2 New Italian Restaurants

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Evelyn
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2 New Italian Restaurants

Postby Evelyn » Tue Mar 20, 2018 10:41 pm

Two new Italian restaurants have opened. 1 in Velez Malaga......La Tratoria in Parque Andalucia and the other in Torre del Mar.....La Sorrentina on the Paseo Maritimo past the lighthouse towards the Camping Ground. Worth a try I would think.

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Re: 2 New Italian Restaurants

Postby gerryh » Sat Mar 24, 2018 12:32 pm

Went this morning to try to find "La Sorrentina on the Paseo Maritimo past the lighthouse towards the Camping Ground."
Couldn't find it.
Does it exist, have you been there?
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Re: 2 New Italian Restaurants

Postby Evelyn » Sun Mar 25, 2018 3:50 pm

Sorry I have not been to the one in Torre I was told about it by a friend. Address Paseo Maritima de Poniente 69,Camping Laguna Playa, Torre del Mar. I have been to the Trattoria de Balix in Velez and had a really nice Pizza. However it was Sunday and the place was packed so would suggest booking and I think if you want a quiet Sunday Lunch to avoid it.
,

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Re: 2 New Italian Restaurants

Postby ashtondav » Tue Mar 27, 2018 3:32 pm

Can't stand pasta or pizza. Do they do a full menu of Italian food or just focus on the "2 Ps"?

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Re: 2 New Italian Restaurants

Postby Free at Last » Wed Mar 28, 2018 9:31 am

Apart from pasta and pizzas, the menu at La Trattoria features hot dogs and burgers, plus steak and chips. That puts me off trying it as it wouldn't be my idea of an Italian restaurant, more like fast food. I also think it is not particularly good value at €7.50 for a pizza, when we can go and have the menu del dia deal at Punto y Pasta in Torre del Mar for €8.50 which includes a starter, any pasta dish or pizza from the menu, dessert or coffee, plus a drink (glass of wine, beer or a soft drink) and olives. You wouldn't like it, though, Ashtondav, as they don't serve main courses other than pasta or pizza. :)

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Re: 2 New Italian Restaurants

Postby ashtondav » Wed Mar 28, 2018 2:26 pm

So it's not an Italian but a FF outlet that sells pizza and pasta. Oh for some veal cheek, or Ischia style rabbit, Umbrian cured meats, Fritelle y Merluzzo, Mozzarella Cheesecake etc. Shame Italian is synonymous with P&P in many places. There's very little Italian about serving Pasta as a main course - it is usually a starter.

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Re: 2 New Italian Restaurants

Postby gerryh » Wed Mar 28, 2018 3:00 pm

Completely agree with your comments.
I am also looking for an Italian restaurant that sells Italian food.
I'm going to have a look at the Torre del Mar one on Friday but I suspect it be just another P&P place.
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Re: 2 New Italian Restaurants

Postby ashtondav » Wed Mar 28, 2018 4:48 pm

Keen to hear more...

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Re: 2 New Italian Restaurants

Postby katy » Wed Mar 28, 2018 5:19 pm

Are these places actually owned by Italians? lots on the west coast are owned by Spaniards serving awful pizzas. One genuine Italian chain is almost unrecognisable as authentic Italian. They have compromised and gone native, a bit like Chinese, they adapt to suit the clientele with dishes like gambas pil pil etc. Carluccios UK has a good menu.
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Re: 2 New Italian Restaurants

Postby Free at Last » Wed Mar 28, 2018 5:22 pm

katy wrote:Are these places actually owned by Italians? lots on the west coast are owned by Spaniards serving awful pizzas. One genuine Italian chain is almost unrecognisable as authentic Italian. They have compromised and gone native, a bit like Chinese, they adapt to suit the clientele with dishes like gambas pil pil etc.
Punto y Pasta in Torre del Mar definitely is - a young husband (chef) and wife (front of house) team. They do actually do some dishes which are not pizza or pasta (osso buco, for example) but they are advertised as specials and need to be ordered in advance, which I appreciate some customers would not like.

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Re: 2 New Italian Restaurants

Postby El Cid » Wed Mar 28, 2018 5:39 pm

I love Italian food, including P&P. It does seem to me quite a high percentage of Pizza places, although Spanish, actually produce pretty good pizzas, but then how difficult is that if you have a decent pizza oven. Quite a few have wood ovens which tends to improve them a bit.

Good pasta is not so easy to find. My personal test of a good pasta place is if they can cook Spaghetti Carbonara properly, sadly after many attempts I have given up - I just do it myself. I cook a lot of "proper" Italian food, in fact we are doing an Italian Easter Sunday lunch for a group of friends.

I spent a lot of time cruising around Italy with frequent visits to local eating places. My recollection was that there were two distinct types. The P&P places and the restaurants which were far more expensive, by a big margin and, yes, good italian dishes were available. You would certainly not go there for a pasta unless it was a starter and I doubt you would order a main course Pizza.

We are going out for lunch in Torre tomorrow to La detail inBella Torino in Avda Torre Torre. We have been before and it does serve good P&P alongside a good choice of Italian(ish) mains. Their starter of Italian Antipasta is particularly good with proper Italian sausage and cheese.

I will report back in due course.

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Re: 2 New Italian Restaurants

Postby costakid » Wed Mar 28, 2018 5:42 pm

If you want a pizza east of Malaga city the one to try is in Rincon Del la Victoria. I think its the best pizza on the coast. Pizzeria Romano.

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Re: 2 New Italian Restaurants

Postby El Cid » Wed Mar 28, 2018 5:53 pm

Free at Last wrote:
Punto y Pasta in Torre del Mar definitely is - a young husband (chef) and wife (front of house) team. They do actually do some dishes which are not pizza or pasta (osso buco, for example) but they are advertised as specials and need to be ordered in advance, which I appreciate some customers would not like.
They are only trying to satisfy the demand which for most tourists is Pizza and Spag Bol. You can't blame them for that and I am sure, as Italians, they would rather cook real Italian food. Perhaps you could ask them in advance to do something special for you, I'm sure they would love to oblige.

It's the same with Chinese restaurants, they just turn out the rubbish (tastes good though) that the westerners want. If you can find an authentic chinese dish on the average Chinese menu you are doing well and it will probably be in name only.

It's the same with most Indian restaurants, they serve BIR food (British Indian Restaurant). I think we could all, if asked, write an Indian restaurant menu from memory. I have noticed an increase in alternative " Indian" cooking recently with more ethnic diversity. There are restaurants serving a small percentage of dishes from Nepal and Goa alongside the BIR menu.

Sid

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Re: 2 New Italian Restaurants

Postby Evelyn » Wed Mar 28, 2018 6:04 pm

La Bella Torina is really good . Lovely starters. Beautiful Carpacchio of Tuna and also a starter of Bresaola. However the Penne Carbonnara was awful. They made it with a bechamel sauce and it was very stodgy. With regards to the Italians in Velez and Torre I was not recommending just pointing out they were there for people to try and make up their own minds. I think that the one in Torre is a replacement for the Mexican which was on the camping site, but not sure. The one in Velez is just. what it says it is, Pizza(home made)pasta burgers hot dogs.

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Re: 2 New Italian Restaurants

Postby gerryh » Wed Mar 28, 2018 6:53 pm

Evelyn wrote: I think that the one in Torre is a replacement for the Mexican which was on the camping site, but not sure.
Unfortunately when your friend told you that the new one in Torre del Mar "La Sorrentina on the Paseo Maritimo past the lighthouse towards the Camping Ground." has got it wrong.
Walking from the lighthouse you come to a camp site which has a Mexican restaurant but you need to walk a lot further to the next camp site that has La Sorrentina.
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Re: 2 New Italian Restaurants

Postby Evelyn » Wed Mar 28, 2018 7:27 pm

Thanks and sorry for the confusion.

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Re: 2 New Italian Restaurants

Postby El Cid » Wed Mar 28, 2018 8:15 pm

Evelyn wrote: . However the Penne Carbonnara was awful. They made it with a bechamel sauce and it was very stodgy.
Carbonara should be made with eggs only - no cream. To dilute the sauce you just use the pasta cooking water. It should use a special cured pork cheek called Guanciale but a decent pancetta or bacon is fine. The most important thing is lots of coarse black pepper to finish it.

It is probably the most abused classic Italian dish you will find because the authentic version requires exact timing and technique or it turns into scrambled egg. This makes it a real challenge for a busy restaurant which is why they add loads of cream and it isn’t that easy if you try it yourself. Sadly most people have never tried the real thing and now expect a wet creamy sauce with no pepper but a Bechamel sauce base is inexcusable.

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Re: 2 New Italian Restaurants

Postby Free at Last » Thu Mar 29, 2018 8:44 am

Francesco at Punto y Pasta makes it the Italian way, without cream, but also offers an alternative with cream for those customers who actually prefer it that way - probably because that's the only version they have ever eaten.

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Re: 2 New Italian Restaurants

Postby Evelyn » Thu Mar 29, 2018 3:18 pm

I was a chef for over thirty years in lots of different types of establishments, wouldnt dream of using a Bechamel. When I pointed it out to them they just shrugged their shoulders. It is one of the easiest Pastas to prepare and along with Puttanesca the most delicious.

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Re: 2 New Italian Restaurants

Postby El Cid » Thu Mar 29, 2018 4:14 pm

Yes, it’s easy to prepare but it has to be served immediately. Unlike the creamy version which can be spooned out from a large pot of premade sauce, just like Spaghetti Bolognese.

Had lunch at La Bella Torino today. Really good. The pasta Amatriciana was one of the best pastas I have had. Really fresh sauce with cherry tomatoes, onions still with a bite and really good pancetta chunks. They have a large number of main courses, many of them Italian, but for lunch I prefer something lighter.

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