Guey – Marbella’s hidden gem

MY reasons for re-visiting Guey were three-fold.

Firstly, I wanted to welcome Andrea back who had been missed for most of the summer. She accompanied me on the last review there when they first opened in December, so what a good idea of Barrie and Sally to invite her.

Secondly, I had been promising myself a nice treat since returning from my travels, and thirdly I was eager to see what Guey’s outside al fresco dining scene was like. Earlier this year they were busy getting the terrace prepared, and I couldn’t wait to experience their superb food outdoors while the summer was still with us.

When a restaurant names itself so that the phonetic pronounciation is ‘gooey’ – they must be something special. It is actually pronounced ‘Way’, and readers will remember that I raved about it last time. Now time to make sure that their al fresco dining was up to scratch, and that standards hadn’t slipped!

Rahmaan remembered me from last time. He is Sri Lankan, and one of the rare breed of superb waiters. Nothing is too much trouble for him. He even remembered that last visit I drank the Amarone wine. This time he recommended the Chilean Terra Mater, which was promptly decanted while we perused the menus.

The starter selection is quite awesome. We decided to try a few between us. We were recommended the gambas pil pil – at Guey served with tequila, whisky and parmesan cheese instead of the normal garlic. Interesting.

We also ordered scallops with beetroot and cauliflower, and some deep fried pastry bags filled with shrimps, spring onion and shitake mushrooms. This served with a sweet and sour citrus shallot. Andrea selected the foie gras with mango and pistachio. The starters were quite simply utterly divine. I thought the fois combination terrific, and the pastry bags got the thumbs up from everyone.

Meanwhile, Rahmaan’s wine selection was opening up nicely – a powerful red with legs and much flavour. A terrific choice. All going swimmingly well.

Light live music was in play, easy on the ear and very well delivered. This was going to be a memorable evening, I could tell.

We took our time to select the mains. Rahmaan talked us through some options. He recommended the tuna with teriyaki and deep fried tempura vegetable maki roll, with grilled lime and ginger flavour. Wow! Sally went for it. Barrie decided on the duck. This served with gently sautéed snow peel, leeks, smoked bell pepper and bacon compote and tarragon potato. Told you Guey knew what they were doing! Andrea chose mixed sashimi, while I opted for beef royal accompanied with fondant potato, truffle pastry, foie gras and a red wine sauce.

Rahmaan explained that Guey take the running of the establishment very seriously. They have 3 in the management team including Daili who is in charge of the bar, Rahmaan and Roberto. Head chef Edmund also has his say. He is from Latvia, while Johnnie also ensured the smooth running of the place. Owner Antonio Carus has a great team here.

Now the mains arrived. The presentation was excellent, and when we started to tuck in so was the food.

I adored my beef – perfectly cooked while Barrie raved about the duck. Andrea’s sashimi was also very well received as was Sally’s tuna.  This was an outdoor dining experience of high standing and excellence. Top, top marks.

For puddings we tried the berry cup with whisky mascarpone, and also warm pineapple with coconut panna cotta and tequila sirope. Amazing puds.

We all agreed that this was, again, a memorable evening of gastronomy and excellent service. Starters range from around €6 to €12 on average while the mains are around €14 upwards. The wines are very reasonable too for a Marbella establishment. September is one of my favourite months in Marbella, and if the weather stays warm October will also lend itself to happy and memorable evening on Guey’s terrace. Get there quick before the season is quite over. Very highly recommended indeed.

Photo credit: Eddie P Morrison

Guey, Pza de las Orquideas, 4, 29660 Nueva Andalcia, marbella
Tel: 952 929 250
www.gueybanus.com

RATING Service 5, Cleanliness 4, Food 4, Overall 4