Local entrepreneur Subash N, Manskukhani has taken his Indian heritage, fused it with his Puerto upbringing and business know-how and has created a sumptuous palace for eating, drinking and socialising the night away.

Walking down Calle Santo Domingo a couple of months ago I suddenly became aware that something was very different. A striking red and black interior with über chic tables and chairs, a New York style cocktail bar and a mock cliff face, trickling waterfall and smiling Buddha occupied the glass fronted building which last time I looked was selling shoes.
Suan Chill had arrived… full of Eastern promise.

An alluring emporium of kaleidoscopic, neon colours reflecting on embroidered and sequinned upholstery and state of the art bar and restaurant fittings, Suan Chill is offering something a bit different; a tapas bar/restaurant front of house and a chill out bar/party venue back of house.

Gawping around at the myriad of display cases, the busy bar, the eclectic décor and our fellow diners, we have to send the smiling waitress away twice before we finally settle on our choice of food.
We opt for a selection of tapas dishes, some of which sound familiar while others, like the frikenden are culinary strangers to us. As we sip our beers a selection of delicious looking montaditos (lightly toasted bread slices topped with a variety of savouries) arrives at the table next to us and opposite, we overhear someone telling the waiter that the steak he’s just eaten was one of the best he’s ever had. The gastric juices tingle in anticipation.

Within 10 minutes our dishes arrive. Everything is beautifully and artfully presented on white, triangular shaped dinner plates and accompanied by a small salad. First to arrive is a tasty Russian salad, one of the items we’ve ordered which doesn’t deviate from the standard tapas recipe.
Next up is mushrooms stuffed with tartare; half a dozen large, flat mushrooms filled with a tangy tartare sauce which becomes a bit rich by the time I’m finishing my third mushroom. Then comes morcilla de Burgos, a black pudding and rice combination heavily spiced with cumin and accompanied by a dollop of the tartare sauce which is finding its way onto every plate. The papas arrugadas appear next, accompanied by thick mojo sauces; the verde has a lip-smacking kick to it and the rojo is a sweet, tangy delight. Finally, the mysterious frikenden makes an appearance and it turns out to be savoury mini beefburgers accompanied by a crisp, light hash brown and a dollop of the now ubiquitous tartare sauce.

Everything is fresh, tasty,  surprisingly filling and a pleasant diversion from standard tapa fare. Suan Chill has given ingredients their own signature make-over, adding some of that sexy Eastern spice and creating a concept which, like the place itself, is delivering something a bit different. My only criticisms are that it could have been hotter and could happily have done without the tartare overdose.

We order coffee and I head off to check out the facilities and the chill out section.
Beyond the bar is an area the size of a small nightclub with its own bar, a DJ platform and several large, private booths, each a different colour combination. The décor is a colourful crossroads of traditional East meets 21st century West. Rows of embossed, sequined poufs and large hookahs sit alongside black vinyl and aluminium surfaces watched over by smiling Buddha images.
The toilets are a contemporary delight in red and black tiling and frosted glass.

I return to enjoy my cappuccino just as Subash is doing a tour of tables, checking with diners before he dims the lights front of house as Suan Chill morphs into its night attire.

Where, when and how:
Suan Chill; Calle Santo Domingo, 8; Puerto de la Cruz. Open every day from 08.00 to 03.00; reservations – (0034) 922 37 49 79

Prices:
Starters (incl tapas) average €5; main courses average €10; sweets average €3.50
Three course menu del día €7 – changes daily.
Free parking at the Plaza Europa car park opposite for customers spending €30 or more and a free taxi home to Puerto de la Cruz, La Orotava or central Los Realejos for customers spending €50 or more.

The La Laja restaurant in Costa Adeje Gran Hotel offers fine dining beautifully prepared and presented and at the sort of prices that mean you don’t have to wait for a special occasion to enjoy it.
Perfect for discerning palates.

When it comes to restaurant settings, there’s something unerringly romantic about a waterside location.
Positioned alongside the fabulous rooftop swimming pools of the Costa Adeje Gran Hotel is the cool, stylish La Laja restaurant.
Taking a table in the window, we watched the sun turn the façades of the elegant hotel gold and cast palm silhouettes into the still surface of the pools before it dyed the heavens scarlet and disappeared into the night.

When you enter the a la carte restaurant of a five star hotel in Costa Adeje, you expect that you’re going to be paying a premium, but the menu prices were no higher than the menus of many sea front restaurants.
Taking the advice of restaurant manager Rodriguez, we opted to start with the warm goat’s cheese salad with tomato and pine nut vinaigrette and the foie terrine with caramelized onions and apple purée.
For main course we chose fresh fish baked on its back served with a Bilbaine sauce and duck Magret with onion purée, sweet potato crisps and port coulis.

Freshly baked rolls and a selection of flavoured butters arrived, followed by complimentary hors-d’oeuvres of deliciously smokey salmon in teppanyaki sauce served on a bed of polenta.

As the sun bade goodnight, the first course arrived. Two perfect slices of foie terrine lay on a slate board alongside a fresh salad topped with a flower of caramelized onion, surrounded by ribbons of apple purée and finished with a generous sprinkling of rock salt. The terrine was a perfect texture and melted in the mouth with a fusion of flavours; the onions were sweet and tangy and the purée complemented them both beautifully. The only flaw was the rock salt decoration which had to be carefully worked around so as not to pickle everything.

The warm goat’s cheese lay on a fresh salad, topped with a piquant vinaigrette of pine nuts and tomato and drizzled with honey. The lightly grilled French goat’s cheese was rich, tangy and creamy with a slight saltiness which combined with the honey to send the taste-buds into euphoria.

For main course, the fish was a fresh dorada (bream) which was cut lengthways, grilled and served with a mild onion purée and tasty sauce of tomato and mushrooms. Cooked to perfection, the flesh was moist and flaky with good flavour and texture.
But the culinary masterpiece of the evening was Chef Pablo Aznar’s duck Magret which was succulent,  tender and melted in the mouth. Served with the onion purée and light tangy crisps of sweet potato, this was a gastronomic triumph.

To finish, we chose home made apple pie served with vanilla cream and the chocolate surprise which we were warned would take 10 minutes to prepare.
The time was well spent watching the moonlight dance on the water and the guests of the hotel dance at the Pool Chill Out party while we finished a soft, full bodied Lomo red.

The apple pie was delicious but the chocolate surprise was out of this world. A lightly baked outer sponge concealed a sensuous centre of hot, dark chocolate sauce – this was a sweet that belonged in the grown-ups section of the menu.

Where, when and how:
Restaurant La Laja, Costa Adeje Gran Hotel, Avenida de Bruselas, 16, Costa Adeje; the restaurant has its own entrance on Avenida de Bruselas just along from the hotel. Open evenings only 19.00  – 22.30, closed Weds & Thurs; reservations – (0034) 922 71 94 21

Prices:
Starters average €8; main courses average €9.50; sweets average €4.20
A good selection of Canarian and Spanish wines range from €9 to €40

Open to:
Residents and non-residents. Guests in suites at the hotel dine in La Laja and guests on half or full board can upgrade for a modest supplement.