Resto no.97 : Casa Mavi, Fuengirola

The funny thing about this resto coming up on the list is that we have eaten a dozen times in the Sushi Bar next door (Kamura) and always fancied visiting the Italian next door but never did as we always get sucked into the Sushi Bar! That's one good thing about reviewing the top 100, you are forced to go to each restaurant, and it will throw up some pleasant surprises!

We were shown swiftly to our outside table which I had booked easily through their Facebook site as it was a very warm Friday evening and I expected it to be busy. In the end, it wasn't busy at all, until after we had left in fact. So you needn't book if you get there early.

As I said we ate outside which probably was a mistake as it is right next to a busy road and we got a few whiffs of fumes from passing trucks!

For starters we shared a Caprese Salad. The tomatoes and fresh Burrata went together a treat. A refreshingly tasty start to the evening.

Toilets : Very clean but maybe that was because it was full of cleaning products (or cleaning projects as my oldest child used to say as a young un). There was also a large wet patch on the floor! 7/10

For mains my partner had the specialty of the day. Tagliatelle with Salmon and Pistachio. Simple but authentic. I am not a huge fan of fish or seafood pasta but shes loves it!

I had the Pizza Blanca. Why is it called a Pizza Blanca I hear you ask? The reason : no tomato. Fancy that! On a pizza! It consists of Provolone cheese and Italian Bacon. Goes super with the house chianti. A really nice surprise!

For dessert she ordered a Tiramasu. Home made. It was a bit dull to be honest, I was expecting much better for an Italian dessert!

I dared to try the home made Limoncello. It was very strong!!!! Blows your head off.

I can't really score the ambience of this place as we sat outside by the road. If we ever went there again we would sit inside. It looks quite cosy and more atmospheric. The food was pretty good apart from the dessert. 8/10

To be frank I'm not sure why this resto is in the top 100. Could be one of the quirks of TripAdvisor. No. 98 was clearly a better restaurant. I wrote this comment just after eating there, but looking back now it seems a bit harsh. We had a great evening overall.

The waitress was kinda shy but she did a great job. Service 9/10