Just an ordinary Sunday
As we've been going to the Costa Tropical a lot in the past month, now we still can and before it closes during summer, this was just an ordinary Sunday for us. We did not expect to end up eating one of the most amazing foods we've had during our time in Spain when we left home.
I remember that we first went to Nerja to visit the trunk sale / flea market instead of the other way around. The previous times we'd first visit Almuñécar and then drive to Nerja because we had this nice place to sit and relax after so much walking. We decided otherwise that day and ended up at that hotel for a quick stop to go to the toilet and just a drink because the kitchen was not open yet and there was a huge group of tourists being extremely loud. The latter made it a horrible and annoying experience so when the waiter took too long to bring the menu, we paid our drinks and left.
Cats of Nerja
The hotel comes with a cat and when there's a cat, we need to pet. At least after we know for sure the cat is ok with it, but we already knew this one didn't mind some petting from our daughter.
We took the rest of the bottle of water because it's not recommended to stroll over a big flea market while just loading up with 1,5 litres of water. That was actually really convenient because I remember that day was a pretty hot day and we all gained some colour on our skin that day, some extra water to hydrate wasn't a luxury but rather mandatory.
Round on the market
I don't recall if we bought something that day but I think we didn't because I created a folder of that day and it included all the stops we made but no flea market finds. I guess we were out of luck in terms of the markets that day. Our luck was just waiting for us in terms of food though, we were in for a real treat soon when we strolled through the cute little streets in Almuñécar and ended up at a little square where we'd been on Palm Sunday as well. Back then all tables were filled with people or reserved for people yet to come so we didn't eat anything there.
Restaurant Los Geraneos
The last time, our eye fell on this cute restaurant in the middle of this little square, you can't ignore it when you pass it, it looks incredibly adorable and shouts come and have a look here. My boyfriend mentioned that the fish and chips he had earlier was not going to do the trick so he could have something else. I wasn't very hungry but I could eat something light so I asked him to check if there was a free table while our daughter finished her ice cream.
Free table!
Although it was already the end of the afternoon, I was surprised that they had a free table and that they allowed us to eat because usually when it's close to 4, they are soon closing the kitchen but they were very welcoming and let us sit. We sat inside as we had no clue that there was a huge patio in the back. It looks like a tiny restaurant from the outside but it's actually really big and even has another floor as far as I understood.
The bar inside..
What shall we eat?
Look how cute their menu is, it matches the outside of the restaurant perfectly.
A page from the menu:
I think the prices here were very reasonable, especially knowing how amazing everything tasted. I did not expect to get such a huge salad with so many flavours working together for just 13 euros. My boyfriend, who's a true meat lover was thrilled to finally have good lamb chops but he even mentioned that he should have taken the salad, haha.
He loves a good salad don't get me wrong, but usually only when I make it because in restaurants he never finds them fulfilling enough. He chooses meat over salads when we're eating out but this time he got lucky because it was way too much for me to eat as I wasn't so hungry. He had the best of both worlds in the end.
The food
Our daughter just finished a huge ice cream and was not hungry so she was happy to play a game on the phone and steal a few fries from her dad while having some peach juice. We got a complimentary basket with fresh bread (very good!) and some pate.
While having good chats and waiting for our food to arrive, we were happily surprised when this was served:
Finally a non fried lamb chops dish with even a few veggies!
Pardon the following pictures in bad angles but we had a tiny table and the light was bad. Let me promise you if you ever come in this area that you will have the best food you can imagine. Like you have to go here without any doubt, don't let my pictures make you think otherwise, lol. I promise!
The salad made in heaven, it was a taste explosion, the "ensalada de la casa"
Some other angles because it's just mouthwatering to see the pictures again and I feel sad that we won't be going there this week!
The paprika didn't look too appealing but was so tasteful that the next day I started hunting for these tiny ones in the supermarket and found a new love for them.
This was a very big plate btw, it was filled with serano ham and smoked salmon as well as goat cheese, avocado and other goodies I'd never thought of combining together myself. In fact, I almost overlooked this whole salad because I never order serano ham salad myself.
I prefer having one with goat cheese or smoked salmon, while reading the menu I fully overlooked that this salad had all of the above. It felt like a strange combination but the cook sure knows what's incredibly tasteful. Compliments to the chef!
All the ingredients were extremely fresh and that's also quite exceptional so we've noticed. Quite often do restaurants top some not so fresh lettuce with all sorts of ingredients hoping that the customer won't notice it. I almost forgot that the pickles inside this salad may have been the ingredient together with the dressing that made these different things work so well together.
Too much to eat
I felt bad for not being able to finish my plate so I quickly moved my plate to my boyfriend hoping that he'd be able to finish it all because I didn't want to waste any of it. Luckily he helped me finish the plate without any hesitation because he was blown away by this salad that I almost didn't order.
Both of us were sure that this was a place we would come back to whenever we're in the region and that most likely we will try other things on the menu because we fully expect these other dishes to be surprisingly well thought out as well.
The patio
Before we went back home, we went to the toilet and found a big patio and took some pictures there while the waiter told us there's another area to sit. I never expected that but it was a great surprise because that means we will most likely not easily find the restaurant fully booked anytime soon.
I love everything about this restaurant and the staff was extremely polite and we happily tipped them because the bill was much lower than I'd expect before entering this restaurant. What a hidden gem that you must visit if you're in the area!
And with that this blog comes to an end and so does my Saturday.. Hopefully, I didn't make you too hungry.. enjoy your weekend!
All pictures above are mine!