Yesterday I managed to drag Mick out of his office to meet up with our lovely friends, David and Graeme, for lunch! As it is August, London business is quieter for Mick, whilst of course, mine is full on, so it is important to get away for a few hours and take a bit of holiday time ourselves. David and Graeme have been here for a long time and so know all kinds of out of the way places – they are also very chic and therefore I am always eager to go anywhere that they like!
So off we went at1 o’clock and had a pre-lunch cocktail at their beautiful place near the beach, only 15 minutes drive from us. David called the restaurant to make sure we could have a table upon arrival – top tip, never leave it until 2 pm in Spain to lunch anywhere on the beach – the Spanish literally take every table in sight during July and August at five to two! So either book, or arrive at 1.30 pm.
Anyhow, with an assurance that our table would be waiting (David and Graeme are well known here!) off we went. Well, I have never come across this part of the beach in 7 and a half years of living here. A little tricky to find, it is situated between Vera beach and Garrucha, D’Maruja is only one of two Chiringuitos on this stretch of beach. The other thing that should be noted is that the beach itself is simply divine –white sand all the way and the water as calm and blue as anything. There are beds and umbrellas for hire in front of the restaurant and so it makes a perfect location for a whole day out.
But back to D’Maruja itself – ok get this – they only have to open for around 7 weeks a year and so after the 1st week in September you will have to wait until the middle of July next year to dine here! It is basically a huge structure covered with canvas – there are lots of kind of portable kitchens at the back, cooking the most amazing array of delicious food and a little different too than the normal fayre. I guess they have enough tables for 100 people here and puts me in mind of Le Club 55 in St Tropez (the first beach bar there) only about a million euros cheaper! Go for the berenjena, pimiento y cebollo (Tempura of aubergine, green peppers and onion rings like you have never had in your life).
Next time we go, I am taking a small pot of chilli sauce with me! Then there is the usual fantastic salad and after that a huge choice of meat or fish – we all had veal escalope just because I had cooked fish for two days running at home and I needed a meat fix! But you can be sure that everything here is freshly cooked and absolutely delicious because their clientele is clearly very important to them (most of the houses on this stretch are upwards of a million euros and so standards are high). We didn’t have any room for dessert – I would concentrate on the starters and mains frankly. We had a few glasses of wine and the boys drank beer and lots of water. Our bill came to an amazing 20 euros a head with a tip! You can’t complain at that can you? Suffice it to say we will be cramming in as many visits as possible before they close during the second week of September!
David and Graeme have come up trumps again!
Chringuito D’Maruja, Puerto Rey Playa Telephone number: 629 614 880
Yummy Almeria 