Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)
WALKING past the flesh pots of Puerto Banus in the middle of summer your heart naturally sinks.
Dealing with a scrum of pasty holidaymakers, entitled Saudi teenagers and a rabble of rubberneckers immediately puts the hackles up.
Then add in the influencers, at ten to the euro, the hen and stag nights and packs of spoilt brats finally on their hols, and no wonder most expats head for the north of Spain at this time of year.
It might seem almost impossible to imagine there is anywhere decent to eat around here.
Then you turn the corner and there is Leone.
Almost like an oasis, it stands out with its neutral colours, low-key lighting and space.
Yes, it’s the first big day of summer so naturally there is an orange Lambo and a bright sky blue Roller parked outside and you’ll need to battle your way through the line for pizza joint Picasso’s, stretching some 100m through the port.
But once inside, you can breathe easily.
Not crammed to the gills like most of the restaurants in the port, this is spacious and hip design at its best.
I’d recommend going for one of the banquette seat tables at the side or in the middle. That is unless you want to hang out nearer the front, where you may feel a bit too close to the melee outside.
A part-Asiatic menu broadens out into a wide enough palate, with enough original and off-beat dishes to stand out above the nearby hordes.
It also really focuses on seasonal dishes and sells itself on being market fresh.
This I’m told by Nef, the Maitre, who has been in the house since Leone’s launch three years ago and I first met nearly a decade ago at one of Marbella’s best Italian joints.
I really trust this erudite Moroccan, from Tetuan, who is clearly unflappable and more than capable of guiding my family to a decent summer supper.
He insists we must go, for example, for the spring rolls with duck, which turn out to be extraordinarily sumptuous being confit and with hoisin sauce to boot.
Then on my son’s request we go for the sweetcorn ribs – a trademark of the Metro Group – which are very tender, as always.
While tempted by a duck and melon salad, Nef insists we have the poached lobster and mango salad, with apple and rocket.
He was bang on with what turned out to be one of the freshest, luxury salads I’ve had this side of the Millenium.
The mains included two lobster dishes, as well as a salmon teriyaki, but we tried the lamb chops which come on a bed of rocket and were nicely seasoned with rosemary and thyme.
And finally the flat-iron wagyu steak, which was exceptional and came with a choice of three sauces. It was tender and nicely braised.
A real winner all in all including a shared cheesecake with blackberries.
It’s finally worth mentioning the DJ who kicks off around 8pm and who rotates with three others through the week.
It creates a nice vibe that I too often don’t think about.
It is my second visit since it opened in 2022 and on this showing things have come along nicely. Forget about roaring, this punter is purring!
Leone C. Ribera, Local 44, Nueva Andalucía, 29660 Marbella, Málaga
Menu: leonebanus.com
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