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The "Guiri" Gourmet

The "Guiri" Gourmet likes his food. He eats well at home, as his wife is an outstanding cook, but they also like to dine out or go on a "tapas" tour. This blog is about some of their experiences, both in Spain and elsewhere.

New bars and restaurants in Ronda
Friday, January 24, 2025

I don't know if it's like this everywhere in Spain, but in Ronda (Málaga), where I live, bars and restaurants close and new ones open with amazing frequency. It seems to be a post-Covid phenomenon.

 

[Photo: Restaurantes Exitosos]

 

This evening we wanted to try out somewhere new, so I had a wander round the centre this morning and discovered a surprising number. And that's not counting places away from the centre or on the outskirts.

 

Ronda restaurant "recce"

Within 15 minutes I had discovered at least ten - on three streets, slap bang in the centre.

There was a Hindu, a Korean, a new Italian pizzeria, and a whole range of places offering Spanish/international cuisine. There were trendy places with nouvelle cuisine; cheap and cheerful; expensive; and bog-standard. There's even a restaurant boasting 2 Michelin stars.

 

The Hollywood film star Robert De Niro ate lunch there recently. The menu of the day was an eye-watering 200€ a head! But, I guess if you earn 10 million dollars for making a film, that's peanuts!

I shan't be going there anytime soon. Mr De Niro did report that the meal and service was excellent! I should bloody well hope so for that price! The Michelin-starred chef Benito Gómez must be a very wealthy man.

I'll let my wife choose where we go (I won't mention Tragatá - the expensive one referred to above).

I wouldn't mind giving the Indian restaurant a try. We haven't had an Indian or Bangladeshi restaurant in Ronda for some years. I'm also intrigued by the Korean place, but we'll see .....

 

 

De Niro and Gomez [DiarioSur]

 

© The "Guiri" Gourmet

Photos by Paul Whitelock, unless otherwise stated.

 

Tags:

10 million dollars, 2 Michelin stars, 200€ a head, Bangladeshi, Benito Gomez, DiarioSur, HinduIndian restaurant, Italian, Koreanmeal and service were excellent, menu of the day, nouvelle cuisine, Paul Whitelock, pizzeria, post-Covid phenomenon, Restaurantes Exitosos, Robert De Niro, Ronda restaurant "recce", Spanish/international cuisine, The "Guiri" Gourmet, Tragata, wealthy man,



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Hotel Molino del Santo under new management
Sunday, January 19, 2025

This prestigious boutique hotel in Benaoján Estación has new people at the helm. The hotel, formerly a dilapidated mill, was discovered by husband and wife Andy Chapell and Pauline Elkin some forty years ago when, as young teachers, they were on a back-packing holiday in the area.

    Photo courtesy of booking.com

 

What happened next?

They had a dream, bought the ruined mill, and gave up their teaching jobs in the UK, Andy was a PE teacher and Pauline a Spanish teacher, and they worked flat out to turn the ruined mill into one of the best hotels and restaurants in Andalucia.

Despite the formidable challenges, eg the bureaucracy, threats from the local mafia, and other issues, they managed it.

Their policy of only employing local people paid off and they quickly became part of the local community.

Before and after photos [Andy Chapell]

 

    Andy and Eddie [Jon Clarke]                                    River-side dining terrace [Htl Molino del Santo]

 

Andy and Pauline sired two children, Carmen and Rosi, who were born locally, went to school at an international school on the coast and completed their education at universities in the UK. Both are bilingual, of course.

 

What goes around, comes around

Andy and Pauline reached pension age and wanted to retire. They left the hotel in the capable hands of Ricardo and Nicole, an Anglo-Argentinian/French couple, for a while, but now their oldest daughter Carmen and her Norwegian partner Martin have agreed to take up the challenge.

Carmen and Martin are currently refurbishing the hotel and planning a new menu, with many vegetarian options. They also plan to focus on fine wines, particularly from the Ronda area.

    Andy & Pauline's retirement [JC]                     Carmen [Linked In]                                            Martin [X]

 

They plan to re-open Molino del Santo in April 2025. We look forward to checking them out!

 

© The “Guiri” Gourmet

 

Links:

Run of the Mills - Help me, Ronda - please scroll down to Molino del Santo

The Best “Station” in the Serrania de Ronda – Estación de Benaoján

 

Acknowledgements:

Andy Chapell, Jon Clarke, Pauline Elkin, Paul Whitelock, The “Guiri” Gourmet, The Olive Press

 

Photos:

Andy Chapell, booking.com, Jon Clarke, LinkedIn, Molino del Santo, Pauline Elkin, Paul Whitelock, The Olive Press, X

 

Tags:

Andy Chapell, Carmen Chapell Elkin, Jon Clarke, Martin Reymert, Pauline Elkin, Paul Whitelock, Rosi, The “Guiri” Gourmet, The Olive Press, www.help-me-ronda.com

 



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