Enea Casa de Comidas, a modern Marbella restaurant

David Olivas and Fabián Villar have embarked on one of the most interesting gastronomic adventures to have taken shape on the Costa del Sol this year. I am referring to Enea Casa de Comidas. The easy thing for them to do after winning a Michelin star in Back would have been to open a new restaurant in a continuity with the previous one, as many restaurateurs do and have done. But no, they have opted for a different restaurant, an establishment where the customer can go to eat every day of the year if they prefer, where there is no single seasonal menu that is a must, etc... Enea serves popular cuisine in keeping with contemporary tastes, with creative touches and a lot of updating of what can be considered traditional cuisine.

The menu here is very dynamic and affordable. A more informal proposal than what is currently practised in Back, that is to say, the so-called 'haute cuisine', and where culinary surprise is guaranteed with dishes born from David's knowledge of classic cuisine. With fresh, local and, of course, seasonal products, despite the fact that the menu does contain some licences, such as this delicate dish of artichokes with sweetbreads or white asparagus with cured egg yolk. Products out of season, but well cooked and vacuum-preserved, they reach the table with almost all their properties intact.

David does not hesitate to prepare fried whiting or payoyo cheese fritters, as well as stewed pigs cheeks or squid with other dishes more in tune with his cuisine and creativity, such as lobster claws with egg mollet and roasted red peppers or leek confit with a meuniere of yellow peppers and mushrooms. At Enea we will find this profile of dishes as well as two different atmospheres, a more informal part at the entrance with high tables and a more comfortable one on the upper floor. Fabián's hand, both in the dining room and in the wine cellar, is very present and it is fair to acknowledge it; together with these dishes we will always find a wine in harmony and at very affordable prices. Enea is one of those restaurants that should always be on our agenda.

David reconstructs a classic dish from Cadiz and he does so starting with the chromatism and presentation of potatoes, very well cut and cooked, which together with crab meat and pickles, as well as a good oil, enhance the value of this dish.

Simplicity of flavours is what we find in this dish. Perhaps in winter, when the artichokes are at their best, the strong flavour of the artichokes will reinforce the taste of the sweetbreads, which are quite bland.

A success that is not without a touch of daring. Delicate, soft little morsels (the meat of the lobster claws) intermingle with the enveloping strength of the egg and the delicate background formed by the yolk with the juice of the roasted pepper.

Chuletita de ibérico (Iberian pork chop)

A good Iberian pork cut well done on the grill that David accompanies with sautéed broccoli shoots with garlic to give colour and a touch more juiciness in the mouth. The idea of presenting the meat on the bone is perfect.