The (real) house of the bullfighter Manolete becomes the fashionable restaurant in Córdoba, with a mention in the Michelin guide

• Gastronomy Corral de la Morería: the Madrid public rediscovers the best flamenco tablao in the world thanks to its gastronomic proposal

Juanjo Ruiz

(38) has not yet hung the

on the facade of his restaurant.

He and his wife,

(33), received it a few days ago and they are so happy that they want to capture the moment of the placement of the iconic red sign in a video.

"I want to record how we screwed it together," laughs this chef born in Seville who has made his bistro,

, one of the

.

And not only because of its kitchen, contemporary and very Andalusian but with a classic and French style, but also because of the walls that house it,

Since Juanjo decided to open his own restaurant, both he and Reme were clear: they wanted Doña Angustias' mansion, located in the center of the city but outside the bustle of the old town.

From there the lady listened to the cheers from the plaza where her son, the most famous matador in Spain, was rampaging

(she had been widowed by two bullfighters) but Manolete wanted at least the echoes of her tasks to reach him.

In 2019,

that was about to ruin the project, the chef and his wife, together with several partners, invested almost one and a half million euros to restore its splendor and leave it in its initial state,

by a series of old photos that Reme got.

Almost everything is original and the elements that were added new, such as windows and doors, were made by replicating the originals.

Thus,

, where his coffin was installed after his fatal goring in Linares (August 1947), in his bedroom or in another large room presided over by two separate portraits of the right-handed man and

painted by the Cordovan artist Fernando García Herrera.

and who sold it to Manolete in 1942.

The entrance to the House of Manolete, which is preserved as it was at the time.EM

After the meal, Reme herself may offer to take a

, declared an artistic heritage site, with anecdotes about the bullfighter, his three sisters and the oronda

.

But they go to Casa de Manolete, above all, to enjoy the dishes that Juanjo Ruiz and his team prepare every day and which are full of surprises.

Everything is taken care of down to the smallest detail, from the flowers that adorn the tablecloths to the menu, which is printed daily and delivered sealed with wax to each diner.

It offers its

piquillo pepper salmorejo (with tuna belly, capers and powdered gold cheese), or the

, which has become one of its star dishes.

Also the

or the

attract their large clientele, mostly from Cordoba, who come to La Casa de Manolete to experience a

.

"Many executives come during the week but on Saturdays and Sundays we have families as well as national clientele and more and more foreigners, French and Italian above all," Juanjo clarifies.

Manolete and his mother, Doña Angustias, in the patio of the house.EM

In addition to the menu, which changes frequently, Juanjo Ruiz offers a

with six passes, Cordovan cheeses and two desserts that can be paired with wines (the winery has 200 references with special prominence of

) for 45 euro more.

Manolete's office, with its original moldings and fireplace, is one of the restaurant's rooms.EM

Trained at the Seville Hospitality School, Juanjo has hardened in the kitchens of Martín Berasategi, Dani García and Jesús Sánchez (Cenador de Amós).

, who "with four dollars made some delicious and creative stews."

Chef Juanjo Ruiz at work.EM

Also

.

"Watching him cook on TV made me gobsmacked," he recalls.

At the hotel school he discovered that cooking was much more than a trade and he turned it into his means of expression.

Juanjo has not stopped training, especially in nutrition and food (he is currently studying

at the University of Córdoba), disciplines that he has transferred to his kitchen, especially since his wife was diagnosed with a disease three years ago , multiple sclerosis, which led him to change his diet.

"Since Reme I began to investigate and

. We do not realize the importance of what we eat," says the chef who has

as one of his bedside books.

His research has also led him to launch the first

on the market under the umbrella of La Salmoreteca, the gastronomic space he has in the city's Mercado Victoria.

known

, one of the great unknowns of the national territory.

La Casa de Manolete has been in the

and his great hope would be

, which would be added to those of Noor (two) and Choco (one), the great restaurants in the Cordovan capital.

"Our gastronomy is like a

. It is worth doing so because we have incredible products," he ditch.

Address: Avenida de Cervantes, 10. Córdoba.

Phone: 661 31 60 44.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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