Alilian - Boadilla del Monte

The menu is short by the area standards and includes a number of starters, fish and meat entrees. There was no “menú del día” and the waiter didn’t offer anything in particular, so we ordered a tomato and tuna salad (ensalada de tomate con ventresca) as starter to share. A small, non-descript potato salad tapa (ensaladilla rusa), courtesy of the house, arrived immediately. The tomato salad was different, though. I’m no fan of kumato, but this salad was excellent. Likely the best I’ve had in ages. Not sure what the secret sauce is here but contributing factors surely include thin belly flakes (rather than the solid blocks preferred by cooks showing off their product rather than their skills), superb olive oil and, most notably, a healthy dose of tomato pulp to ensure not a single ventresca bite feels dry. My main entrée was “cahopo”, a sort of cordon bleu from Asturias, which I had ordered out of curiosity and impulse. It looked singularly out of place given there wasn’t any other obviously Asturian choice on the menu and Alilian felt a little stiff-necked for a dish that is typically judged by weight rather than quality. Its presentation kind of proved the cook felt the need to dress the humble cachopo in some haughtier fashion: fine-grain breading, French potatoes as a side dish stuffed in a tin can, an oversized plate with a smear of reddish sauce all around its meter-long circumference. Despite the looks, the cachopo proved a great choice; tender and juicy, flushed with strong, oozy cheese, intense and yet not overloaded with oily bread. The over-indulgence notwithstanding, I accepted sharing a cheesecake for dessert. The waiter warned us the cheese was particularly strong and he was right. I love strong cheeses, but somehow the mature, moldy flavors of whatever cheese it was they used to bake this particular cake overpowered the sweetness and fruitiness I´ve come to expect from a cheesecake. In any case and overall, a very pleasant experience. And yet, in retrospect I got the feeling the place still lacks identity, something to be famous for, a reason to go back. It turns out the restaurant is affiliated with a Ribera del Duero winery. So maybe that distinction is in the wines, and dishes are selected based on how they pair with specific types or vintages. Too bad if that is the case, for I do not drink wine.

Un sitio más de los muchos de Boadilla. Todo correcto, nada destacable. Bien sin más.

Totalmente recomendado. Nos encantó la amabilidad del maitre y resto del personal, así como la comida tan rica, postres de 10. Volveremos sin lugar a dudas.

Se come súper bien y el precio está también muy bien!

Ayer comiendo en Alilian confirmé que es un restaurante fantástico y bien gestionado. Dueño y empleados son personas serias y profesionales. Lo mejor la comida y la flexibilidad para lo que uno necesite. Recomendable y para felicitarles. Lo malo es que hay que espabilarse para conseguir mesa.