If you fancy a plate of pasta or a pizza in Marbella, where do you head to? The first place that you'll have heard of or even been to is undoubtedly 'Da Bruno's'. There are several of these in Marbella/Puerto Banus area and Blondie and the Buik have eaten at all of them. They serve the same food at all locations and the quality of food is pretty good. But a couple of years ago, after a disappointing meal there and a hefty bill, we decided to try a restaurant just a few doors down from Da Bruno's on the Golden Mile (which is the stretch between Marbella and Puerto Banus) called Terraza Dual.

It was pretty empty compared to Da Bruno's and this would normally put me off, but after having scanned the menu, we decided to give it a go.
Now we have a tried and tested way of deciding if an Italian is worth going back to. I always either take spaghetti carbonara (which should be made in the authentic way, no cream, just egg yolks, bacon and black pepper) or a spaghetti with clams. The Buik always takes a pizza. Which you would think as being rather boring or safe when it comes to eating in an Italian restaurant. But you can tell so much about a place by the quality of their pizzas. They should be thin, just like you get in Italy and be lovingly adorned with the minimal of ingredients. One thing you dont see here is pineapple as a topping, which I think is just an abomnibation of pizza. Who ever decided that adding the devils work that is fruit, onto my favourite carbohydrate of choice (pizza) wants a good talking to. The Buik asked the Italian stalion at the grill that day about his pizza oven. Apparantly they had it flown or driven over from Italy and they do the best pizzas on the Coast. Well he wasnt going to argue with stalion that day so he ordered his usual. Pizza with salami and an egg on top.
The service is good here and the wine list is fabulous. The Buik let me order a bottle of red even though the temperatures were well into the 30's - something from Puglia which sent me to sleep an hour later. Whatever it was, was fabulous. My carbonara was cooked exactly as it should have been. The spaghetti absolutely, perfectly cooked, just ever so slightly on the wrong side of al dente, but that's how the Italians eat it so who am I to argue. Egg yolks, parsley and bacon with lashings of black pepper and pecorino adorned the pasta and it was bizarrely light, for a dish that is usually something so heavy. The Buik's pizza was fabulous and he wolfed it down without so much of a word to me.
I am so happy we decided to eschew Da Bruno's and side with Terraza Dual. The staff here are all Italian, friendly and enthusiastic to boot. The food is fabulous and on one occasion when I couldnt decide what to eat, they made me the best dish I've eaten in years. Fresh crab , caught that day, in a light sauce of tomatoes, garlic and greens with spaghetti. It was served inside the crab, which was funny and quite possibly, the best plate of pasta I've ever eaten. Boy was it good. I almost considered employing the Chef to cook for me at home every night :)
Every time we go to Marbella, we eat there at least twice a week. It is reasonable and after having tried more or less every dish on the menu, I can say that nothing is less than authentic.
A fabulous restaurant and so much better than Da Bruno's. A firm hit with Blondie and The Buik.