Back in the 1980s, my wife and I already counted the rural El Clodenis next to the church of San Rafael amongst our favourite restaurants on the Island. In spring and autumn, we would head for our regular table in front of the angel statue in the garden, from where we had a fine view of the church tower. Denis went from table to table, greeting his guests and exchanging the latest gossip. He somehow succeeded in conjuring up an air of Provence in this sleepy little village. When the patron died a few years ago, El Clodenis went into a period of slumber.
Now at last, it is back in business. David Oliel, who until recently was successfully running the Bacchus Restaurant in Santa Gertrudis, got together with former magazine publisher Didier Macia to give the Clodenis a new lease of life. Didier is a longstanding Ibiza fan, so David didn’t have too hard a job explaining his vision and persuading him to put up the capital for the venture. The charm and solid reputation of the establishment were such that Didier didn’t have to consider too long.
Because at the same time, the former chef de cuisine at the Clodenis, Jose Miguel Gonzalez, who had since been working at the Bacchus, expressed his eagerness to return to his old stamping ground. His able deputy is Miguel Jessen who until recently was working in the kitchen at Pacha. The philosophy of the new partners is to keep Clodenis the way it always was – a warm and friendly locale where traditional Mediterranean cuisine is prepared using ingredients fresh from the market combined with an assured modern touch. And guaranteeing the quality of the final product are the two brilliant chefs.
