Jatame Beach Club Marbella: cuisine with Asian roots

Jatame is one of those Asian and Mediterranean fusion restaurants that best interprets what 'fusion' really means. This is not your average Japanese restaurant, but rather a gastronomic space where everything is taken care of down to the smallest detail to create a cuisine with a clear Japanese influence, but where Oriental and Asian dishes are also intermingled, largely prepared with very Mediterranean products.

From 3 June, Jatame will offer a very personal and unique cuisine by Juan Bautista, who was once the most outstanding disciple of the great Japanese chef Masao Kikuchi, now owner and chef of the Malaga restaurant Rocío Tapas y Sushi. From one o'clock in the afternoon, facing the sea, a tuna ronqueo ('ronqueo' translates as 'snoring' and refers to the noise the blade makes during the traditional Spanish method of cutting up a whole tuna) will take place and then Alberto Villarrubia, executive chef of Guadalpín Banús; Esteban Haro, chef of Jatame; and Juan Bautista himself, will prepare a menu where tuna will be the main ingredient of almost all the dishes.

Jatame has become, in its own right, one of the best Asian cuisine restaurants, especially Japanese, on the Costa del Sol, both for the quality and variety of its dishes, as well as for its prices. The incorporation this season of the new chef, with an extensive and long career in establishments such as Takumi or the now defunct Kemuri, has led to the addition of new dishes to a menu that is already very attractive for its Asian-Mediterranean fusion cuisine. Along with classics such as makis, nigiris, uramakis and teriyakis, there is a section dedicated to this Asian fusion where there is no shortage of poke dishes, Vietnamese nems, tiraditos and a variety of stir fries and noodles, as well as a good grilled wagyu. In this beachfront establishment you can also enjoy a selection of very Malaga dishes where the fried fish and seafood rice dishes are never lacking.

Another point of distinction of this place is its wine list. Raúl González has prepared a careful selection of national, Malaga and international wines to make the experience complete. All in all, including the waiter service, Jatame is a restaurant that must be visited.

The difficulty in preparing a variety of sashimi lies precisely in the choice of fish and also in the cutting of each fish. What stands out the most about this variety is precisely the chef's skill with the knife.

Ceviche is not really typical of Japanese cuisine, but in this Asian fusion cuisine, a japoceviche fits perfectly because of the cuts of fish and its maceration where the pickles become an important part of its flavour.

One of the best lemon fish tiraditos I've tasted lately. The broth from the fish itself mixed with coconut milk, lime and a little pickled onion form a flavourful combination that is hard to forget for its delicacy on the palate.

The meat served at Jatame comes from the distributor Caydesa, one of the five authorised for distribution by the Japanese Kobe Beef Association. A subtle touch of exclusive grilling brings out its full flavour without any seasonings.