, "sensations that encompass the gastronomy, the service, the premises, everything that customers perceive in our restaurant from the moment they arrive until they leave, all with the aim of offering diners an experience that is difficult to forget", as the preamble to the menu states. This experience begins inside the kitchen, where Dani prepares a menu according to the fresh produce of the day and also a little according to the tastes of the table.

Personally, I don't fully agree with the definition given by the owners, as the service to clientele requires more attention, especially when it comes to advising the most appropriate pairings to go with the order.

La Algarbía's menu is divided into tapas and portions, most of which range from modern and traditional dishes to more substantial dishes such as roast suckling pig with sweet potato and apple purée, shoulder of lamb or cod confit with black garlic cream. I think the tapas and portions option, much more creative, perfectly defines the cuisine that La Algarbía offers in and around Pizarra.

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A very summery dish with which Dani achieves a colourful and very tasty combination, thanks to the salty touch of the mojama (salted and cured tuna) and the balance it maintains with the avocado and the finely chopped tomato. The touch of caviar adds little to the dish.

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One of the most original dishes on the menu for many reasons. The grilling of a Cantabrian sobao (a type of sponge cake) enhances the aroma and flavour of the butter which, together with a salted anchovy, creates a sweet-salty contrast that is quite striking.

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If the garlic is adjusted and balanced, this dish surprises with the fusion of flavours between the citrus marinade of the mackerel and the coconut. Smoothness in the mouth and a certain forcefulness are its best parameters.

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A good scallop, medium-large in size, lightly grilled to give it the warm touch this mollusc requires, on a base of Viña AB (sherry) cream, accompanied by steamed cockles to give it more of a sea flavour.

La Algarbía

• Address Juan Ramón Jiménez, 16. Pizarra.

• Telephone 635 862 965

• Prices Tartar de mojama: 12€ | Sobao plancha: 5€ | Scallop hearts: 7.50€

• Valoration Kitchen: 7 | Restaurant: 6.5 | Wine list: 6

• Rating 7 / 10