If there is a kilometer zero in Malaga for the thousands of tourists who visit the city every day, it can be placed in the Mercy Square, more specifically in the sculpture of Picasso sitting on one of the benches in this square. Malaga, its cultural and gastronomic offer ends at that last stop next to the statue of the painter from Malaga. Everything that happens in the streets behind the artist’s sculpture disappears from the tourist circuit to preserve the most authentic character of the city, where ordinary Malagans buy bread every day.
In this limit between the touristic Malaga and that of the residents of the neighborhood of Las Lagunillas is Dynamit, a small nordic bistro that sets the point of distinction in the gastronomic offer of the city. A bet that dynamites and takes another step towards the culinary diversity that in recent years has been installed in the capital of the Costa del Sol, fleeing from fast tapas and fried fish.
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With the idea of making the tradition of Nordic cuisine known in a city where the Scandinavian community is growing unstoppably, Dynamit opened its doors in February 2020 under the guidance of chef Dilan Leijon and the pit boss Devrim Varhos, both with a remarkable past in the world of hospitality in Sweden. Fortunately, they have survived a first year marked by the pandemic to rank, two years later, among the recommended restaurants of the Repsol Guide 2022. “The first year our tables were empty. Today we have full reservations for two weeks”, says Dilan in marked Spanglish between serving plate and plate.
In addition to the tenacity and years of experience of the team, the success of this place lies in the subtlety of a live menu that changes almost weekly, where Scandinavian references are found without neglecting a notable nod to the local products that evoke the south. Respect for Nordic cuisine, with the use of butter as the base of the dishes, plays perfectly with fresh market foods such as fish and vegetables that appear prominently on the menu.
Shareable bites like crisps with chive, lemon, dill sour cream sauce and fish roe suggest starting the feast in the Scandinavian peninsula and continuing with more southern entrees like the cheerful tuna tartare with Sriracha mayonnaise and fresh cucumber sprouts. Full stop is the wonton tortellini stuffed with ricotta and spinach crowned by hazelnuts, leeks and Parmesan with a golden butter sauce that invites you to want to repeat. Don’t miss it if you catch it on the menu.
The main ones have perfect size for sharing, giving the possibility, if you go in a group, to try the four dishes that complete this short but very creative menu. As a vegetarian option, they offer a risotto of green peas, asparagus, shiitake, oyster mushrooms with goat cheese and pistachio, in which the rice could improve the cooking point. For its part, the fish, a Skrei cod with bacon, white asparagus, cauliflower and, once again, butter sauce, is served in a perfectly cooked point that favors the delicateness of the product.
Two meats complete the menu, a tasty lamb loin at low temperature, with various crispy vegetables, hazelnuts and Gravy sauce; and the Iberian pen with celeriac, fried apple, mashed potato and cabbage with mushroom sauce. Both dishes with a forceful flavor in which the Nordic touch can be seen in the product’s dressing.
The brilliance of this restaurant makes you wait until the last pass, the desserts, in which the softness of scandinavian sweets with a low proportion of sugar. From a more exotic option like pineapple and mango with coconut crumble, coconut meringue and banana ice cream, to the traditional French crème brulée or vanilla cake with pistachio ice cream, candied nuts, rum and crumble. All highly recommended.
Not as remarkable as the desserts is the wine list, with several very traditional references in sparkling, white, rosé and red wines. Nothing remarkable. A point in favor is its commitment to sweet wines, such as the muscatel so characteristic of Malaga. As a curiosity and counterpart to the local wine, the menu offers a selection of nordic cocktails among which are the ‘Acid Lindgreen’, ‘Elderflower sour’ or ‘The long Swede’, which close the circle of this little Scandinavian piece in the capital of the Costa del Sol.
practical data
Where: Calle Merced, 4. Malaga.
Half price: 30/35 euros.
Bookings: 744 613 095.
Schedules: from Tuesday to Saturday from 18h-24h.
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