DIVINE PLEASURE

Chef Daniel Napal brings his brand of no-nonsense, high quality cuisine to La Hosteria restaurant in Hotel Antiguo Convento, a beautifully restored 17-century convent just outside of Madrid . Guy Forita reports

Boadilla del Monte is not the kind of place that shows up in travel guides. This is about as pure a dormitory city as you get around Madrid. Lying 15 kilometres west of the city, the only non-residents to stop here are either on their way to El Escorial or they’re bankers in for a meeting in Banco Santander’s Financial City. Other than that very few foreigners ever come to Boadilla which is a pity because it means they are missing a real hidden gem, La Hosteria restaurant of El Antiguo Convento hotel.

Even someone with the most limited Spanish should be able to figure out that the Antiguo Convento is set in an old convent. The owners took over two years converting the 17th century convent into the present 17 rooms and suites hotel. At the same time they also restored La Hosteria which is just across a stone courtyard outside the main building. Here they opened their elegant, upscale dining venue. At the time it seemed a very risky proposal for a conservative town like Boadilla del Monte. Ten years down the road it has proved to be a great success.

For the last four years Chef Daniel Napal has headed up the kitchen. Napal, who has experience in numerous restaurants of every kind imaginable is a chef with his feet firmly planted on the kitchen floor. He knows his audience and he knows how to please them. “Although we have a fairly sophisticated clientele they are pretty conservative. They don’t want to be shocked. No matter how good a dish looks on the plate eventually it is going to be broken up and eaten. If it doesn’t taste good, you can’t hide it for long,” he says. In other words there are no gimmicks here, just solid technique, quality products and outstanding flavours. And that is something that may very well end up putting Boadilla del Monte on the map.

THE FOOD
This is Spain and in Spain despite the presence of Ferran Adrià and Andoni Aduriz and others people are still very conservative when it comes to dining. “They want flavours they know and products they recognize. Once you have given them that you can add your own touch,” says Napal. In other words the base is Spanish but it comes with a little twist. So cod is served with a tangy orange salad, the squid comes with hummus and the ox sirloin is served with foie sauce, truffles and red wine risotto. To mix things up a bit apart, from the a-lacarte menu, there is also Jornadas Gastronomicas menu (gastronomic specials) that changes four times a year: winter: game and mushrooms, spring cod, summer and autumn are to be announced.

THE SETTING
The restaurant is completely separate from the hotel. Set across the courtyard in what was once the building where the monks’ families stayed while visiting, the 17th century structure has been completely restored with dining rooms on two levels. The upper level, used during the winter, is a classically decorated u-shaped room with heavy wood beamed ceiling, wood floors, white table clothes and wood framed windows looking out on the rolling countryside. In summer months meals are served is a lower level dining room with floor to ceiling windows which open out onto an interior courtyard that offers very private al fresco dining. “One of the reasons local celebrities like coming here is they can dine outdoors without being bothered,” says chef Napal. After dinner walk across the courtyard to the hotel. The cloister is fantastic and if you’ve had a bit too much Rioja with dinner the rooms are very comfortable.

THE PEOPLE
Bankers by day, locals by night. It’s a rather simplified description of La Hosteria’s clientele and is basically true with one clarification; some of Madrid’s most exclusive private neighbourhoods lie just outside of town so many of the locals here are politicians and Spanish film stars and even Real Madrid footballers (both Cristiano Ronaldo and Mourinho live nearby). Napal won’t name names but does admit to having served a number of local A-listers.

luxurylifestylehotels.com/hotel/convento