Calypso Calypso

It may not be the most salubrious resort on the Costa del Sol and probably puts up with more negative publicity than it deserves, but I went along to Calypso last night, close to Riviera del Sol, to meet my dad for a meal. He is renting a house just behind the main road into the urbanisation, and we decided to eat locally. I remember Calypso from the late 80´s when I first started to holiday in southern Spain, and back then it was the closest place to Cabopino with a supermarket - how times have changed. Calahonda and Calypso are now sprawling resorts with more supermarkets, pubs, bars and restaurants than you could shake a stick it. My taste in restaurants and bars, like my taste in music is pretty diverse, and I have no firm favourites (apart from maybe the Beach House at Elviria but hey, I can´t afford to eat there every weekend). Sometimes I fancy a bit of Englishness, and Calypso is the ideal place for pool, pies and pints - although I do draw the line at watching the soaps on pub telly - as is the rage in Benalmadena-Costa! Well last night we caught the highlights of team GB amassing even more gold medals at the Olympics, while we enjoyed a few aperitifs in the aptly named Sports Bar. It was a good place to be to revel in Britain´s sporting glory before heading off to Millikins. Now I had walked past this bar/restaurant at least 50 times and never even looked at the menu - probably because it looks like any other Brit bar - quite unappealing and uninteresting from the outside. We were in for a real treat. We enjoyed a fantastic sirloin steak with chunky chips and mixed fresh vegetables (pepper sauce on the side), and then shared a delicious home made créme brulee with raspberries and fresh mint. The service was good and the welcome was friendly. They also offer a set menu including three courses and a bottle of wine for €20.50 per person. Dishes include - sautéed wild mushrooms topped with poached egg, beef stroganoff, pork fillet stuffed with roquefort cheese and some delicious vegetarian dishes. This is the best choice of dishes on a set menu I have seen for a long time. Oh and the puds are superb - melt in the middle chocolate pudding and St.Clement´s cheesecake to name but a few. So next time you are down Calahonda/Calypso way, give Millikins a try - we will be going back for sure. It is situated next to the Barclays Bank - exit road at Calypso petrol station.