The newly-opened Nomad restaurant, nestled in the heart of the elegant residential area of Aloha in Marbella’s Nueva Andalucía, has prompted great intrigue among locals during its creation. This well-known Andalucian villa, which has housed several popular restau rants over the years, has been put through a dramatic transformation thanks to the expertise of interior designers and building engineers Ángela and María Pérez-Hick. The two-sister team from StudioHick set out to create a unique and sophisticated, yet bold and unbridled, design and architectural statement. The extensive renovation was completed surprisingly fast, with every small detail meticulously covered. We were shown around the venue by Ángela and María, who explained the ideology behind their design concept… “We were so grateful that our clients were open to our unrelenting sugges
NOMAD RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
EXCITING NEW VENUE FOR DINERS AND BAR-GOERS IN ALOHA
Photos by Johnny Gates
tions and let us have free reign to turn our dreams and crazy ideas into a re ality. We always aim to create spaces that offer great experiences, so when we are given a restaurant we always feel immensely inspired creatively. We were particularly in awe of the beautiful surroundings and view, so this had to play a large part in how we approached the design. That is why we have purposely designed the restaurant to connect the indoors with the outdoors, creating an exotically colourful yet earthy aesthetic which is in tune with the venue’s stunning natural setting.” From the valet car park at street level, you enter Nomad by going up steps to the reception entrance, where the expansive main restaurant and dining ter race are adjoining. There is also another floor above with a lounge and bar area that offer further impressive views out to Royal Las Brisas golf course, and an attractive outdoor area to relax al fresco over drinks.
Diego Gallegos has been popularly known as the “Caviar Chef” for over a decade, but perhaps now it would be even more fitting to recognise him as Spain’s preeminent “Green Chef”. His Sollo restaurant in the five-star Hotel Higuerón Curio Collection by Hilton in Fuengirola has a Michelin star, two Repsol “soles” and, most importantly and significantly, Michelin’s highly-coveted “Green” star. Sollo was one of the first restaurants in Spain to receive that latter distinction which, according to Michelin, evokes nature and recognises and gives visi bility to restaurants that share the guide’s “commitment to sustainability in the gastronomic field, respect the rhythms of nature, and strive to innovate by implementing initiatives that preserve the environment through resource management and waste disposal”. That philosophy is eminently notable in the case of Diego Gallegos. His “gas tro-aquaponics” garden (a fusion of gastronomy and water farming) and R&D laboratory in the Hilton grounds produces 90 per cent of the products used in the Sollo kitchen. In a closed loop (recirculating 12,000 litres of water), Diego symbiotically farms 14 different species of freshwater fish (including – intriguingly – piranhas), as well as 2,000 varieties of artisanal plants. In his early years on the Costa del Sol, Diego – who was born in Brazil, and has a Peruvian mother and Spanish (Cádiz area) grandfather – obtained the “Caviar Chef” moniker as a result of his extensive research into the recovery of Andalucian sturgeons. He still uses caviar as his star product, sourced from the flagship Ríofrio farm outside Málaga. At the time established in a different location in nearby Benalmádena, Sollo received its Michelin star in late-2015 (for the 2016 guide) and the “Green” star when it was first awarded to Spanish restaurants in 2020 (and included in the 2021 guide). Dining at Sollo is a highly exclusive affair, with capacity for only 14 people (20 in the warmer months when the terrace is open), served by nine highly talented and professional staff. The restaurant is only open in the evenings, five days a week, so reservations are imperative.
SOLLO RESTAURANT
STELL AR GREEN CREDENTIALS OF SPAIN’S “CAVIAR CHEF”
Understandably, there are many South American influences in Sollo’s cui sine, combined with Mediterranean flavours. This is reflected in Diegos’s new “Caminho 2023” menu, which provides diners with a sumptuous culinary ex perience that adds a distinctive creative dimension to classic Michelin dishes (and traditional wines). The Caminho menu includes appetisers of “green star”, smoked tarpon me ringue, seaweed taco and carp, pike tartlet in marinade and roe, and bar bel macarons. The starters (with caviar) are Russian-style caviar, almond and smoked cauliflower, seasoned cold soup, and catfish and white butter sauce. For the main courses… tilapia in hot ceviche, organic trout, Iberian ham consommé and roasted garlic, and sturgeon, foie gras and root vegetable cream. There is no bread on the menu, so diners are able to keep the calories under control and leave room for dessert, which includes mazamorra and purple corn juice, seasonal fruit, and honey, yoghurt and citrus, followed by petits fours sweets and herbal tea from Diego’s aquaponic system. As for future plans, Diego and the hotel are completing work – in collab oration with Fuengirola town hall – on an even more elaborate gourmet greenhouse and market garden installation, which is due to be fully open after summer. One of the main aims is to make an ongoing contribution to promoting sustainability for future generations, while also giving the area an innovative new tourist-orientated attraction.
Sollo: N340 highway, Salida 217, Urb. Reserva del Higuerón Open: Tuesday to Saturday, evenings only (7.30-10 pm), closed Sunday and Monday Tel. (+34) 951 385 622 info@sollo.es www.sollo.es
