I’VE seen Robert de Niro, Michelle Obama and footballer Ronaldo dipping into restaurants in Marbella over the last two decades.

I even spotted Hugh Grant as he swirled, then dipped his beak, into a flinty white wine sitting on a scenic restaurant terrace in the Casco Historico.

Marbella is certainly the place to go star-spotting, particularly in the summer months when the world’s best footballers and showbiz stars descend on the resort.

But forget these stars, for as a food critic and author of a restaurant book on Andalucia, I’m much more interested in the actual chefs themselves.

Since launching the Olive Press nearly 20 years ago, I’ve been luckily invited to numerous events, launches and competitions involving the world’s best chefs.

Thanks to one event, A Cuatro Manos, at Puente Romano hotel, I was able to interview French legend Joel Robuchon, before his untimely death a few years later.

I also got to grill Daniel Humm, of New York’s Eleven Madison Park while El Bulli legend Ferran Adria generously gave me 10 minutes to discuss Spanish cuisine.

He waxed lyrical about how the Iberian food revolution had rapidly spread down south since his Catalan restaurant was voted the ‘world’s best’ for a record five years by Restaurant Magazine between 2002 and 2009.

And the list goes on with three-Michelin star geniuses Joan Roca, of Celler de Can Roca, Valencia’s Quique Dacosta and, this year, Jesus Sanchez, of Cenador de Amos, telling the Olive Press about his love of Marbella and the Costa del Sol.

And I even got to rub shoulders again with the Godfather of Spanish cuisine, Pedro Subijana from Arzak, at the successful Chefs for Children event in nearby Benahavis in April.

He couldn’t have been more complimentary about the nearby coast, marvelling at ‘how rapidly’ things had changed and improved in Malaga in general.

And yes, fried fish might well be the celebrated dish on this coastline, but in Marbella, it is anything but, its legion of chefs preferring to gently nurture and coax the best out of the celebrated local produce.

Nowhere is this more apparent than at the many restaurants of the Metro Group, including Nomad and CHOW (see review here) where executive chef Stan Rozbitsyy is given a free reign at the group’s dozen restaurants in the resort, to only source the best ingredients and hire the best chefs.

“It has to be this way if you want to be able to compete at the highest level in Marbella,” he explains. “The level of quality has risen hugely over the last decade and you need to work hard to keep up.”

This is Europe’s ritziest resort for the super rich, after all, and while most Olive Press readers will need to really save up to eat at Nobu or say, two Michelin star Skina, there are plenty of cheaper spots if you’re in the know.

Look out for places like Gaspar, Inch and Contracata, run by Jose Godoy, who landed the first Michelin star for a Spanish restaurant in England, or Casa Albero just up the road.

Indeed, if you head just south of the Casco Historico of Marbella there is a distinct area of around 10 blocks full of amazing places to eat.

Comprising, perhaps, a dozen streets, this is a true nerve centre for gourmands, with a giant mix of different cuisines.

From the best Japanese in Andalucia to two Michelin-starred joints, it is a real dining Mecca for those-in-the-know.

This is where the local politicians and lawyers head for lunch, with its centre around Calle Notario Luis Oliver.

Two of the best are the Italian Casa Tua, and its recently opened wine bar, as well as Sideria Paca, an Asturian joint, with the best quality ingredients imaginable.

Boss Julio, from Gijon, has a long connection to the food industry, having bred and sold free range chickens to the best restaurants around Asturias, in particular Casa Marcial, where Nacho Manzano became a legend.

But this place is a nice mix of dishes from around the country and even globally, with his chefs coming from various parts of South America.

I particularly loved his Paraguayan soup, while a super refreshing nem came out with oxtail, red onions and cilantro on a bed of lettuce. It was as good as any I’ve tried since I first tasted the dish at Dabiz Munoz’ three star Diverxo a decade ago.

I can also recommend the pastel Cabracho, an Asturian classic, made from local rock fish, while the fabada was, as you would expect awesome.

Nearby, is the highly rated Italian Casa Tua, which is a quiet, unshowy place with an evocative leafy garden near the boulevard.

Magical at night, let friendly maitre D Koen guide you through the menu and specials, created by Italian chef Adriano, who heralds from near Milan.

I particularly loved the meatballs, while the buffalo mozzarella on a bed of cherry tomatoes was the sweetest starter imaginable.

There are lots of excellent meaty mains and plenty of fish, but on a recent outing, my family all went for pasta dishes as mains, and, wow, nobody was disappointed. My Garganelli pasta with pork cheeks, from southern Italy, legendary.

Looking for the best wine, why not try Casa Tua’s new wine bar just up the road, where a simple sign outside, reads: ‘Bubbles & Beer’, but there is also a nice simple menu, including Italian classics like arancini, burrata’s and, a splendid looking cheese plate.

Wine wise you are in for a treat, with over a dozen by the glass, and plenty of classics, including plenty of Barolos and Brunellos if you want to push the boat out.

Michelin

Nearby you’ll also find a string of Michelin rated joints, including Nintai, Kava and Back, which won its first Michelin star two years ago, under the guidance of popular local chef David Olivas.

He and Marcos Granda at Nintai and Skina have become the new godfathers of Marbella, now that the previous king of the kitchens Dani Garcia has gone into cyberspace, opening restaurants around the world and designing burgers for McDonalds.

Olivas ran Garcia’s famous three Michelin star Calima for years and was the rock behind the king who oversaw its meteoric rise.

Japanese? Ta-Kumi is consistently excellent and recently expanded to Madrid, with a third joint in Malaga.

Slick and minimalistic you’ll often find co-owner Toshio Tsutsui, from Fukuoka, coming in daily to keep things in check.

There are also a big string of great places further up the Golden Mile, Nueva Andalucia and San Pedro, while Elviria also has a decent pick too.

Most famous is the large range of top quality joints at the Puente Romano hotel, where you will find the famous brands, including Nobu, Cipriani and Coya.

They congregate close together around the Plaza area with a top pick being Thai Gallery, while Sea Grill on the beach is very reliable and the recent the addition of Gaia, a Greek restaurant that first launched in Mayfair, an elegant spot.

Here you might try the excellent starter of Melitzanosalata, a smoky aubergine number with yoghurt parsley served on toast. The beef Keftedakia (meatballs) with mint and tomato sauce were also a great starter.

On the Golden Mile you can also find the excellent Italian, Cibo, a stylish place that serves the best pizzas on the coast.

There are always a great number of specials by the day, but I’d recommend the langoustines cooked on the open grill as well as the Aracini, fried risotto balls with crab. A main course of spicy tuna belly spaghetti was very special.

Almost next door, a new Japanese, Koi, is really making waves, while another restaurant that is rapidly taking the coast by storm is Nomad, in Nueva Andalucia.

Launched by Alex Craciun of the UK’s leading Jason Atherton group, this is glamour personified, and with a menu to match.

For beach clubs Bono Beach is a surefire winner, in particular, for its amazing attention to detail and client care.

Another beach favourite, Macaao is always a reliable and popular place in San Pedro, while Chambao between Marbella and Puerto Banus comes highly rated.

In terms of good places to eat in Banus one might expect it to be rammed with great places to eat, but the truth is it can be very hit and miss.

Stick with the classic spots like Jacks, Leone and Mumtaz, probably the best Indian in Marbella, and you can’t go wrong.

And then there is CHOW, a pan-Asian joint, which just opened with the help of one of the world’s most highly-rated sushi chefs).

Just outside the port, a five minute walk inland is La Sala, the most successful expat-run restaurant on the Costa del Sol.

This is the place to do your star spotting and just about everyone who’s anyone has been to eat here, even including Wayne Rooney, Jamie Oliver, Harry Kane and Tyson Fury.

It employs around 150 staff and includes a football team of investors, who launched their Clubhouse sports bar and restaurant below a year ago.

The food is excellent for its location, but the menu changes regularly and there will always be some entertainment. 

Finally, looking for a place to get a cocktail, either before or after dinner, look no further than Banus’ genuine secret spot, the Sky Lounge. Here you will perch above the marina with one of the best views on the coast.