From the Molino Kitchen
Martin's personal journey of running a kitchen
Through your visits to Molino, many of you will be familiar with the beautiful terrace and delicious food at our hotel. But I wanted to give you a peak behind the curtain! It’s now been 3 months since we opened the doors of Molino del Santo. It’s been a challenging and hectic first three months, with lots of valuable lessons learned along the way. When we first decided to take on the management of Molino last summer, one of the things I was most excited about was the opportunity to run a restaurant. However, with limited hospitality experience, I also knew that this was going to be a challenge. When planning how to take on this responsibility, it has been very helpful to reflect on the early days of Molino to understand what has helped make our restaurant such a success and an integral part of the hotel
The history of the restaurant at Molino
When reflecting back on the time when Pauline and Andy started Molino in 1987, I’m often in awe of the scale of the challenge they took on and the restaurant was no exception. Starting off as a modest 6-room hotel, they’ve told us many stories about how the restaurant service was entirely run by the two of them; from being in charge of ordering, creating the menu, cooking and serving the food and cleaning up after each and every service. Just the thought of the time and effort spent making sure their first guests were fed and happy makes me feel quite anxious! However, this has also filled me with confidence that running the restaurant is something I am able to do too, in no small part because of the amazing team we have at Molino.
Introducing the kitchen staff
From when Molino opened its doors, there has always been a strong emphasis on respecting and including the local culture, which is a legacy that Carmen and I are adamant to maintain. The restaurant is a perfect opportunity to do so. All of our kitchen staff live in Benaojan, which is a crucial element in ensuring our menu reflects the culinary history and culture of the local region and Andalusia more generally. Each and every member of the team brings something different to the Molino family and are the reason why our restaurant has built up its reputation over the years.
Get to Know the Team Behind the Taste
We sat down with our incredible chefs to dig into their foodie hearts and find out what makes them tick — and what makes Molino del Santo's kitchen so special. Here’s a little flavour from behind the scenes:
What Spanish ingredient could you never live without?
Reme didn’t hesitate: “Local goat's cheese and olive oil — both straight from our corner of Andalucía!”
What’s the one dish every guest should try?
Joaquín is confident: “Solomillo de ternera (steak) — no visit is complete without it.” (Trust us, it melts in your mouth.)
If you could cook for anyone in the world, who would that be?
Manoli: "I had never thought about it, but I’ve always liked the show Master Chef!! So, I would cook for the Master Chef judges."
Legacy of the Monthly menu
In the spirit of Pauline’s long lasting legacy of running the kitchen, one of the things Carmen and I were sure we would continue with was the monthly menu. As we are moving from spring to early summer, this month’s menu reflects ingredients that many of you associate with Andalusia and Spain. You can check out our menu here. As we are continuously looking to improve the monthly menu, we would love to hear from you guys what dishes you have enjoyed the most whilst visiting Molino. Is there a dish you definitely think we should add to the menu or do you have a favourite ingredient? If so, please get in touch with us! At the end of the day, the restaurant’s main aim is to ensure we provide the best possible experience for all of you guys!
Our restaurant is open for lunch between 1PM - 3PM and for dinner between 7.30PM and 9.30PM, everyday of the week. Contact us through phone (+34 952 16 71 51), email (info@molinodelsanto.com) or the contact form on our website for a delicious meal in an unforgettable setting.
