El Descorche: Modernised Malaga cuisine, designed with food and wine pairing in mind

Its wine list brings together a wide selection of wines produced in Spain’s best-known wine-growing regions and also features virtually all the brands currently being produced and marketed under the Malaga Designation of Origin (D.O.). El Descorche has become a veritable temple to Malaga wines, where almost all the wineries in the province are represented. Behind this initiative is Romina Di Lorenzo, who has set out to make this restaurant, situated on the central Calle Álamos in the city centre, a true meeting place centred around Malaga’s wines.

To complement this selection, El Descorche has opted for a more practical menu that prioritises locally sourced produce, featuring vegetables from the Guadalhorce vegetable gardens and fish from the bay, amongst many other ingredients.

Some of these dishes, such as the braised aubergines, flavourful, tender and grilled to perfection so that all their qualities shine through from the very first bite, or the Malaga-style goat’s ssäm (a Korean style dish), crispy on the outside and with a perfectly balanced, melt-in-the-mouth texture on the inside, that same balance between textures and flavours can be found in the salchichón tartare brioche.

In contrast, the pan-seared sea bass, arrives at the table with an excessive saltiness due to the sauce, and the pil-pil prawn satay, whilst retaining its crispiness, is rather bland in terms of flavour. This dish, which originates from Indonesian cuisine, requires an adjustment that focuses more on the flavour of the filling; the same applies to the sea bass, although in this case the dish as a whole simply needs less salt so that the flavour of the fish is not masked.

As well as its cuisine, superbly overseen by Maribel, what I continue to appreciate most about El Descorche is the work carried out by this establishment, which does not merely serve wines; rather, its managers travel the province to discover, directly from the winemakers themselves, the essence of the products, with the aim of conveying this to diners. In doing so, they fulfil not only the obligation of every restaurant to offer high quality in every dish, but also that of conveying the philosophy of their kitchen and dining room to their customers, ensuring a truly complete dining experience.