Manchegan tradition at Epílogo (Tomelloso - CR)
A restaurant that opens only at midday and offers two tasting menus that showcase the wide range of Manchegan cuisine
A “practical” restaurant, as we like to call them, because for our taste a tasting menu is much better: it lets us try more dishes and get to know better the work being done in the kitchen, in this case under chef Rubén Sánchez-Camacho. A bright and very personal cuisine, grounded in the Manchegan tradition of “fondear y hacer de comer rico” (making do and cooking something tasty), to which modern techniques and presentations are applied.
Opened in 2019 and recognised with a Repsol Sun, Epílogo opens for lunch only and has no à la carte menu, just two tasting menus: El inicio (45 €) and Nuestro gastronómico (70 €), whose courses rotate almost weekly. To pair them, two wine options are offered, overseen by his brother Ramón Sánchez-Camacho, president of the Castilla-La Mancha Sommelier Association.
Its dishes highlight high-quality, local produce obtained through sustainable practices and largely sourced from the banks of the Guadiana River: river fish, game meats, seasonal vegetables… Among the chef’s most representative recipes are the croquette, the garlic soup fritter, the aubergine with pistachio escabeche and the pine nut risotto.
Tomelloso is a municipality in the northeast of Ciudad Real, a region with major wine production and vast areas of irrigated farmland. Set in the heart of La Mancha, it is part of the Caminos del Vino de La Mancha wine route and the Don Quixote Route – just seven kilometres away lies Argamasilla de Alba, where Cervantes was imprisoned and began writing his universal work – and it is surrounded by a unique natural environment on the doorstep of the Ruidera Lagoons. The area boasts a rich inland gastronomy – a hearty, survival-based cuisine forged over centuries of necessity and hard work by shepherds – which in recent years is finally receiving the attention it deserves.
One of its most promising representatives right now is the restaurant Epílogo, led by chef Rubén Sánchez-Camacho, born in Bilbao in 1971 but raised from childhood in Daimiel, where his family comes from. He is a third-generation hospitality professional: in that Ciudad Real town, his parents ran the family restaurant El Bodegón for almost 40 years, a true gastronomic landmark of traditional Manchegan cuisine.
It was there, alongside his mother, that he learned the trade, until in 2005 he decided to take the leap and work in various kitchens across Spain to discover different ways of working. He landed, among others, at Las Rejas (Las Pedroñeras, Cuenca), run by Manolo de la Osa, and at Disfrutar (Barcelona), while forging his own style and judgement. His many travels also left their mark: San Francisco, Brazil, Mexico, China…
Sánchez-Camacho champions cooking rooted in origin, soul and memory, with deep, well-established flavours (built on robust stocks of veal, game…), reimagined from an avant-garde standpoint and with many nuances. His mastery of technique takes shape at Epílogo in two tasting menus, with dishes that change with the market – new additions are introduced practically every week – and with the chef’s inspiration, as he has little fondness for routine. They share recipes but differ in the number of courses. The shorter one, El Inicio (45 €, without wine pairing), consists of three appetisers, three starters, fish, meat and two desserts. The longer one, Nuestro gastronómico (70 €, without wine pairing; reservation required), comprises five appetisers, three starters, two fish courses, two meat courses, a pre-dessert and two desserts.
Ingredients from the region take centre stage: game, lamb, river fish (eel, trout, sturgeon; from sustainable fishing) and vegetables from the Guadiana riverbank recur in his recipes, all plated with great care. They are complemented by trusted suppliers such as Discarlux, Acuanaria or Balfegó – his treatment of tuna is particularly notable. Pimentón de La Vera, saffron, garlic from Las Pedroñeras, onion… Flavours that transport the chef back to his childhood in Daimiel, when a delicious aroma of sofrito wafted from the windows of the village houses. Galianos (Manchegan gazpacho), orza, migas, pisto, duelos y quebrantos… define his DNA.
Diners are welcomed to the table with a tasting of three oils (arbequina, picual and picual with cornicabra) served with four breads, baked in a century-old bakery in Tomelloso; four varieties are offered: sourdough, Celtic, wheat and rye, and the house gem, 1752. This is followed by various snacks, such as ribeye and anchovy butter (on brioche), partridge leaf (partridge pâté on crispy spicy gochu), smoked eel and basil (a cylinder with caviar and black garlic over breadcrumbs) or tiznao (cod in a tartlet of its own skin, with salmon roe). Next come two of his signature appetisers: the garlic soup fritter and the Iberian ham croquette, with a silky interior and an exquisite crust.
The courses continue with orzas – a Manchegan technique learned from his mother – but in two distinctive versions by the chef: red tuna (seared on the grill and smoked in orza oil) and sea bass (in natural casing with pimentón, like a chorizo), with the belly air-dried at home and kept for two months in the orza, in extra virgin olive oil. Other dishes on the current menu include roasted aubergine with onion and pickled pistachio praline; foie gras with truffle and porcini; white trout (native) with chicken escabeche; sea bass with cauliflower cream, confit turnip and basil juice; wild rabbit with truffle; partridge and chicken; and venison loin with citrus potato.
The desserts continue to play with simple yet striking presentations. Thus, roasted frozen pineapple with Arehucas Canary Islands rum and thyme; the acclaimed pine nut risotto with cheese and a dulce de leche crisp, or popcorn ice cream with caramel.
Front-of-house and wine service are managed by Rubén’s brother, Ramón Sánchez-Camacho (president of the Castilla-La Mancha Sommelier Association). The wine list features around 130 references, a journey through Spain’s main D.O. regions that highlights a selection of wines from La Mancha, specifically from the Tomelloso area, as well as interesting labels from countries such as France, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. Two pairing options are offered to complement the tasting menus: a short one (35 €) and a long one (65 €; the latter, for letting yourself be surprised).
