We know El Corte Inglés as the grandest department chain in Spain and the preeminent department store in Marbella, but in addition to fashion, furniture and items ranging from porcelain to PCs and household goods to cosmetics, it offers a gourmet experience that ranks among the best in its class in Spain.
Harrods, KaDeWe and Galleries Lafayette are all famed for their classic, high-end restaurants and food courts. In fact, so much so that they have become attractions in their own right in London, Berlin and Paris, respectively, but you might be surprised to know that Marbella is hot on their tail.
“El Corte Inglés is a different brand to the ones mentioned, and the Club del Gourmet offers a different experience, but what we do share is the dedication to offer the very best in top quality international food products and delicatessen, as well as a level of restaurants that forms an extension to the gourmet concept,” says Juan Manuel Jiménez, F&B Marbella Manager.
The Finest Products Available
As the person responsible for the gourmet department, he works with the company’s buyers to ensure it can offer the finest products and most exclusive food brands available anywhere in the world. “To locate them, we look across the globe at specially sourced wines and spirits, craft beers, lemonades, cheese, charcuterie, spices and condiments, confectionary, pasta, paté, caviar, canned products, jams and many more delicacies.”
And it shows! To stroll into the Club del Gourmet is to enter a world of taste and olfactory sensations, though the eyes have plenty to feast on too, with beautifully packaged and presented products from top-brand manufacturers and specialist artisanal producers in Spain, Italy, France, the UK, USA, Japan, China and just about everywhere else. It’s a food lover’s smorgasbord of delights sourced from around the globe and brought together within the top floor of the El Corte Inglés department store, where it is presented with suitable aplomb.
Buy or Enjoy on the Spot
The Gourmet Club offers the ultimate food shopping experience for those who enjoy taking fine cuisine, cooking and entertaining to the next level. You can fill your shopping bags or have them delivered to your home, but it’s also possible to enjoy gorgeous snacks and treats made from the delicacies that surround you at the Gourmet Experience, a stylish gastro style tapas bar specialised in working with the finest quality products. “It’s like any other good tapas bar, except you can select your own dishes from any of the products in the Gourmet Club, and have them freshly prepared for you by skilled chefs,” says Juanma.
What’s more, you won’t pay restaurant prices, but exactly the same as when you buy the products to take them home. “If you order a dish with 100 grams of the finest Jamón Iberico that’s what you will pay for, and the same applies to the wines.” Normally, the rule of thumb is that restaurants double or triple the price of a bottle of wine when sold at the table, so to speak, but at the Gourmet Experience a glass or bottle of wine is charged at its retail value, making this one of the most recommendable places to enjoy top quality food and wine at a reasonable price.
“The dishes are prepared freshly, there and then, and we are able to offer most wines by the glass as well as the bottle,” so there is no reason not to enjoy fine food at its best, and with so many products to choose from, the selection is almost endless. The nearby Cafetaria offers a cosy environment for a snack while shopping, but if you want to make a special meal of it, why not try one of the restaurants that also form part of the gourmet experience at El Corte Inglés Marbella.
Gourmet Restaurants
Those familiar with the upper level at the department store in Puerto Banús will have seen the restaurants at the heart of its quality dining. But keep an eye on it, for it is always evolving and improving in a desire to offer Marbella’s international clientele with the best possible gastro experience. An example of this is Rachel’s Eco Love organic food, a new addition that caters to the growing demand for ethical, health-based cuisine. “We pay attention to the feedback of our clients,” says Gaël Vignon, International Marketing Eastern Andalucía Director. “This applies both to requests for special food brands and products, and to the restaurant experiences we offer.”
Rachel’s offers a light, organic alternative to more conventional fine cuisine, which includes Andrea Tumbarello’s Piccolo Experience, a high point in Italian food that naturally uses the finest produce available, and does so within a charmingly Italian ambience. Close by is the acclaimed Tse Yang Dim Sum Club, a Chinese-Asian restaurant with a difference. With its elegant décor and ambience, it is reminiscent of an exclusive Asian club, complete with one of the finest Oriental kitchens in this region. French inspiration is provided by Le Bistroman, a stylish yet informal eatery inspired by the classic bistro concept, with a choice menu on offer. Sit at a table, a cosy booth or at the bar, where fresh oysters and Champagne await in an ambience with a touch of Paris.
These and other delicacies are waiting to be experienced at the Club del Gourmet, the one place in Marbella where the world’s finest coffees, teas, wines, foods and sweets come together. Shop for your favourite treats or dine at one of the restaurants, where uniquely you can actually order dishes from one of the neighbouring establishments, making it possible to mix cuisines if you want to.
WORDS MICHEL CRUZ PHOTOGRAPHY KEVIN HORN
Calle Ramón Areces, Puerto Banús, Marbella. Tel: 952 909 990.