Campaspero, Spain: July 2022 and December 2022

Lamb has made Mannix a place of pilgrimage for many despite its relatively remote location¹. With time, the restaurant has developed from its humble origins, adding exciting starters and desserts to the menu and a great wine list focused on Ribera del Duero. For anyone travelling North from Madrid, this is the place to stop for lunch.

Mannix started as a butcher’s in Campaspero. As they began roasting some of the churro lambs they sold, the venue quickly attracted attention in the area. The second generation of this family even managed to expand the eatery to allow for wedding or baptism receptions and dinner parties. It was the third generation in 1981, with Eusebio and Rosaura, that renamed the mesón to Mannix after the detective Joe Mannix that fascinated one of their kids². Little Mannix’s brother, Marco Antonio García would later become the master asador, or head roaster, bringing first national and then international fame thanks to his conscientious approach to roasting lamb. Saint Anthony of Padua preached to the fish and Marco Antonio of Campaspero listens to his lambs (certainly not the best place to bring Clarice Starling for lunch). Without any temperature control, Marco Antonio is mostly guided by the sounds in the oven. Yet somehow, the lamb meat is transformed to butter with a crispy and smoky skin. We guarantee that first timers will be impressed and second timers will turn into regular customers.

Much of the family is still involved in the business. The newest addition to the team, Marco Antonio’s niece Gemma García, has brought with her the experience of working in some of the best Basque and Catalan restaurants (Zuberoa and Celler de Can Roca) and with the 21st century pastry (French, modern) guru, Cédric Grolet. Her idea was to introduce some haute cuisine values into Mannix through some starters, and more even through the desserts, as an addition to what has already been perfected with the lamb. We see this influence on the use of international ingredients, a tendency for greater refinement and the sweet trompe-l’œils³. It’s also clear in her mastery of the traditional desserts like arroz con leche, torrijas, flan and the cheesecake – all to die for – that Gemma is a pastry chef at heart.

This touch of modernism contrasts with the traditional look of the venue in a similar way to which El Bulli’s ambiance never matched the cuisine. In Mannix one can see a patina of time. Not in the wear of the interior (all pristine and well kept), but in the aesthetics. It is a collage of an old fashioned bar, some family photos, mementos and a 1970s wedding reception venue. However, in the rural town of Campaspero, this only adds to the vibe that produces a cheerful atmosphere full of family reunions and parties of friends.

Gemma is also behind the wine list. It is fundamentally focused on Ribera del Duero, since the restaurant is 1km away from the border of the appellation. Yet, she has also added some new upcoming producers in the Ribera and some wines she enjoys from Spain (Rioja, Toro, Priorat) and around the world (Burgundy, Bordeaux, California and Southern Rhone). There could be more white wines, but understandably most are bold red wines that can pair with lamb.

Although there is a menu available online, the menu is recited to you as it might change daily. Having a uninitiated fellow diner, we had to go straight for the classics: croquetas, sweetbreads, kidneys and the lamb.

In Spain, bread is an essential part of every meal and, naturally, it arrives first. Mannix serves tortas de aceite (oil cakes) from the village bakery, Panadería Cáceres. These low hydration flat breads are scented with olive oil and feature a crunchy tough shell with their signature finger-made dimples. The dry and sponge-like texture with small alveoli makes them a very typical accompaniment to roast lamb as they soak up the cooking juices wonderfully.

Starters come all together to be shared by the table. The croquetas caseras elaboradas con leche fresca de vaca y oveja(home made croquettes made from fresh cow and ewe’s milk) are coated by a very thin layer of a coarse breadcrumbs that encase a deliciously creamy béchamel infused with ham. Good croquetas require good produce. Here the milk shines with its intense flavour and complements the infused ham flavour and shards of Ibérico ham. The consistency is perfect, creamy like a Mornay sauce, but viscous enough so that it could hold its shape.

A classic that cannot be missed is the Mollejitas de lechazo churro encebolladas (churro lamb sweetbreads cooked with onions). Lamb sweetbreads are small, so cooking them well is more challenging than those from veal. Their surface must be crispy, while the interior should melt into a creamy texture. In Mannix, they deliver exactly that. Following the traditional cuisine of the region, the intense flavour of the lamb is balanced by the sweetness of some sautéed onion (cooked in the rendered fat of the sweetbreads), some garlic and parsley.

Nevertheless, the real star of the menu are the Riñones de lechazo churro a la parrilla con ajilimoji (grilled churro lamb kidneys with ajilimoji). To all appearances, the concept can sound rustic, but in Mannix these kidneys will deliver a real shock if you have never had theirs before. The secret lies in the fact that the perirenal fat is not trimmed off the kidneys. Hence, when grilled, the fat crisps up and melts as if it was a veal sweetbread. If tasted blind, it would be hard to tell it’s not a sweetbread. The actual kidney is the only hint of the identity of the offal. And still and all, its flavour is milder and sweeter than normal lamb kidneys, with no apparent iron notes and very tender.

As with the sweetbreads, they are seasoned with garlic and parsley. However, this time it is in the form of an ajilimoji – an emulsion of crushed garlic, parsley, olive oil and their home made vinegar. The addition of vinegar is crucial to balance the indulgent intensity of the rendered fat with the acidity and the supplementary nuances of a Sherry-like rancio aroma.

For a meal that celebrates lamb, Tempranillo is an excellent choice. The wine list had a few wines from exciting new producers in Ribera del Duero that caught our attention.

As we were finishing the starters the showstopper arrived, the Cuarto de Lechazo Churro Asado en horno de leña (quarter of churro lamb roasted in wood oven). The quality of the produce and the art and experience in roasting of the head asador Marco Antonio García do magic. The churro lamb carcasses are divided into quarters and each is cooked in its own clay shallow pot, with a little pour of water at the bottom and salt. Then they go into one of their holm oak wood fired ovens, roasting for about two hours. During the last 15min of cooking, the temperature of the oven is increased until the skins are deeply caramelised, golden and crackly. Luck will determine which of the four pieces one gets, but we assure you that all are equally great. Oral tradition claims that the front quarters are the best, since one can extract all the meat between the ribs, normally packed with flavour. However, the back quarters are full of meat and require less work for a very similar flavour profile. Perhaps the greatest difference is in the texture. The ribs hold soft, nuanced and incredibly juicy meat, whereas the legs give the most intense flavours with a more gelatinous feel. Moreover, the lower section of the tibia tends to hold very caramelised and crunchy meat thanks to its high fat content.

Each bite of the skin provides a crunchy explosion of flavour over the soft tender meat. In fact, with the intention of emphasising the tenderness of the meat, the waiter will separate the meat from the bones with two spoons when serving at the table.

The sides proposed for the lamb are salad or fried potatoes. During a heatwave is July, the salad is the obvious choice. It’s an Ensalada de lechuga “oreja de burro”, tomate ibérico de Almería y cebolleta (lettuce, Almería tomato and spring onion salad). Good produce, simply dressed with oil and their house vinegar. The onion was sweet and not pungent. The tomatoes come from Almería (Spain’s greenhouse) most of the year.

The great news about this latest version of Mannix with Gemma García is that the climax of the meal is extended from the kidneys and lamb all the way up to the desserts. In this occasion, we ordered the Flan con yemas de ganso y pato elaborado con nata fresca y helado de vainilla (crème caramel made with goose and duck eggs and fresh cream; vanilla ice cream). Flanes are a staple in Spain. There are a multitude of variants, playing with ratios and texture. Gemma knows her desserts, and this one was on the ethereal side of the spectrum. Light and soft, it could barely hold its shape. The cream had clearly been infused with cinnamon and lemon peel. The nuances of their aromas was clear over the flavour of the cream. On it’s side, a quenelle of vanilla ice cream brought the freshness that this hot day in July needed.

Equally good was the Torrija caramelizada de pan brioche con helado de caramelo salado (caramelised pain perdu of brioche with salted caramel ice cream). This torrija is as indulgent as it could ever be. It’s designed to tickle that primitive side of the brain. Soft and custardy, it just melts as it enters one’s mouth while a thin layer of caramelised sugar adds a little crisp. Flavours of vanilla, cinnamon and caramel dance in harmony. The salted caramel ice cream intensifies the molasses flavours. The texture of the ice creams were not that great, we found them slightly too solid, chewy and with larger ice crystals than normal.

Regarding the sweet wines available, one of the hidden gems in the wine list is the Zapiain Ice Cider by the glass, one of the best in the country and ideal to pair with the desserts.

It is not hard to venture a guess that the visit to Campaspero will be worth the detour for everyone. This is that kind of meal that stays in one’s mind during the whole week, yearning for an opportunity to go back for that lamb, those kidneys and to try the desserts one missed last time. Despite the refreshing touches that Gemma has brought, Mannix’s essence lies on traditional flavours and textures that do not follow trends or fashions and that will always have an audience willing to commute to the rural lands of Valladolid.

Second visit – December 2022

On a second visit around Christmas we had the chance to try a few more dishes apart from the obvious incontournables reviewed above. The modernist desserts had intrigued us last time and we finally got around to try them.

We started, however, with a Canelón de gallina con velouté de gallina (Canelón of chicken with chicken velouté). Traditional in Spanish Christmas, this canelón was filled with pulled meat from the leg of a roasted chicken.It stayed authentic with the exception of a twist, the use of a chicken velouté instead of the quintessential béchamel. This sauce accentuated the already rich and intense flavour of chicken from the filling, resulting in a more indulgent bite. The garnish observed in the photo consisted of kibbled onion and parsley.

After devouring more kidneys, sweetbreads and lamb, we continued with another classic dessert, Tarta de queso payoyo con huevos de ganso y helado de moscatel y piñón garrapiñado (Payoyo cheese tart made with goose egg; muscat and toasted pine nut ice cream). The cheesecake was made with payoyo cheese, which is a semi-cured goat’s milk cheese. Compared to other goat’s dairy products, the intense goat’s milk taste was not very present. The choice of goose eggs for this dessert was particularly successful resulting in a moist and creamy cheesecake, which can be challenging to achieve with drier cheese. Moreover, the higher far content in these eggs enriches the flavour of the cheesecake.

Alongside the cheesecake, there was a quenelle of moscatel ice cream and some crushed caramelised pine nuts. The flavour of the ice cream resembled honey with some floral notes, while their texture was smooth and they were served at the perfect temperature. Perhaps we were unlucky with the ice cream on our previous visit in summer, or maybe the pastry is not that consistent. In December, it was so good that we would have preferred ordering them as a dessert on its own rather than an addition to a cheesecake that was already excellent.

Sometimes the idea of having multiple elaborations on one plate, whether it is a savoury course or a dessert, does not work as well as in a traditional produce-driven concept as it does in a gastronomic restaurant. Although such approach is understandable in the context of Mannix (the copious servings, great value, casual ambiance), we would appreciate the food more if the desserts just highlighted the excellent products that they use. In this case, the caramelised pine nuts were an unnecessary addition. They solely provided more sweetness and no flavour of pine nuts.

The more creative desserts from Gemma have more evocative names: Tentación de Eva, Otoño, El tiesto de Rosaura or Huevo frito.The waitress eagerly recommended Otoño: “Piña de pino”, mousse de tiramisú sobre crumble de frutos secos, helado de café y pan de especias (Autumn: ‘Pine corn’, tiramisu mousse on nut crumble, coffee ice cream and spice bread) and of course, we obliged. The main elaboration is a tiramisú encased in a shell of chocolate giving it the pine corn shape. It was placed on a disc of coffee ice cream, which itself was surrounded by a crumble of nuts and pain d’épices. The textures work well, combining cold, crisp and crunch. The tiramisú combined with the coffee ice cream and the clove and cinnamon from the pain d’épices also produces and interesting effect. However, we were left a bit apathetic or indifferent. Surely, it’s brave to propose these desserts that have an almost childlike essence in a place with so much unchanging tradition like Mannix. Yet, we did not think that it was particularly memorable nor would it entice us to return again soon, like the lamb does.

It was more unfortunate to find out that Zapiain’s ice cider was not any more in the wine list on this occasion. In any case, the wine list remains excellent with great traditional and modern choices for Ribera del Duero and Rioja. This time, we chose a bottle from Eduardo Eguren’s first take on Tempranillo out of his home in Rioja:

And we finished with an espresso. As most coffees in most restaurants, this one failed to impress. And, like last time, this time it also managed to disappoint. It’s simply burnt and overbrewed. At least they are consistent.

Footnotes

1. 1h from Valladolid and 2h from Madrid.
2. To the point that he was nicknamed Mannix in the village.
3. Trampantojos in Spanish.