Having spent several days in Malaga grazing on tapas for dinner, I felt like a ‘proper’ meal and, having passed La Mafia several times on our way to and from the historic centre, we decided to give it a try.
The restaurant didn’t open until 8pm and having arrived shortly after, we waited at the host desk whilst two members of staff who’d spotted us, continued doing what they were doing. We were on the verge of leaving when we were greeted and asked to choose a table from a row of four. We noticed that there was a small indoor garden terrace to the side, but it appeared to be fully booked.
The menu was online only, but we had downloaded the QR code on walking past earlier, and had already checked it out.
We chose a bottle of white wine for an incredibly cheap €11.50 and a bottle of agua con gas, but when the waiter tried delivering both bottles along with an ice bucket and a stand, there was a minor disaster. Fortunately nothing was broken, and only water from the bucket was spilled, but Roy was like an England wicket keeper catching a large ice cube one handed.
I opted for one of the more expensive pizzas with jamon Ibérico y grana padrano at €15.90 but it was absolutely fabulous with a thin base which wasn’t too crispy and a fresh tasty topping. From the pasta selection, Roy chose spaghetti carbonara (€14.50) which came on a slate dish containing two small dishes with an egg yolk and grated parmesan which he mixed in himself.
By the time we finished eating at 9.30pm, it had got much busier, and having managed to get the bill, €44.45, we struggled to get someone’s attention to pay.
The food was undoubtedly the star of the show with the service certainly not been up to the mystery dining standards I’m used to. No one asked whether we were enjoying the meal, the slate we’d left on the adjacent table wasn’t cleared until customers were seated, and I had to leave the table to find the waiter to ask for black pepper.
Needless to say, when I wanted another pizza fix later in the holiday, we chose a different restaurant.
