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Summer birthdays in Spain can be a blessing or a curse.  My birthday is on July 18th, when the sun is high in the sky and you can guarantee a scorching day. This year we decided to spend my birthday at my all time favourite restaurant on the coast, The Beach House at Elviria, Marbella.
Previous years have seen us celebrate at Los Cano at Las Chapas Playa, and the previous year we even spent the weekend in Seville.  Summertime Seville makes Malaga look like the Arctic, so although we had a great time, the ice cream melted before it reached the table!

We had friends over from the UK this year, and decided The Beach House, Elviria was the perfect venue for everyone, and the food is superb.

Cocktails on the terrace
After meeting at a friend´s house in Mijas-Golf for pre-birthday champagne and canapés, lovingly prepared by her daughter, Emma, we took a lift to The Beach House.  Considering how much we drink when we party (or even when we don´t party) driving ourselves was not an option.
We arrived at The Beach House, Elviria in plenty of time to enjoy a cocktail at the terrace bar overlooking the beach.  Once seated we had more cocktails (hic) and a wonderful gin and tonic served with fresh lime juice.

Guy and Lucy, who run the Beach House, always guarantee a warm welcome, and although I haven´t been to the restaurant for a while, due to extreme poverty and depression (ok ok forget the depression bit, but I have been poor), they still greeted me like an old friend.

A stunning setting at the Beach House Marbella
Once our party of 8 was seated, we were presented with menus and told there was no rush to order.  I like that about the Beach House.  You really can chill out, relax and enjoy the wonderful beach and sea views without feeling rushed.  All the food is prepared to order, which means it is fresh, and can take a little bit longer than in other beach restaurants.  But it is always worth the wait. Another nice touch is the home-made selection of warm bread rolls.

We decided to take plenty of photos before, during and after lunch.  Well I didn´t, but Jeannie (David Bailey) did. After looking at the evidence days later, it´s strange how the after-lunch photos feature so many floppy faces. Or perhaps droopy face syndrome is linked to copious amounts of alcohol?

Fabulous food at The Beach House Marbella
Anyway, I digress. We all ordered different starters and main courses, so we could pick and mix when the food arrived.  The Sesame Tempura Prawns, served with Beansprouts, Baby Sweetcorn and Chinese Beans are superb and a firm Beach House favourite. Other starters we tried previously  included:  Carpaccio of Tuna with Toasted Pine Nut and Shallot Dressing, and a Mixed Herb Salad, Chilled Pea Soup with Parma Ham and Mint Yogurt, Caesar Salad with Chicken and Anchovies, served in an edible Parmesan Basket (make sure they haven´t changed the recipe when you go or you could end up munching on the bread basket). The warm Goat´s Cheese on Brioche with Rocket Leaves and Apple and Fig Chutney was also delicious.

Note that the Beach House changes its menu regularly, so you may not find these dishes available when you visit but you will still have a fantastic choice of dishes to choose from.

After the starters were cleared we enjoyed a 20 minute break to relax, chat and order more vino blanco  to keep us going between courses (20 minutes can be a long time when you´re thirsty).

Delicious main courses
Main courses included: Home Made Beefburger with Chunky Chips and all the extras. This really was a whopper of a burger, and a great choice if you´re hungry.  I ordered the Half Fresh Lobster with Tarragon Mayonnaise and Baby New Potatoes. See how refined I am? No burger and chips for me mate. Well not unless it´s one of those particularly bad hangover days when I have to make an emergency dash to Mcdonalds, but that´s another story.

We also tried the Salmon with Cous Cous and Moroccan Spices which was fantastic. The Pan-Roasted Sea Bass with Cherry Tomatoes and Fennel was another sure-fire winner, along with the Fish and Chips with Pea Purée and Chunky Tartare Sauce was a revelation.

What I love about the Beach House is its consistency.  Every time we have visited this beach side restaurant, we have all had a fabulous meal.  The service is great, the food is amazing and the setting is unbeatable. Check out the 3 course inclusive menus, which cost between €20 and €30 per head, and offer a fantastic choice of meals. Also a lighter bites menu is available.

The Terrace Bar at The Beach House Marbella
With very little room left we ordered a couple of Raspberry Cremé Bruleés as dessert which was incredible.  Cremé Bruleé is one of my all time favourite desserts and I have tried a few, but this was the absolute best.  When I say we had little room left, I meant for food obviously. So we topped off the meal with a round of Irish Coffees and liqueurs.

As we drifted off into a dream like state, we managed to finish the evening off (yes it was 7.30pm by now and the terrace had to be prepared for dinner) with ´one for the road´ at the terrace bar next to the beach.  Much fun, laughter and more photos (groan, Jeannie) ensued, and we had the best time ever.

Clearly over-excited and not ready for bed, we did manage a few songs of our own in the car on the way home.  ´You´ll never walk alone´, and ´Fernando Torres, Liverpool´s Number 9´ may not appeal to everyone´s musical tastes but I enjoyed it, and what the hell, it WAS my birthday!