Nectandra Blossoms | The Bright Future of Ocotea’s Culinary Gem

You can’t talk about the Ocotea Boutique Hotel without discussing Nectandra, the restaurant at the heart of this welcoming place in the mountains of Monteverde. From the very beginning, founders Karen and Valeria Fallas knew Nectandra needed to capture the soul of Monteverde, with fresh ingredients, warm hospitality, and an understated elegant atmosphere. 

But with any restaurant concept, bringing that vision to life always comes with twists, turns, and pleasant surprises along the way, and today, Nectandra has blossomed into something that even our founders couldn’t quite have predicted. 

We recently had the chance to sit down with Karen and Valeria to discuss the growth and future of Nectandra, and we’re thrilled to be able to share some of the highlights of that conversation here today. 

Notes from Our Chat with the Founders of the Ocotea Boutique Hotel

Tremendous Progress and a Bright Future

Nectandra was envisioned as a restaurant with a lot of responsibilities. Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day is a tall order for any culinary concept, and there have been challenges along the way, but with hard work and dedication the restaurant has become everything the founders wanted. 

And that’s not to say that Nectandra is a finished product. Since the moment the first meal came across the counter, the team has been working constantly to improve every aspect of the restaurant, from ingredients to cooking to ambiance, and that process continues to this day. 

Just this past year, the team has begun to introduce fun holiday menus to mark Monteverde occasions. Paying attention to the schedule of clients has provided insights like when to expect the dinner rush before guests attend night tours, or knowing exactly when to start setting out the lunch menus. 

They’re small details, but when it comes to building a perfect culinary experience, every detail matters. 

The Magical Everyday Moments at Nectandra

Karen and Valeria point to a few times of day when guests fill Nectandra, and the atmosphere is one of an easygoing, laid-back community centered around delicious meals. 

Brunch is the first of these bustling times. Either after a morning tour or a relaxed start to the day, guests visit to enjoy something that’s light, good to eat, and yet filling, offering energy to keep the day going in the right direction. Monteverde is an active place, and having a hearty, nutritious meal that’s also delicious and satisfying fits excellently into the rhythm of life. 

Light, relaxed, early dinners around sunset are another fantastic time for guests at Nectandra. After an afternoon activity or a laid-back afternoon of reading, exploring the neighborhood, or playing games in the rooftop lounge, lots of partners and families come down to savor a meal before heading out for an evening activity. 

For this reason, Nectandra has to evolve throughout the day and provide versatile offerings that fit any need of any guest, but as Karen explains, versatility and adaptability reveal the idea at the heart of Nectandra. 

“We needed a restaurant that fit into the way of life in Monteverde naturally, and we want you to feel like you’re coming in for a homemade meal any time of the day. It’s a place that’s elegant but welcoming, makes you feel at home, and most of the items aren’t excessively fancy or ostentatious. 

They are delicious though, they’re made with good ingredients, with lots of passion, and we hope that you can feel the love and appreciation put into each dish.”

Bringing Monteverde Ingredients to Your Table

The past two decades of culinary culture have seen the rise of the “farm to table” concept, and while drawing from local ingredients is hugely important to Nectandra’s quality, Karen and Valeria are quick to acknowledge that sometimes there are ingredients that simply aren’t produced in Monteverde, which need to be brought in from further afield. 

It brings us back to the idea of a home-cooked meal, with a strong emphasis on fresh and local ingredients wherever possible. A local family provides fresh eggs every day. The lettuce is cultivated right here in the mountains, there are artisanal bakers, and it seems like every month there are new, top-quality providers. 

“We aim for everything we can to be locally bought because as locals ourselves, we help locals. Nectandra really is like a home-cooked meal: we purchase all of the ingredients personally, we monitor the seasons for what’s freshest, we test recipes extensively, and we listen carefully to feedback. The result is a place that continues to improve each day, and has a personal touch.”

Colorful Cocktails That Capture Monteverde

Ocotea’s overall culinary offering isn’t just confined to delicious meals. Thanks to the stylings of award-winning Monteverde-based mixologist Jafeth Villalobos, they’ve created a number of cocktails on the menu both in Nectandra and the Monteverde Rooftop Lounge that offer a local twist on familiar favorites, along with a few custom creations that embody Monteverde. 

It was a similar process — working with local experts — that brought Nectandra’s wine list to life as well. 

“With every drink we create, just like the food, we strive to provide the very best that Monteverde has to offer. That always includes some essence (and a few ingredients) from the area, and we supplement that with imported spirits, wines, and flavors to create something world-class that is undeniably local.”

A Menu With Meaning

As our interview with Karen and Valeria was winding down, we took a moment to ask about any highlights from the menu, any particular specialties that Karen and Valeria preferred, and their answer was worth sharing in its entirety. 

“It’s hard to pick a favorite because everything is there on the menu for a reason — to showcase a local ingredient, a recipe that we’ve perfected, a vision of Monteverde. Nothing is there as filler. We rigorously tested every dish to provide the blend of local Monteverde and world-class quality we envisioned for Nectandra, and we take that seriously. 

Each of these dishes has a purpose, a reason for being on the menu, otherwise we wouldn’t have wasted the ink or the ingredients! We think of this as a fundamental part of caring for our guests  — we don’t prepare them anything that we don’t love ourselves, and we’re proud of that.”

Looking at the Bright Future of Nectandra

With such care put into every dish and every aspect of the day, it’s no wonder that Karen and Valeria have been asked countless times the question “When will Nectandra be open to the public?”

And the answer is, “Maybe someday.”

As Nectandra evolves, there may come a time when Ocotea’s culinary gem is open for non-guests in some capacity, but the same care and attention that has led Karen and Valeria to improve the menu so painstakingly has also kept them cautious of changing Nectandra too quickly. 

The first priority, as they explain, is to make sure that hotel guests can always feel at home in Nectandra, and can always feel comfortable to walk in and grab a bite to eat. That promise is something that the Ocotea team takes very seriously. 

There may be other developments coming in the future — like tapas available at the Monteverde Rooftop Lounge — but in the meantime, this homey spot at the heart of the Ocotea Boutique Hotel remains dedicated to breakfast, lunch, and dinner of the Ocotea guests. 

And as a final note, Karen and Valeria had this to share:

“We have a number of excellent staff and cooks at Nectandra, but don’t be surprised if you’re served by one of us (Karen and Valeria)! The whole team at Ocotea is here to host you, and part of that hospitality is that everyone pitches in to help, even if that means delivering a home-cooked meal by hand. We wouldn’t want it any other way!”