Red Pepper Reimagined

A firm favourite and Puerto Banus staple "Red Pepper" Greek restaurant was the assignment for one of this month's food reviews... I LOVE Greek food and had studied the language at school.. I was the girl for this job!  

On a glorious sunny afternoon in Puerto Banús, Red Pepper delivered exactly the kind of meal that makes you briefly consider cancelling all future plans and moving permanently to a table overlooking the marina.

We started (as every great Greek meal should) with the Tzatziki, because no Greek-inspired feast should begin without at least one bowl of garlicky goodness capable of ruining your chances of polite conversation with your photographer. Creamy, cool and packed with fresh cucumber and herbs, refreshing enough to make you feel virtuous before things got gloriously indulgent.

Tiganití Féta was the next offering ,crispy fried feta drizzled with honey and served with a zesty tarragon aioli. Now, whoever first decided to fry cheese deserves some kind of international award. The batter was light and crunchy, the barrel-aged feta gloriously salty, and the honey added just enough sweetness to make every bite dangerously addictive. The concept of Sharing was technically discussed, but swiftly abandoned.

The main event was the Kleftico, a slow-cooked lamb shank so tender it practically collapsed under the gentle pressure of a fork. This wasn’t just “fall-off-the-bone” lamb , this was lamb that had emotionally detached itself from the bone several hours earlier. Rich, deeply comforting and beautifully seasoned, it arrived alongside herb and garlic vegetables that somehow managed to make us feel slightly healthier despite everything else we’d consumed.

And then came dessert, because restraint is for people eating sad desk salads (or work colleague's as they prefer to be known)

First up: the Halva Pistachio Cheesecake, topped with tahini sauce and dates. Creamy, nutty and luxurious, it tasted like cheesecake that had spent a summer holiday in the Middle East and returned infinitely more interesting.

Finally, the Baklava Ice Cream Sandwich arrived like the grand finale of a fireworks display. Crisp pastry, vanilla ice cream and roasted pistachio crumble combined into something both outrageously rich and impossible to stop eating.

With sunshine, harbour views and food this good, Red Pepper Banús isn’t just a meal out, it’s a full Mediterranean mood.

OPA (well it was a long time ago and I never said I was fluent)

By Grace Aisling

C. Ribera, 4, Nueva Andalucía, 29660 Marbella, Málaga, Spain

+34 952 81 21 48

www.redpepperpuertobanus.com