Siete Cabezas: A cuisine in evolution

The name of the restaurant, Siete Cabezas, is linked to the rather gory legend that surrounded Doña Sánchez Lara who lived in what became known as the Casa de los Siete Cabezas (house of the seven heads), once located in the Plaza del Obispo, Malaga city. Her favourite nephew, Álvaro Torres, was hung after a perfunctory trial brought about by the then mayor. With her aristocratic connections she had all six people involved in the sentencing and murder, including the mayor, executed by royal order. But history is history, and Siete Cabezas is today one of the many restaurants located in the centre of Malaga. Since it opened its doors, this restaurant has undergone some changes in its menu that have positioned it as one of the most popular places for the locals. Siete Cabezas is located in one of the areas where there has been less proliferation of franchises and more restaurants with a culinary offer based on produce and tradition.

After starting out with other partners, Rafael and Alberto Sánchez, owners of one of the flagship restaurants in Teatinos, Boca Llena, decided to sail alone in these complicated gastronomic waters of the city centre, and judging by the way the kitchen and dining room of this restaurant are doing, they are succeeding. The idea of making and promoting, in a mid-priced menu of around 40 euros, meats, fish and rice dishes made in the traditional way but with a certain update, seems sensible to me. Little by little, the success that these brothers have established in Teatinos is starting to take hold in Siete Cabezas.

I like the proposal to differentiate in two menus what can be a snack with a more formal meal. Braised octopus, chistorras (a type of sausage), Iberian sausages, mini hamburgers... are essential parts of the tapas, compared to specialities such as ensaladilla rusa with confit peppers, sea bass ceviche, fried monkfish stew, cod with bearnaise sauce, shoulder of suckling goat or their rice dishes, designed to be enjoyed on the upper floor where the dining room is located or at the tables on the terrace. Another of Rafael and Alberto's successes is the wine list, where there are numerous current references from different Denominations of Origin.

Russian salad : The difference between this Russian salad and the traditional one lies precisely in the confit peppers, which give it a rather persistent sweet touch. This excessively sweet finish is detrimental to the rest of the ingredients.

Sea bass tartare with summer gazpachuelo This is undoubtedly the star dish on the menu, according to the comments of the establishment's most regular customers. Very colourful thanks to the gazpachuelo base and with an impeccable cut of sea bass.

Foie Magnum A trompe l'oeil of the classic 'magnum' ice cream turned into a starter dish that is the complete opposite in flavour but not in shape or colour. A very normal foie gras taco, which makes it more of an eye-catching dish than a tasty one.

Creamy rice with pork cheeks Another of the most popular dishes on the Siete Cabezas menu. Creamy rice, not a broth, where the cheeks add that touch of unctuousness that this dish needs.