Blue Marlin Restaurant Review
Delicious food in a paradise style setting in the south of Ibiza
The Blue Marlin is a name that I have heard of long before I even set foot on the island of Ibiza, and finally I made it there for lunch to see what all the fuss was about.
The staff at the Blue Marlin beach club are great, accommodating to the end, we had everything our hearts desired as we sat in the shade and soaked up the wonderful beach atmosphere over lunch.
The mere suggestion of a glass of rose brought the sommelier over to explain the wine list to me. His recommendation of a Provencal rose was spot on, a cool crisp drink for a hot sunny day. As seems traditional with most Spanish meals in Ibiza we were brought the obligatory bread, olives and aioli. You might want to steer clear of this if you are planning to be kissing someone later as the aioli is definitely heavy on garlic...but then again everyone seems to be eating it so why not join them! And it is really delicious.
Olives drenched in oil have become one of my favourite things and it was great to have something to nibble on as we watched the goings on at the club. People there to sunbath, to eat, to drink, to dance and just to be seen. The numerous staff were on hand to ensure everyone's comfort, whether that be looking for a beach towel, deciding where to sit, eating, having a massage, or shopping in the small boutique. A fashion show broke out half way through the afternoon as items from the boutique were paraded around on stunning models...the easiest of window shopping!
My friend and I decided to share a starter and to save space for the main courses and we opted for the zucchini carpaccio - slivers of raw courgette topped with a hazelnut pesto, semi-sundried tomatoes, toasted walnuts and yoghurt. Not only did it look fantastic but the flavours were fresh and complimented each other well. This was my first hazelnut pesto, I'm normally just a basil or red pesto kind of girl, and it was so good that I am determined to re-create it at home.
And we were not disappointed with the main courses either. I went for the quinoa salad, while my friend choose the black spaghetti with prawns. Both branching out a bit from our normal tastes we were not sure what to expect. The salad was fantastic! The quinoa was teamed with roasted beetroot, feta, baby spinach and toasted pecans. The result was a dish full of flavours so delicious that I didn't want it to end. My friends black spaghetti looked fantastic and was cooked to perfection, just a little 'al dente' and not drowned in too many flavours that you lost the taste of the fresh prawns.
Price wise I was expecting it to be more expensive that some of the other beach clubs we had been to but it turned out to be roughly the same and certainly worth it in terms of quality of food and the service we received. Expect to pay around €100-150 for two people for lunch and drinks.
After lunch we wandered down the sea side where the rocky beach meets the clear blue waters of the Med. Several yachts were anchored just off shore and the passengers were making their way to the beach club by dinghy. After sunset the party really starts to kick off and a day of lounging in the sun, eating and drinking turns into an evening of music and dancing!
The perfect spot to spend a day (or two!) in Ibiza.
