La Posada by Seasons

At the monastery

The restaurant of the Posada Santa María la Real now operates as La Posada by Seasons, and that is how the inn's own website links it. It is within the Santa María la Real monastery complex, on the way out of Aguilar towards Cervera, in the same grounds as the ROM museum. The inn occupies a late 18th-century building which, according to its website, preserves Romanesque elements and mixes stone, oak, brick and adobe. The Castilla y León tourism register lists it as a one-fork restaurant, with garden, terrace, parking and dogs admitted.

Behind it is Seasons, a restaurant from Tarragona. Its website says the chef, Xavi Fernández, has family roots in the Montaña Palentina, and that the project brings together the two shores: the Mediterranean and mountain cooking.

What you eat

The menu, which can be downloaded as a PDF from its website, runs in blocks. Among the "caprichos" (treats) to start there are Cantabrian anchovies with sobao pasiego, a board of cured beef (cecina) with almonds, croquettes of beef txuleta, red prawn carpaccio with boletus vinaigrette, line-caught squid with kimchi mayonnaise, zamburiñas (queen scallops) Galician style and an escalibada of Palencia garden vegetables with romesco.

The section with most weight is wild tuna: tartare, sashimi and tataki of loin, belly carpaccio, tacos braised with onions in Palo Cortado and Pedro Ximénez, and belly tips with pil pil. Among the fish there are sea bass Orio style, monkfish with king prawns, cod in amontillado pil pil and cod kokotxas with judión beans from La Bañeza. Among the meats, aged beef tenderloin, the house steak tartare, tripe with chickpeas, beef cheeks with mushrooms, lamb cutlets (lechazo) and oven-roast shoulder of lechazo. Desserts include comté cheesecake, torrija with coffee and cinnamon ice cream, and sobao pasiego with orujo cream foam.

The house says it cooks to the rhythm of the season: mushrooms in autumn, artichokes and asparagus when their time comes.

Prices

The menu publishes prices per dish. As a guide, starters range from €4 (the oil flatbread with tomato) to €22, tuna dishes between €24 and €26, fish between €25 and €27, meats between €18 and €30 (the shoulder of lechazo is the most expensive) and desserts cost €8. It is an upper-mid-priced restaurant for the region.

Booking and hours

It does not publish the restaurant's hours or closing days, so it is best to book: on 661 54 04 53, which also answers on WhatsApp, or at [email protected]. The inn's café is separate and does publish its hours on its website: in July and August, Wednesday to Monday from 10:00 to 15:00 and from 17:00 to 21:00; from 1 September, Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 14:00 and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 15:00. It closes on Tuesdays.

What to combine

It is the most convenient meal if you do the visit to the Santa María la Real monastery and the ROM, which are in the same complex. If you want to stay overnight, the Posada Santa María la Real is in the same building. The castle and old quarter of Aguilar are a short walk away.