Vegetarian food made with love

I’m writing this in the comfort of the luxurious Biltmore Hotel, reflecting on an earlier part of this holiday — a visit to San Juan, Puerto Rico.

As ever, the trip to San Juan was punctuated by the challenge of finding good vegetarian food (one my — omnivorous — wife will quickly attest to as being a characteristic of every holiday). However, this is a short piece about how the best vegetarian food in San Juan found me instead.

We ate at a number of restaurants that are either listed as vegetarian or with recognised vegetarian menus, including three on Trip Advisor’s “Top Ten best vegetarian restaurants in San Juan”. None of those three were particularly special, truth be told, and all were characterised by rather bland flavours. In contrast, though, I had a standout meal at Marmalade, with dishes of Heirloom golden beets, their take on Babaganoush, and a Vegan ancient grain gnocchi each bringing well-balanced, distinct tastes and textures on plates of stunning presentation.

We stayed at San Juan’s superb Hotel El Convento — a welcome return visit after some seven years, and one which lived up to fond memories of an idyllic getaway hidden in plain sight in the centre of the old part of the city. Over lunch in the Patio del Nispero restaurant earlier in the week, my birthday had come up in conversation with one of the chefs who had come to chat with us. He had said that they would be happy to do a special meal for me later in the week and we grabbed at the suggestion — as much for it resolving one more meal decision, as for the promise of good food!

What transpired on Thursday was actually quite extraordinary.

Waitress Monica set the tone with her infectious light attentiveness, as she hinted that the chef was excited about what he had planned for us. Then we had our first proper conversation with him.

Chef Rafael Alamo is a compact, serious dynamo of a person. His soft-spoken, gentle manner almost sidetracks you from his absolute passion for food, though that came out loud and strong during the next couple of hours. He confirmed my request for no eggs and promised “some” courses that he hoped I would like. And he offered my wife a specially-sourced New York steak that he wanted to prepare. Then he was off to the kitchen.

First up was a plate of six golden arancini on a shallow bed of red pepper aioli. These hot, crispy rice balls were lightly flavoured allowing the pepper aioli to tease out more earthy layers: a delicious, teasing opener to the meal.

Chef Rafael then came to explain our appetiser: Shaved slices of watermelon radish, radish and apple served on ricotta, with watercress and a honey and olive oil dressing. The explosion of colour on the plate was Fantasia-like, and matched by the tastes it presented: the cerise and white watermelon radish full of sweet, sharp flavour, accentuated by pink radish and the gentle acidity of green apple, paired with peppery, viridescent watercress leaves, offset by a luxuriously smooth ricotta (“made by Chef Rafael”, disclosed Monica) and the dressing. Simple, raw vegetables delivering their best.

Shortly after, Monica returned with our first entrées, and again, we were faced with beautifully-presented dishes.

My wife’s steak made it’s first appearance, cooked to a perfect rare. The layout of her plate mirrored my own which was built around an “eggplant steak”. This half of a skinned baby aubergine had been prepared sous-vide with plum juice and olive oil, resulting in a soft, melt-in-your mouth texture that held its shape perfectly. It (and the New York steak) was accompanied with roasted baby heirloom carrots and fondant baby potatoes, on a plum-based sauce. This was a stunning dish. The carefully-matched flavours and textures were perfectly seasoned and amply demonstrated the exciting palette of Chef Rafael. But more than this, as he reflected after the course, he hoped it showed his passion for food, for locally-sourced vegetables (including the Hotel El Convento vegetable and herb garden on its third floor), and his mission to always “cook with love”. It did.

Next up was a lesson in how to take what can be a rather well-worn nod to the vegetarian — the pumpkin — and elevate it to a new level. The “plates” were hollowed out rings of pumpkin on discs of wood. The base of the dish was a thick melange of a sauce built around pigeon peas and another small bean. Mine was topped with a “pumpkin steak” — my wife’s with the remainder of that New York steak, in a seasoned crust — and dressed with micro herbs and flowers. The pumpkin steak was a revelation, all the more so for having “just” been prepared in butter and olive oil (though behind Chef Rafael’s humility, there was clearly a great deal of skill to get its texture so smooth within a rich, crispy casing). This was the best pumpkin-based dish I have ever eaten, and has set a high bar to be beaten.

Finally, Chef Rafael presented another lusciously colourful dish — his take on a poached apple. But again, this description does not do the dish justice. The perfectly soft poached half-apple was presented in a rich, red berry sauce, accompanied by a rich, handmade panna cotta. The luscious combination of natural sweetness paired with the creamy panna cotta and gently acidic sauce was another fine example of flavour matching.

Alongside the rare quality of the flavours and tastes I experienced (for me, matched only by rare visits to Yotam Ottolenghi’s Nopi restaurant) the evening was characterised by the absolute pleasure and pride the staff at Hotel El Convento took in our meal. Monica’s commitment to giving us the best possible experience was amplified by her supporting colleagues, for example. But pride of place must go to Chef Rafael Alamo. His commitment to locally-sourced produce that showcases San Juan and Puerto Rico is commendable. His skill in the kitchen at matching flavours, textures and the elements of dishes is astounding. And throughout his work, his passion for “cooking with love” shines through and elevates very good food to exceptional.

 Hotel El Convento in San Juan has an absolute jewel in its kitchen.

I hope they continue to give Chef Rafael the space to grow and excel in his cooking — he is a special talent.