Rapidly becoming one of the favourite hotspots in the area is the lively Spanish restaurant, Costa del Sol in Whyteleafe. The restaurant is top of the list for many local residents looking for somewhere to relax after a busy week or enjoy a lunchtime treat. Parking is easy, with plenty of parking bays and a car park nearby.

The Spanish cuisine is superb and the ambience warm and friendly, a winning combination that also represents great value for money.

When my friend Lyn and I ate there recently we chose from the a la carte menu that has a good selection of main fish and meat dishes. There is also a traditional tapas menu, so diners are spoilt for choice.

I had one of the specials to start with, scallops and chorizo in a white wine and garlic sauce, specially recommended by Joe, owner of Costa del Sol. It was the first time I had ever experience the combination of scallops and chorizo and it was a lovely treat, finished off beautifully with the sauce. Lyn had the Avocado with Prawns to start with that she described as lovely and fresh and commented on the great presentation, saying that the sliced Avocado looked like a Spanish fan!

For our main course, I chose the Paella Valencia - classic spanish rice, chicken and shellfish and Lyn had the Lubina sin Hueso - Fillet of Sea Bass with Prawns and Cream Sauce. Both meals had been cooked to perfection and were lovely and filling, especially my paella that I could not finish, despite being starving when I entered the restaurant.

I particularly wanted to try the Paella because Joe recently launched his 'Paella Parties' which are rapidly becoming a new fashion in the area! Joe takes freshly prepared meat, fish and/or vegetarian paellas to be served up fresh from the enormous pans at local functions. They make a great change from a traditional buffet or formal meal. What can be a more welcome sight than seeing Joe arrive at your function with a delicious, hot paella ready to eat? What a treat!