The large private car park, which means you can park in style within the restaurant’s very own forecourt, remains as unique and valuable a feature as it ever was, as well as the fact that it is a beacon of fine dining and ambience in the area between Aloha and Los Naranjos. You would imagine that this makes Picadero mostly popular with locals in Nueva Andalucía, but in reality this is a restaurant that people travel to, for its speciality, quality meat dishes, enjoy great renown.

It was therefore with some expectation that we gathered at the restaurant, this time dining not on the ample terrace but in the richly ambient interior dining room – whose contemporary country styling makes it refined and welcoming at the same time. The fireplace was lit, the temperature pleasant and the furnishings elegant and comfortable. It’s the sort of venue suitable to both large groups and romantic couples, and is especially welcoming on a winter’s evening.

A Meat Lover’s Paradise

The trend in the food world is towards quality over quantity, and nowhere is this more the case than with meat. As a restaurant specialising in quality meat-inspired cuisine, Picadero exemplifies the trend with choice cuts sourced from the best suppliers, be it in Galicia or Ireland. However, this is Marbella and we’re near the sea, so if you prefer fish and seafood you’ll find a good offering too – such as the Almejas clams served in a simple but delicious garlic and parsley sauce that will have you dipping your bread until the sauce is all gone.

This is exactly what one of our companions did, and the other equally well presented starters had us acting similarly. The black pudding from Burgos with pear, for instance, was prepared to perfection in terms of texture and taste, while the grilled oyster mushrooms and roast vegetables stuffed with meat and goat’s cheese also had our taste buds dancing with joy. Related as it is to D-Wine.

Quality and Ambience

Picadero enjoys an excellent wine cellar that includes some of the finest national and international vintages. On the night, we enjoyed a treat: a 2014 Roda Reserva from Rioja. Served lightly chilled, this is a gentle, easy to drink wine full of complexity and presence. In fact, the ideal wine to serve with the gorgeous dishes that followed. They included a Spanish classic, oxtail served in a red wine sauce, moist, tender roast suckling pig, a slow-cooked beef rib and a Galician beef fillet on the stone. Though we all have our favourites and like them prepared to different degrees, the quality, presentation and flavour we enjoyed is undeniable. Picadero knows its meats, and you can order them with a choice of side dishes, including potatoes with cream and fine herbs, tomato and onion salads, triple-cooked homemade fries or, as we did, rosemary roasted baby potatoes.

Enjoying such a fine meal in such an ambient, cosy setting is truly one of life’s pleasures, and in classic style it was topped by a great offering of desserts. You know you’re on to a good thing when it’s hard to choose between the options, but we got there in the end, selecting homemade profiteroles with a rich nougat cream, chocolate and brandy sauce, a gorgeous chocolate and cherry cake and a delightful pumpkin and peanut butter cheesecake. The ice creams and sorbets offer a similarly tantalising choice of lemon, coffee, mango and strawberry flavours, best topped with a brandy as you sit back and let the warm glow of the evening wash over you. Stylish and ambient, Picadero is a Marbella classic beautifully reimagined that scores high in terms of décor, ambience, service, cuisine and, of course, the convenience of spacious parking.

WORDS MICHEL CRUZ PHOTOGRAPHY KEVIN HORN

Avda. Del Prado, Marbella. Tel: 952 929 999.

www.picaderomarbella.es