Galería - Los Infantes de Simancas - Los Infantes de Simancas

We are very grateful for this beautiful report that Henar Martín made for us in October 2018.

Reportaje a la familia Salamanqués realizado por Henar Martín

From Henar Martín

This is the first day of the season that they are making Castilian stew and you can feel it in the atmosphere of the Infantes kitchen. Every Wednesday they serve this hearty and comforting slow-cooked dish that the body craves when the temperatures start to drop. At the cooker we find Francisco

Salamanqués, the establishment's head chef, preparing a boletus scrambled eggs, another of the most successful dishes on the menu. "It's a very creamy scrambled eggs, very elaborate", explains the chef. At 57, he has been a chef for 43 years, a lifetime. He started out at the age of 14 as a cook in the kitchens of the Lourdes College where he learnt his trade. For twenty years he and his wife ran a restaurant in the Plaza Mayor of this town with six tables in the dining room. "It caught us in the middle of the crisis and it was a gamble; the beginnings were very hard", recalls Mari Carmen, his wife, who has always been by his side.

"We have made it through with hours and hours and hours, which is what you have to do in the hotel and catering business", he says.

On 1 November they will celebrate six years in a space located in calle las Tercias, a place steeped in history with a "very good" balance of this time. The house where the dining room is located once occupied some old stables that served as a place to make the payments of the 'tercias reales', an old tribute paid to the Church in the Middle Ages. Hence the name of the street. "The payments were made with cereal grains or livestock that were kept here".

The premises were baptised with the name 'los Infantes', also paying homage to the historical past of Simancas, as Mari Carmen explains. "Philip II studied here and was always accompanied by Infantes". At the entrance there is a cosy patio with a terrace that leads to a dining room and the bar area. She attends to the clientele and keeps the accounts. Over time, her son Saúl, 24, has taken over the reins of the business alongside his parents after having been trained in the classrooms of the Instituto Diego de Praves and the Escuela Internacional de Cocina Fernando Pérez in Valladolid.

His cuisine has no doubts. It is "Castilian homemade", as the person in charge of the dining room categorically defines it. "It is not an extensive menu, but it is very complete", argues her husband. To do so, they use the best products that they find every day in the market and distributors in the village itself.

FRESH INGREDIENTS

Francisco goes every day to buy fresh seasonal produce. Vegetables are bought from La Alquería, an establishment in Simancas which has an organic vegetable garden. The meat comes from the village butcher's shop, which has "the best suckling lamb in Valladolid", according to Mari Carmen.

Their grilled meats are famous. They make rabbit, chicken and suckling lamb skewers. Although there are also other dishes such as the "oreja a la gallega", which also has a good reputation for its preparation.

As for fish, they select the best fresh fish they find on the market stalls. "If there is a good salmon, we bring salmon, if there is a good hake, we bring hake. Whatever we see that is good", they say.

The wine cellar is made up of 18 references, 90 percent of which come from Ribera del Duero. There are also bottles from other Denominations of Origin such as Toro, Rueda, Cigales or Rioja. But if the customer prefers to bring his own bottle, there is no problem at Los Infantes. "We don't charge for corkage".

They offer a daily menu with three starters and three main courses to choose from, as well as dessert and drink. At weekends they also offer a special menu. "We change it every day and we always use fresh produce, with grilled meats, lots of salads, stuffed vol-au-vent...etc. They are closed every Monday for a break and for a fortnight for holidays in November. They also make stews and meals to order.