I don’t make a point of writing general restaurant reviews on this site. If you’re looking for a restaurant on Mallorca you’ll find that the best are featured in Mallorca’s 101 Top Restaurants 2014-2015, just published by abcMallorca.

Having said that, we had such a great experience on Friday evening at Arume – a Japanese/fusion restaurant in Palma de Mallorca – that I thought I’d share details with you. (It’s also in the aforementioned guide).

Turning Japanese

After attending an abcGourmet Club wine-tasting and sushi event (wines from Jaume Llabres’s excellent small bodega Son Prim and sushi from Urban Sushi in Palma), we were in the mood for more Asian flavours. We headed to Arume, at Palma’s inner ring-road end of C/San Miguel.

It’s located slightly off the typical tourist route, but if you visit Palma I’d recommend you seek it out if you love Japanese/fusion food.

Arume opens for lunch – serving an executive set menu in the week for 14,50 euros, of three courses, coffee, plus glass of wine or water. It opens for dinner at 8.30pm, which is late by British standards, at least, but it’s worth the wait (and besides, there are plenty of local bars and cafes in the area for a glass of something before dinner).

Two Tasting Menus

We didn’t study the à la carte menu because we saw the magic words: tasting menus. I’m a huge fan of these, as they give you a good introduction to a chef’s repertoire and reward you with lots of different flavours and textures. They’re also useful if, like me, you sometimes find it hard to choose from a menu that offers too many tempting dishes. Arume has two, of which we opted for the smaller Menu Arume, at 30 euros (including VAT). The dishes on both menus change at the start of each month.

Strangely – considering Spain is known for its late nightlife – the last train from Palma to Manacor (our nearest town) leaves at 10.15pm. This presented us – but, more accurately Arume’s kitchen – with a challenge. Could we dine here on this tasting menu and be out within one hour, to catch the last train home?  I’m guessing they normally serve their tasting menus at a more relaxed pace, but it’s useful to know that they could speed things up for time-challenged diners like us. We caught our train.

We Ate . . .

. . . seven delicious and beautifully presented courses, starting with an appetizer of smoked salmon wontons, followed by: a delicious soup based on Mallorcan prawns; Arume’s ‘kebab’ of duck with orange; nigiris of smoked cod and roast tuna; salmon teriyaki, fennel, pears and wasabi; crunchy lamb, and a super-scrummy chocolate dessert incorporating popping candy.

The Mallorcan chef Tomeu Martí learnt his Asian culinary craft in Tokyo and incorporates these techniques with local Mediterranean ingredients. We loved his sushi chef coat too, which complements the attractive décor of this contemporary restaurant and, although I’m not one for publishing selfies, I thought you’d like to see the chef dressed for action. We’ll certainly visit again.

Part of Arume’s décor

The Boss, yours truly and Tomeu at Arume

If you love this place, you’ll also like Arume Sushi, in Mercat Santa Catalina. Perch on a high stool at the counter, watch your sushi being made to order, and enjoy the buzz of this great little indoor market.

©Jan Edwards 2014