Breathe it in
As our last culinary gathering was the Xmas staff party at Nobu, we were more than delighted to be invited to review the uber chic Marbella staple, Breathe. Held in the highest regard by locals and tourists alike, with its consistent quality and unrivalled sustainability initiatives, Breathe has now rightfully earned its place at the very pinnacle of the local food scene. On this occasion we opted to dine in the newly covered terrace, with its plethora of cosy heating solutions we were soon sipping cocktails, whilst perusing the winter offering.
We collectively decided to commence our gastronomic journey with the timeless classic, Burrata salad, surrounded by josper roasted cherry tomatoes and grilled courgettes, garnished with fresh basil, thyme and garlic croutons. This delightfully aesthetical and fragrant dish disappeared in record time. Due to the recent arrival of a baby on the team, we had foregone lunch and chosen to dine early. Society staff were hungry!
Crispy soft shell crab atop green tea noodles, drizzled with yuzu, seamlessly followed the departure of the empty Burrata plates. Our new food photographer, Dorothy, whisked the dish away for its moment in the spotlight, before this too was devoured with the now customary glances at each other, before silently deciding who was to take the last morsel.
Starters were concluded with a grilled artichoke confit, which if we weren’t sampling so many dishes may ordinarily have been overlooked, but it was delicious. Beetroot, truffle and slices of parmesan, served with caramelised pecans. At this rate the dish washer was going to be made redundant!
After a brief pause in proceedings, we moved onto mains. A last minute vote against Ravioli in favour of the cochinillo, rewarded us with mouth-wateringly, moist pork beneath a layer of crispy crackling, wild mushrooms, sweet potato okra and a babi guling sauce completed the plate. By this stage all prior politeness for the last bite had degenerated into “ I don’t care if I look greedy, its yummy.” The gloves were off, it was every man and woman for themselves.
Crispy Chicken Picanton was next to join the party. Barbequed spring chicken, on a bed of wok fried broccolini, marinated in lime, served with a zesty bulgogi sauce. Some amongst us had clearly gone off too fast. This festival of fine food was always going to be a marathon. My dining companions were flagging and the final dish was the house signature Wagyu fillet with truffled teriyaki sauce, perched on a bed of fresh green asparagus with fries! I couldn’t wait, and it was going to be all mine …but then disaster struck … Dorothy's lighting ensemble experienced an untimely mild malfunction, affording my once full companions valuable time to regain some appetite and once they had sampled a bite of this king of steaks, they miraculously made room to polish off what was simply an unbelievably great dish. A fitting conclusion to a memorable visit to this fabulous venue, which exuded class and professionalism from arrival to departure.
By Artur Ryan
