Casa Navarra in Mijas: excellent roast meats and traditional stews

Casa Navarra is one of those restaurants that you never tire of visiting as you feel at home every time you go. It is one of the oldest steakhouses in the province, even way back when grilled meats were not as fashionable as they are today. In its favour is the fact that two different cuisines exist and coexist, that of the embers and that of the spoon and fork, that is to say, the stews and popular dishes of Navarrese and Malaga cuisine.

Two years ago I wrote that Casa Navarra had undergone the generational change that every family business must experience more than once. Now it is the children of the couple who once opened this steakhouse, Carlos and Merche, who have taken over the reins of the restaurant; Asier at the helm of the coals and Leire, his sister, at the stove with the stews she learned from her mother and grandmother in the Navarrese farmhouse where she was born. The dining room is run by Isabel, Asier's wife. This establishment is one of the longest running family restaurant businesses on the road between Mijas and Fuengirola.

As expected, this generational change has further strengthened the products and cuisine of Malaga along with those dishes that smell and taste of Navarrese cuisine.

I was lucky to visit in time for the San Fermín festival, when almost from the very beginning, a whole day of festivities is organised in the restaurant, with brass bands, music and a special menu for the clientele.

If you really want to enjoy a steak perfectly cooked on charcoal embers and the stews that Leire prepares according to the season, you have to come here. Now is the time for piparras (mild chilis) and these lightly fried ones are a magnificent starter, as are the house-style anchovies or the tomatoes with mint sorbet, not forgetting the piquillo peppers roasted and served just as they come out of the oven with a little extra virgin olive oil to make them more unctuous. One of the qualities of Casa Navarra is that it really adapts to the products of each season, as it should be in a traditional restaurant.

Tomate preparado : Tomatoes from the orchards of Mijas and the surrounding area, large in size and at their optimum point of ripeness. Practically dressed with a little extra virgin olive oil and a mint sorbet that permeates the whole dish.

Pocha beans with boletus Pocha beans, pulses or vegetables? A dilemma that this house knows perfectly well, as every year the pocha beans they prepare here are shelled one by one. They are cooked to perfection so that they melt in your mouth at the first bite.

Chuleta a la brasa: An Andalusian beef chop with an average maturation of thirty days or so. Asier prepares these cuts well on the coals and the three colours of the meat appear in the cut, a meat where the fat adds a lot of flavour.

Milhojas de nata : One of the best homemade milhojas that you can currently find on the coast. Leire prepares the puff pastry every day and also whips the cream in the traditional way. The texture is crunchy, the sweetness is very measured and the cream is very smooth.