Restaurant El Mar Negro in Fuengirola

All right, so you think you are a true cosmopolitan gourmet?

You have done it all: from the Chinese at every corner, to Sushi for lunch and you started pronouncing your own name with an Italian accent for all the pasta and pizza you had in the last 20 years. You  are even familiar with German sausages, Swiss Fondue and Hungarian Goulash – home made of course.

But let me tell you one thing: You haven’t made it yet to deserve the title “cosmopolitan gourmet” unless you tried “ El Mar Negro” in Fuengirola.

The restaurant “El Mar Negro” has a strong Romanian influence. Now let me ask you: Do you know what that really is? No, you probably don’t, but that’s nothing to be embarrassed about.  I didn’t know either, until I started writing this very article.

Romanian cuisine is a diverse blend of different dishes from several traditions with which it has come into contact, but it also maintains its own character. It has been greatly influenced by Ottoman cuisine while it also includes influences from the cuisines of other neighbours, such as Germans, Serbians, and Hungarians.

Quite different types of dishes are sometimes included under a generic term ; for example, the category ciorbă includes a wide range of soups with a characteristic sour taste.

These may be meat and vegetable soups, tripe and calf foot soups (shkembe chorba or iskembe), or fish soups, all of which are soured by lemon juice, sauerkraut juice, vinegar, or traditionally borş (fermented wheat bran). The category ţuică is a generic name for a strong alcoholic spirit in Romania, while in other countries every flavor has a different name.

Romanian recipes bear the same influences as the rest of Romanian culture. The Turks have brought meatballs (perişoare in a meatball soup), from the Greeks there is musaca, from the Bulgarians there are a wide variety of vegetable dishes like ghiveci and zacuscă, from the Austrians there is the şniţel and the list could continue.

This actually makes the “El Mar Negro” (which means the black sea) an unique attraction right in the center of Fuengirola just few steps away from the port and the beach (see map below for exact location).

The plates are simply not available at any other establishment in town.

I had a chat with the owner Christian, and ask him what would he does most recommend of what is offered on the menu. When he explained me the different dishes and variations of Romanian food, it became obvious to me that the man is truly dedicated to his job. You could actually see in his face the excitement and passion when he was explaining why his “marinated lamp” is so special and different from Mediterranean lamp dishes or when telling me what is a “black sea meat plate”.

Christian is especially proud on his desserts. The home made apple tort or home made donuts with  jam of forest fruits and cream, only to be topped by the Sundays only, home made cheese cake.

I couldn’t resist looking to the right side.

You know what I mean, the place where the prices are. To my utmost surprise most main plates are below 10 Euro and even the a bottle of red wine is available for as little as 11.00 Euro.

Needless to say, I will try the place myself tonight together with the most critical and  picky gourmets in town: my wife.

Watch this space….to be continued!

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How to find us:
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Restaurant El Mar Negro
Calle Dr. Galvez Ginachero 4
29640 Fuengirola – Malaga