La Madroñera, Avenida Málaga, 28 (€€)

Andres at La Madroñera

It started with an invitation to join some friends for an end of year Christmas dinner at a local restaurant I’d never heard of, this isn’t a surprise, there are a few new restaurants in Ronda, and quite a few located away from the central city.

Four trays of tapas, a chicken or red meat main, dessert, and several glasses of white wine later I was very content, and my little group and I toasting the good fortune of the chef from La Madroñera in Ronda. José Luis and Andres, the owners of La Madroñera proudly avoid having a menu. Instead they use a blackboard to list their tapas and mains. Several times a week José Luis visits the local farmers markets in search of new ingredients, which are cooked in a contemporary style he calls cocina de mercado.

Typically Spanish, La Madroñera also looks quite utilitarian, with small wooden tables scattered between the small bar at one end and a large screen television on the opposite wall. The charm of La Madroñera is that it looks just like a bar, but the owners are quickly gaining a reputation for the quality of their food and service provided to guests.

The first tapas to arrive was the Patatas con salsa brava, alioli, roquefort – crispy potato quarters covered in alioli, roquefort cheese, and barbecue salsa. Not oily, the potatoes were nice and crispy on the outside but not too soft on the inside, I could still use my fork to pick them up.

A selection of tostadas appeared next, my favourite was the salmon on a thin mayonnaise based source, though the jamón on a thick tomato salsa with  extra virgin olive oil poured over the top also had a really perky taste, and was quite difficult to put down.

I’m not a fan of Zucchini so I didn’t try the next serving of tapas, and in truth I was still enjoying the after taste of the salmon, but my friends were delighted with the soft filo pastry within which was a layer of melted cheese and chopped zucchini, and topped with grated queso curado.

Hams and potatoes often form the basis of many Spanish meals, but even so I very pleasantly surprised when the Lacon a la Gallega arrived. Thick sliced potatoes fried in slightly salty oil, on top of which sat thick cut chunks of naturally salted shoulder ham, then liberally sprinkled with both sweet and spicy paprika, and the ubiquitous olive oil. I’ve never seen this dish before and can’t wait to sample it again.

Our final tapas before our choice of main was a plate of hand made croquettes, we joked they looked like they’d come from Mercadona (a local supermarket), but the first bite quickly demolished that allegation. Filled with the most delicious potato, onion, and ham combination, they were quite out of this world.

The main course was a choice between chicken or sirloin. Luckily I was able to taste both, but my choice was the chicken. A wonderfully tender chicken breast cut in segments and stuffed with jamon wrapped dates, with a nutty sweet wine salsa over the top; absolute heaven!

Some of my friends chose the grilled sirloin, which really was a choice cut of meat medium cooked, and lightly sprinkled with rock salt. This is a traditional style around Spain and doesn’t require any extra sauces or gravies to really enjoy the meat, though my friends asked for a bowl of onion gravy to spoon onto the plate.

Dessert comprised chocolate brownie or ice cream turron, both made in the kitchen of La Madroñera by José Luis, and a better finish to the evening I couldn’t imagine. The brownie was prepared American style, being slightly chewy as a good brownie should be.

The turron ice cream reminded me of the honeycomb inside a Crunchie chocolate bar having the same texture, but a quite distinctive taste that was neither Turron Blando or Turron Duro. I suppose we’ll have to let the chef have some secrets, so I didn’t enquire, though I heartily recommend it.

Restaurant La Madroñera is on Avenida Málaga (next door to the Carte d’Or coffee shop), about 250m from the carpark Martinez-Astein and a gentle stroll from the shopping precinct on Carrera Espinel. Part of the reason you might miss La Madroñera is the outside of the restaurant isn’t lit up and the signage is quite discreet. Don’t let this prevent you from entering.

To make a reservation at La Madroñera, call 630 505 483, or email the restaurant info@lamadronera.com