Menu - Conmpasion

We were recommended this place by friends who were from Marbella. When we turned up, unfortunately, everything went south. Absolutely unfriendly service, I woul... read more We were recommended this place by friends who were from Marbella. When we turned up, unfortunately, everything went south. Absolutely unfriendly service, I would not recommend it at all! Never again!

I’ve been to this place a few times now and have waited until now to leave a review. I’d like to think of myself as a balanced and fair reviewer so one bad cour... read more I’ve been to this place a few times now and have waited until now to leave a review. I’d like to think of myself as a balanced and fair reviewer so one bad course doesn’t make a meal to me – so to speak. Located in the heart of Marbella’s old town, this place can be found down a narrow side street and tends to be quite busy most of the time. There are several public car parks in the area as well as paid street parking whose availability will depend whether or not you’re visiting during high season. In general there’s always somewhere to park and if you drive a car that’s a bit bigger than most, lower to the ground than most or even if you aren’t too confident in your ability to manoeuvre in confined spaces then I would strongly advise against parking in the Plaza de la Victoria car park next to La Pesquera. The restaurant is split across several floors so any users with mobility issues may be restricted to the tables on the ground floor so I’d recommend booking in advance as there aren’t that many in that section. From what I can tell the menu is seasonal which is great and the variety of dishes on offer will mean that it shouldn’t be difficult for someone to find something that they like on there. My issue is that from a sample of about 7 dishes that I’ve had on my visits there is the inconsistency of the food. For instance, they did a kebab starter no longer on the menu at the time of writing this) which was incredible value for money €4.50 I believe) as it was a generous size but packed with flavour. This dish was a hit with everyone that tried it. This was followed by a fillet steak tataki also no longer on the menu at the time of writing) which wasn’t a tataki but just a piece of average steak cut into strips. Sorry, but that’s not a tataki in my book just like how to me a dish isn’t Asian influenced just because it has noodles in it. On another occasion I remember a mixed taco dish that also hit the right notes but then upon returning it was no longer available due to the seasonal menu. That occasion, I was also let down by a goat cheese burger so yeah, my experiences there have been up and down. The dishes arrive at the table looking immaculate and judging by the techniques used you can tell that the chefs know how to cook, which is my biggest frustration. I think that due to the seasonality of the menu the staff are unable to perfect their consistency and by the time they do, it’s probably time to change the menu again. Staff there are generally quite pleasant although due to the layout of the restaurant, I get the impression that they could improve by ensuring a more equal coverage of the different areas by the waiters. For instance, on my last visit we were sat downstairs with the majority preferring to be upstairs and at times I felt that we were neglected in favour of the higher number of tables in the other section. This place has been very hit and miss for me. When it’s good it’s very good and when it’s not well… it leaves a bit of a sour taste in the mouth. It really is a shame because the folks in the kitchen are obviously very talented.