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When the Metro group hired British chef Neil Witney as a consultant to help create the menu of their brand-new pan-Asian restaurant CHOW in Puerto Banus they had high expectations.
He was a master of sushi when he created a cottage business in the UK’s Home Counties, delivering freshly-made, homemade delicacies from door to door.
Little Fish is the name of his new product, which was launched during the COVID pandemic as a result of his wife Justine’s desire to share his sushi creations with her friends on Instagram.
The demand for the fish was sky-high.
By 2023 the company had more than 20 distribution points and nearly a dozen vans.
A Michelin-trained chef, with tentacles in Saudi Arabia, New York and Dubai, as coincidences would have it, he cooked for me a few times in West London, at the seminal E&O restaurant, a vanguard modern Asian joint that was THE buzzing place in the 1990s.
Meaning ‘Eastern & Oriental’, it led the fashion for pan-Asian food, epitomised by the likes of Nahm and Hakkasan, where Spain’s top chef Dabiz Munoz, of Diverxo, trained in London.
The day after he received his third Michelin starred in Madrid, he said: “It is the place that has made me the chef that I am today.”
But back to CHOW and things then bode well and there is nothing about this new place that doesn’t scream ‘luxury’.
The location is perfect: Banus frontline, with the huge yachts lining up under the circular control tower.
On the left, you can admire the latest collection of shoes for men from the Dior store, while in the front, on the Paseo, the best spot to people watch in southern Spain, there is a parade of the beautiful and bizarre.
It’s shiny, seductive and has a mottled ceiling with light boxes and interesting mirrors!
As soon as you’ve sat down, a huge pile of crisp prawn crackers topped with sweet-and-sour sauce will be pushed in. Yum.
The menu is billed as a ‘vibrant mosaic’ of Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese food and includes ‘robata-grilled’ meats to ‘punchy street-style’ dishes.
A ‘small plates’ section has a great mix of Asian specialties, like dumplings, Vietnamese shrimp spring rolls and a ‘San Choi Bow’, which is chicken in lettuce cups with lime.
It’s my favorite, the prawn and lobster toast. With its orange ponzu, it is a luxurious starter that will raise eyebrows at your table.
Of course we go for a family size mixed sushi platter which is a beauty to behold – pure joy, in fact, for my daughter, who has become smitten with Asian food since falling in love with crispy duck pancakes while studying in Manchester.
The best fish you can eat in Spain is the salmon and tuna slices. Butterfish tastes even better than the spicy California roll with tuna.
The pork ribs, which are slow cooked for two hours, were absolutely amazing – so tender, they literally dropped off the bone as you picked them up.
As dusk moves into night there is a distinct change in atmosphere and the music becomes more upbeat, perfectly heralding the spicy Chicken karaage, with kimchi honey butter – basically sweet, breaded chicken ribs – but far from the norm.
And for vegetarians, in fact anyone with good taste, you must try the corn spring rolls – with shiitake mushrooms and spinach. Neil has a signature dish that is possibly my favourite.
Truth be told, the best came last: The lamb ‘bosan’ is the leg cooked very slowly, some four to six hours – and it’s amazing how the waiter prepares it and how easily it drops off the bone.
Stan Rozbitsyy – executive chef at the group – explains, “This may be the most incredible leg of Lamb you will find in Spain.”
Rozbitsyy is a Ukrainian who grew up living in Lisbon. She has worked closely with Neil to perfect these dishes every day, as the star chef is usually away on other business.
Stan is a chef I like. He sleeps 4 to 5 hours per night. He’s up at the market by 6am, and goes to bed after midnight.
He also has to manage nearly 20 restaurants on the coast as Metro Group continues to grow. Max Beach, Mao, Nomad, Bono Beach, and the recently reopened Koi are also in the Metro group’s stable.
Stan continues, “I am a foodie and I love restaurants. It’s my passion. I need to taste all the new dishes to know what’s on offer. “I even demand the chefs to send me pictures of various dishes each night.”
This summer, he will be able to sleep a little easier.
Visit our website for bookings and information www.chowpuertobanus.es You can call 952-334-854
