You don’t have stay overnight at the 5-star rural Finca Serena to eat at this hotel’s Restaurant Jacaranda – where chef Celia Martín has the benefit of the estate’s well-stocked organic produce garden.

Feast your eyes on the view

Restaurant Jacaranda takes its name from the promenade of these beautiful trees near the main house at Finca Serena. The 5-star adults-only hotel is just a few minutes’ drive from the Ma15 Palma-Manacor road, in open countryside two kilometres to the west of Montuïri.

Once you’re through the gates of Finca Serena, you understand the choice of name. You’re in a world of tranquillity – an escape from the bustle and routine of daily life for a while. And it’s a known fact that eating in a relaxed state is good for the digestion.

Lunch

This is served on the front terrace, where venerable olive trees offer shade for those who want it and birdsong is the soundtrack. Give your eyes a break from the strain of reading mobile devices, to take in the spectacular views that stretch way into the distance. In the far distance you can can see the Ma15 – the dual carriageway linking Palma with Manacor – but you can’t hear the sound of the traffic from here. You can also see the Randa hilltop – well worth a visit if you’re in the area.

The lunch menu changes daily, offering a choice of dishes for three courses (40€) or, for lighter appetites, main course and dessert (30€). We haven’t yet tried lunch here, but the menu looked good on the day we saw it.

Dinner at Jacaranda

The dinner menu also changes every night, with a choice of three starters, three mains, and two desserts, at 55€.

Chef Celia Martín will also create vegan dishes on request and knows plenty about vegan food, as she’s a vegan herself. All her dishes – meat, fish, vegetarian and vegan – are healthy, delicious, and creative.

Part of the dining room at Jacaranda

Elegant but cosy ambience in the dining room

Beautiful terrace, where tables are well spaced and you can see the sun setting through the trees

Jacaranda’s dining room – like the whole hotel – is elegant but unfussy; the décor incorporates restful muted colours and natural materials. It will be a cosy place to eat in the cooler months but, for most guests, the restaurant’s large terrace at the rear of the hotel is favoured for dinner on balmy summer nights.

We sat on the terrace, noting that the well-spaced tables allow intimate conversation not to be heard by other diners. It felt impossibly romantic, with views out to the rear of the hotel towards the Tramuntana mountains and the sound of water playing in the nearby fountain. From our table we watched the sun setting through the trees.

The Chef

Celia Martín is from Toledo but has worked in Mallorca since 2011; she moved here from her role as head chef at Font Santa Hotel. Celia takes inspiration for her daily menus from the organic vegetables and fruit she selects every morning. Here are a few of the dishes we tried.

Organic produce from the garden to the kitchen: 0km

A crispy start with delicious tortitas with romesco sauce and chives

Fresh-tasting pink-tomato tartar with marinated bonito

Cured beef slices with mushrooms and Bearnaise saucce

Rice from Sa Pobla (Mallorca) with Mallorcan lobster

Jacaranda Restaurant offers organic extra virgin olive oil produced from the estate’s 830 olive trees and it’s worth buying a bottle to take home from Finca Serena’s small gift shop.

The Wines

The wine card offers good wines from Mallorca and the Peninsula and has a sommelier’s special selection for wine connoisseurs, which includes Italian, French, and South African labels. Three years from now, the hotel will have its own wines produced from four different varieties of grapes grown on 10 hectares of the estate.

Four varieties of grapevines have been planted

The Morning After the Night Before

Breakfast, of course! The first meal of the day is taken on the front terrace, with its awesome views. It’s a pretty good way to start the day. The breakfast buffet is set up inside the restaurant and offers a good choice. In addition, you can have a cooked breakfast; toast with avocado, or salmon, cream cheese, and dill; porridge; pancakes, or an omelette. Breakfast is available from 08:00-11:00h – which means there’s plenty of time for a walk or run before your first meal of the day.

Verdict

If you need a serving of serenity with your lunch or dinner and want a break from the summer crowds on Mallorca, Jacaranda Restaurant at Finca Serena is the place to find it. The food is honest, creative, and tasty; the service was good, and we felt the price reflected the quality of the produce used and the setting of the place.

If you’re not staying overnight at the hotel, be sure to book your lunch or dinner table in advance.

Read more about the hotel here.

Prices correct at time of writing.
Opening times: Lunch 13:00-14:30h Dinner 19:30-22:00h

Jan Edwards ©2019