DINING SECRETS

comes with no less than 12 generous slices of delicious tuna belly, served with various garnishes and edible flowers. You might also try the ‘tarantelo’, one of the more unusual cuts served with cep mushrooms, braised in sweet Pedro Ximenez wine.

Zahara

Up the road in Zahara de los Atunes, a town named after its famous fish, you will find a number of excellent places to eat.

The best place - indeed something of a cathedral to tuna lovers - is Antonio (www.restauranteantoniozahara.com), a hotel and restaurant I first found two decades.

With the sort of swagger you’d only expect to find in somewhere like Barcelona or Ibiza, it is no surprise it is now booked up until mid-September, according to boss, Alejandro, who brings out the reservations book to prove it. It helps if you’ve booked a room in the hotel next door, but otherwise just jump on the waiting list and keep your fingers crossed.

If you can’t get a table, luckily you have a hipper, more informal rival in the heart of town called Mezcla

Run by Jose Maria Marques and wife Silvia, also from Barbate, it certainly has pedigree with Jose’s dad being a tuna fisherman… and a former executive chef at the Melia group. Opened in 2020 during the pandemic as a ‘hole in the wall’ for takeaway sushi lovers, it has now expanded to three local units and a series of tables in the alleyway outside. You can’t miss the giant tuna and squid arms that stretch out of a wall and the menu is exactly as its name says ‘a mix (or mezcla)’.

This is all thanks to the young, well travelled owners, who have picked a mix of dishes from their journeys to Mexico, France, Italy and the UK. “We just picked things up on the way,” explains Silvia, who is grafting away on a Thursday evening, despite have a fourmonth baby at home.

My favourite picks are the tuna saam with fig, pine nut jam and sorbet, while the cold ajo blanco soup with coconut and spicy tuna and ‘apple cream’ is splendid.

The ‘nido of mezcla’, basically a nest of goodies, came out with a special type of pasta, a free range egg, tuna tartare and shaved truffle from Soria on top. The waiter kindly did the splitting up and prep to eat. Still looking for more tuna?

Head up the road to Barbate and try the famous El Campero, run by the stalwart chef Jose ‘Pepe’ Melero, who directs his team with Zen-like calm.

An unbelievable success story, he can easily serve up to 500 diners per session and has tuna dishes in around 30 different guises, including tuna lasagna and Facera, Galera and Parpatana.

Roadside legend

From Barbate the road naturally takes you towards Vejer, but you would be mad not to stop at Venta Pinto (www.ventapinto.com) that first served up its loin in lard roll dish in 1910. Served warm, normally with a snifter of sherry, it’s still on offer today and literally oozes with the feel-good factor, if not exactly a road to good health. Thankfully, the menu at this family-owned restaurant is as light or rich as you want it to be, with plenty of salads and gallons of seafood to boot. No surprise the tuna is good and my morillo cut is one of the best, but if it’s on offer definitely go for the creative tuna tostada’ served on wafer-thin toast, spread with mayo, wasabi, black salt and onion. A surefire winner.

If not for lunch, definitely stop for a coffee, to admire the centuries-old tavern still run by the Pinto family, under the watch- ful eye of Cristina, a livewire, who buzzes from the bar to the restaurant and the terrace to the shop, usually with a big smile.

For something completely different, look out for Patria (www.restaurantepatria.com), on the other side of Vejer in the hamlet of La Muela.

This amazing place manages to tick just about every box in my book, combining theatre with romance and creativity with quality, not to mention exceptional prices.

Danes Ase and Thomas have turned this candle-lit flagstone terrace into the sort of place you might find in the Pyrenees or the south of France with its vine-clad veranda framing its views towards the coastline below.

Inside, it’s all cool jazz and colours and the joy of gour- met food, provided by the fiery (actually pretty chilled) Viking Thomas, who drives his team forward in their bijoux kitchen. A purveyor of local ingredients, his baby fennels from nearby Conil, poached in an escabeche with goat cheese cream, were delicious. As was his pan brioche with beef steak marinated overnight, with gherkins, chives and dill and served on a baby lettuce.

A carpaccio of local Barbate prawns were carefully sliced and served with salicornia and a kimchi sauce, with some cherry tomatoes.

The tuna belly, salted for two days and then smoked for three hours, is one of the best tuna dishes around. And that is saying something.

Up in Vejer itself you are completely spoilt for choice for restaurants, as I have mentioned elsewhere in this supplement.

Cadiz’ definitive dining capital, its highlights include 4 Estaciones (www.4estacionesvejer.com), where owner Alberto is constantly refining and changing his menu, as others ‘keep copying it’.

This year, he is extremely keen for me to try the Saam with a tail of King Prawn, guacamole, trout roe, spring onion and kimchi, before anyone else steals it.

It turns out to be a lovely variation on the dish made famous at three Michelin star Diverxo, in Madrid, and is, in fact, better. I’ve eaten there and this is even fresher, in fact a bomb in the mouth, so to speak. The range of ‘fresh summer dishes’ also improve by the year (it is now year six), and

The perfect spot for dining with flamenco and live music

DELICATESSEN Tarifa is a jewel in the crown of old town Tarifa.

Set in the charming old square and surrounded by beautiful old buildings, it is the perfect place to enjoy everything from breakfast to dinner, often accompanied by live music and flamenco events.

Their healthy breakfast offering includes a range of natural juices, cereals, fresh fruit, and a range of egg options.

They also provide a delicious brunch as well as a range of snacks and everything is freshly prepared in their open kitchen between 10am and 11pm daily.

The tuna platter is exceptional and recommended as are the range of fresh and delicious tapas.

Their paella afternoons are followed by a flamenco dancing display and are a great success, so why not stay and enjoy the complete event?

The delicious food can be accompanied by a range of fresh beers and good wines, in a perfect setting.

Live music is also offered throughout the week, showcasing a range of artists with something to appeal to everyone.

Delicatessen Tarifa fully deserves the excellent reputation it has built up by offering fresh, delicious and interesting food and beverages served by lovely staff and in a truly delightful historical setting.