The gastronomic restaurant that you would not expect to find in the Sierra de Madrid awaits you in Valdemorillo
we head to Valdemorillo , one of **those towns in the Sierra de Madrid ** (surprisingly, it was about to host the monastery of El Escorial ). The last thing we expect to find here is a place like Manolo Franco's House : A restaurant so chic that it seems to have been lost at some crossroads until it ends up in this rocky corner of the community.
Whoever has decided to get lost (and to do so very deliberately) has been Manolo Franco , son of the founder of the traditional eating house that this place has been for more than 50 years.
Tableware from The House of Manolo Franco
Just a few months ago he parked his career as a sports journalist (it may sound familiar to you because he has broadcast Formula 1 and other motor sports for years) to get behind the wheel of the family business and turn it into the Ferrari of Vademorillo restaurants.
After a comprehensive reform (and his corresponding training at Le Cordon Bleu) It has gone from being the village bar to the gastronomic restaurant that all the neighbors talk about.
The perfect accompaniments for a meal at La Casa de Manolo Franco
ONLY RESTAURANT AND, ALSO, GASTRONOMIC
We are in the Sierra and that, at midday (more in winter), is synonymous with smell of fireplace, wood, roasts . The typical. As typical is the granite stone of the facades of all the houses in Valdemorillo.
Manolo's is from 1900 , definitive clue that leads us to think that this is a place where tradition dominates. So far nothing out of the ordinary. But once inside the premises, the confusion begins, a game that will take us to the trompe l'oeil of dessert.
It turns out that Manolo has decided to mount the first (and only to date) local gastronomic restaurant.
The fireplace of La Casa de Manolo Franco
At the interior level, the contrast with the surrounding inns is already complete: shades of pink, velvet and tables of polished marble combined with other rustic wood.
The kitchen It is also different, run by a team trained in some of the best kitchens and venues in the country (from Azurmendi to DiverXO). Y the letter , Of course, it was not going to be less.
It is divided into three options: dishes and portions to share, Josper grill menu (to try coals other than the typical ones) and the gastronomic menu , the big house bet in which the product and local ingredients stand out.
Delicious meat snacks at La Casa de Manolo Franco
Choosing one or another option depends on the moment, the company or the desire of each one, although it is good to know that in all three you can try some of the star dishes of the house like the famous potato omelette that his father used to make (with eggs from his chickens and potatoes from his garden), now accompanied by the reconstructed version 'as her granddaughters would do', or the churros from his uncles Pichi and Ricardo , which is served here as a trompe l'oeil.
And there is more: Valdemorillo rice (with aroma of thyme and flavor of rabbit, pure mount on the plate) , cod with tomato inspired by what his mother used to do, beef tail with lavender honey from Valdemorillo, Grandma Pepa's croquettes …
Meat, of course, at La Casa de Manolo Franco
Between the riskier propositions , a sea and mountains with chickpeas from Valdemorillo and carabinero , a Oreo cookie-based snack stuffed with morteruel or, or a cup of warm cappuccino with D.O Madrid cheese mousse and pumpkin.
Between the desserts , his version of the cream cheese cake , a thin apple tart (an obsession of Manolo that arises during his travels), the fried milk like his aunt Marian used to make it , or the chocolate soap , another of his fun (and accomplished) trompe l'oeil.
We already told you that this site was serious and that La Casa de Manolo Franco has set out to be much more than a pretty face in the Sierra de Madrid, and the best tribute to the family culinary heritage.
Cheesecake from La Casa de Manolo Franco
The gastronomic restaurant of Valdemorillo
Address: Calle de la Fuente, 6 28210 Valdemorillo (Madrid) See map
Telephone: 626 61 57 39
Schedule: From Wednesday to Saturday, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and from 8:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.; and on Sundays from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Half price: €40