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Palma palace venue for Peccata Minuta tapas event February 2016
Tapas galore at Peccata Minuta
We love tapas – and we love the Peccata Minuta tapas events that local gastronomy business Chefs(in) organizes on Mallorca. Our tickets for the next one are booked. Once again Peccata Minuta will take place simultaneously on Mallorca and its smaller sister island Menorca, on Monday, February 29th – the eve of Dia de les Illes Balears – Balearics Day (a public holiday on March 1st).
The venue for the Mallorca event is the impressive central Palma palace, Palau March (a museum), where seven chefs from Mallorca and Menorca will offer their creative tapas. Previous venues for this event have been Palma’s Santa Catalina and Olivar markets, Parc de la Mar (Palma), and the cloister of Santo Domingo in Inca.
Tomeu Martí working at the February 2015 Peccata Minuta
The chefs at this year’s Palma event are:
- Miquel Gelabert (Can March, Manacor)
- Víctor García (La Fortaleza, Cap Rocat Hotel, Cala Blava)
- Tomeu Martí (Arume, Palma)
- Marga Coll (Miceli, Selva)
- Joan Marc (Joan Marc Restaurant, Inca)
- Patrick James (Pan y Vino, Sant Lluís, Menorca)
- Miquel Sánchez (Smoix, Ciutadella)
Wines selected by Vinamica and artisan beer from Boscana will be on offer.
Tickets cost 30 euros, for seven tapas and two drinks.
To avoid a crush, places are limited for this event. So if you fancy tapas from some top chefs, served in a Mallorcan palace setting, book now for Peccata Minuta in Palma this February 29th at 21:00h.
©Jan Edwards 2016
Arume Palma, Balearics Day in Palma, Boscana craft beers, Can March Restaurat Manacor, chef Marga Coll, chef Miquel Gelabert, chef Miquel Sanchez, chef Patrick James, chef Tomeu Marti, chef Victor Garcia, Chefs(in), Dia de les Illes Balear public holiday, La Fortaleza Cala Blava, Mallorca, Menorca, Miceli, Palau March, Palma, Pan y Vino restaurant, Peccata Minuta, Selva, tapas event Palma, Vinamica -
A Beer Lover’s must-visit in Palma
A warm welcome from Pep at
LórienAccording to an interesting article published in El Pais last October, beer is the favourite tipple of the Spanish. Apparently 50% of Spain’s population drink beer, whereas only 20% drink wine.
Back in the day, when I first came to Spain on holiday, a local told me it was safer to drink the beer than the tap water. A glass of ice-cold cerveza certainly hits the spot on a hot summer’s day, without leaving you feeling sleepy – but my own tipple of preference is wine; we do, after all, live on Mallorca . . . where there are more than 70 wineries, or bodegas.
Craft Beers on Mallorca
At an Olive Fair in the village of Caimari, we met Belgian, Michel Campioni, at a stall selling his Toutatis artisan beer. His brewery is in a hamlet just outside Sencelles. He now also has a bar in Palma.
Artisan Belgian brewer Michel Campioni, Toutatis
The Toutatis brewery at Cas Canar, Sencelles
An Ace Ale House
Toutatis’s La Blonde beer was one of the guest barrel beers on offer at Lórien when we first visited this Palma ale house. I’d only recently heard of the place, so was a tad surprised to learn that it has been open for 26 years!
We arrived early (almost the first customers after it had opened at 6pm) and met bearded owner Pep, who opened Lórien in 1990, when he was only 20. He told us he was a llonguet – explaining this was a colloquial name for someone born in Palma. And there I was thinking it was a type of Mallorcan bread roll . . .
![IMG_2902[1]](https://eatdrinksleepmallorca.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/img_29021.jpg?w=300)
Beer as decoration!
The ale house takes its name from Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, and offers some 150 different bottled beers from around the world, as well as guest beers from the barrel. The Boss couldn’t resist the opportunity to try a decent British brew, and chose the guest Red Point, an IPA (7.5°) from Buxton Brewery – which certainly hit the spot for him.
As duty driver, I opted for a beer sin alcohol from Aragon, called Aigua de Moritz; it was new to me and I found the flavour much more enjoyable than some alcohol-free beers I’ve tried. I enjoyed it enough to have a second, while The Boss tried another guest ale . . .
What’s in a Name
We perched on stools at the bar, chatting to the affable Pep. The place has a sociable ambience and is popular with locals and visiting beer fans. We’d not been there long before regulars started to drift in, giving us a chance to study the lengthy list of bottled beers – which includes nine artisan offerings from Mallorca. Others come from the Peninsula, Austria, Norway, Scotland, the Netherlands, Denmark, England, Belgium, Germany, and Ireland.
Don’t you just love the quirky names of some beers? Here are some that caught my attention from Lórien’s list:
- Marina Devil’s PA
- Torpedo
- Raging Bitch
- Brutal IPA
- Dead Pony Club
- Liquid Mistress
I don’t know if the Vikings drank beer but, if they did, I bet it wasn’t as strong as the two Danish bottled beers that top Lórien’s list for strength:
Blossom Directors Cut (13.5°) is a wheat ale by To Øl. Friends Tobias Emil Jensen and Tore Gynther founded this gypsy brewery in 2010. (Apparently it’s known as a gypsy brewery because they don’t have their own brewing premises and use capacity at other breweries to make their own liquid magic). Tobias and Tore had begun brewing beer while still at school – in the school kitchen! – along with their teacher Mikkel Borg Bjergsø.
Black Imperial Stout (16.7°). This staggeringly strong brew is from Mikkeller – the brewery founded by Tobias’ and Tore’s teacher (who had assisted them in their school brewing adventures).
Whilst the story that links these two beers is a good one, it’s probably best not to try them both on the same night . . .
Something to Eat
If you’re going to have a beer or two at Lórien, you may want something to eat with it. The place offers a menu of 17 different filled llonguets (the bread rolls, not people born in Palma). Pep started serving these small rolls only four years ago and they seem incredibly good value, ranging from 1,60-2,10€ each.
Lórien is on Facebook and Pep posts regular updates about his guest beers, so check out his pubs’s page if you’re a beer fan. And pay a visit to this little gem of an ale house in the back streets of Palma (near the Caputxines convent), if you’re a fan of artisan beers.
Lórien, C/ de les Caputxines, 5A, Palma
Tel 971 723 202
©Jan Edwards 2016.
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Balearic gastronomy writers’ awards 2015
Every one a winner. Photo courtesy of the Balearic gastronomic journalists association.
It hardly seems possible that a year has gone by since I wrote about two of the winners of the 2014 awards made by the Balearic gastronomy journalists and writers or, to give it its local name, l’Associació de Periodistes i Escriptors Gastronòmics de Balears. The time has probably flown by because so many interesting and exciting things have been happening on the Mallorcan gastronomic scene.
The Association presented their awards for 2015 on February 8th to those they believe have raised the quality standards of Balearic gastronomy. This year the eight award categories included two new ones and prizes were awarded for best bar/gastrobar and best restaurant for local cuisine. Prizes were awarded in Mallorca and, at a separate ceremony (today), in Menorca. The following are the awards for Mallorca, the focus of this blog:
Chef of the year
Fernando Arellano when he was my guest on Mallorca Sunshine Radio show
This wasn’t too much of a surprise. The winner, 37-year-old Fernando P Arellano, is chef/patron of Zaranda – one of only two restaurants in Spain to be awarded a second Michelin star for 2016. Zaranda is within the 5-star Castell Son Claret hotel in southwest Mallorca.
Revelation restaurant
Winner Adrían Quetglas opened his eponymous restaurant in Palma’s Passeig Mallorca last year, after a successful decade working in Russia. Quetglas once worked at Read’s Hotel with British chef Marc Fosh, but has also worked in Paris and in London, with the famous Marco Pierre White.
Patissier of the Year
Jaume Oliver from Forn Can Salem in the town of Algaida. This bakery/patisserie is not easy to find if driving; arrive too late and you’ll find almost everything already sold (speaking from personal experience here). Forn Can Salem – founded by Jaume’s father in 1967 – is worth seeking out. The artisan was attending Europain, the world bakery and patisserie exhibition, in Paris, but his daughter represented him at the award ceremony.
Sommelier
Roberto Duran is now working in London at 67 Pall Mall, the private members’ club for wine connoisseurs. He’s building on experience that has already seen him win the title of Spain’s Best Sommelier in 2015. Roberto returned to Mallorca to receive his award. British Airways is now doing cheap weekly flights between Palma and Stansted…just saying.
Professional career award
Josef Sauerschell has worked on Mallorca for more than 30 years and is the chef/patron of one-Michelin-starred Es Racó d’es Teix in Deià, which he opened in 2000 with his wife at front of house. The Michelin star was awarded in 2003.
Promotion of local products
Ecological farmer Biel Torrens, whose farm is in the hamlet of Ruberts in central Mallorca, was recognised for his role in the recuperation of the ancient local wheat variety known as xeixa and the native red pepper tap de cortí. Many top restaurants on Mallorca source produce from him.
Best bar/gastrobar
Brassclub in Passeig Mallorca (try it for a cocktail before or after a visit to nearby Adrían Quetglas) is a must-visit in Palma. Master mixologist Rafa Martín – who won the bronze medal in the world cocktail championships in Peking in 2012 – has 3,000 bottles from which to choose, in a stylish ambience that’s reminiscent of great classic bars you’d find in cities like Manhattan, Madrid, or Barcelona.
The Caty Juan de Corral prize for best local cuisine restaurant
Can March Restaurant in Manacor won this prize. Opened as a cafeteria in 1925, this restaurant is now something of a gastronomic temple, located in a side street off the Felanitx road in the town. Brothers Toni, Tolo, and Miquel Gelabert (not the Miquel Gelabert who makes wine!) run their family’s restaurant, where Miquel is in charge of the kitchen.
©Jan Edwards 2016
67 Pall Mall, Adrían Quetglas, Bakery Can Salem, Brassclub, Can March restaurant Manacor, cocktail bar Palma, eco farmer Biel Torrens, Es Raco d’es Teix restaurant, Fernando P Arellano, Forn Can Salem, Jaume Oliver, Josef Sauerschell, l’Associació de Periodistes i Escriptors Gastronòmics de Balears, Majorca, Mallorca, Michelin-starred restaurants Mallorca, Miquel Gelabert, Rafa Martin, Roberto Duran, sommeliers Mallorca, Spain, tap de corti spice, xeixa wheat, Zaranda -
Private chef Ross Hutchison cooks up Thanksgiving on Mallorca
The courtyard haven at Ribas.
Last Thursday we attended our second Thanksgiving Dinner on Mallorca. Like the previous one we went to, it was organised by Mallorca-based private chef Ross Hutchison and his wife Joanna Cybulski. This year’s event was designed to be slightly smaller than the last one, with around 20 people of us sitting down to the traditional roast turkey and all the Thanksgiving trimmings. And the numbers were kept lower because of the intimate location for the event: Bodega Ribas, in the village of Consell.
Mallorca’s oldest winery
Ribas has been here since 1711, making it Mallorca’s oldest winery – and the third oldest in the whole of Spain. It’s located in the heart of Consell, in a listed manor that still has many 18th-century architectural features. We had the privilege of dining in a wonderful room in the old house, sitting at a long table. Joanna had applied her designer’s eye and deft touch to the table decorations and there probably wasn’t a single guest who wasn’t taking photographs of the beautiful setting and surroundings.
We had been asked to arrive at 4pm, when Araceli Servera Ribas gave us an informative tour of the winery – after a look at the property’s large walled garden. Araceli and her brother Xavier are 13th generation members of the founding family, and now undertake the day-to-day running of the bodega.
Araceli Servera Ribas – interviewed on my show Table Talk in August 2019
Architectural features . . .
18th-century steps at Ribas
When ‘rejas’ were made of wood!
Traditional Mallorcan grape varieties
We learned that Araceli’s mother had, in the 1980s, updated the winery’s concept from selling only vino a granel (when customers brought their own containers to be filled at the winery) to high-quality bottled wine. However, those who prefer the old way of buying wine here can still do so, maintaining a tradition that many producers have abandoned over the decades. The traditional grapes grown in the Ribas vineyards are mainly the Mallorcan varieties Mantonegro and Prensal Blanc, although they have also recovered some other native varieties that were on the verge of extinction.
The original kitchen at Ribas
Home, home on the range . . .
If only they could talk . . .
Our appetizer, cooked over an open wood fire.
Our Thanksgiving Dinner began in the old kitchen of the house, where chef Ross was bravely cooking oysters over a small open fire on the floor. Thankfully there was an enormous chimney above to remove some of the resulting smoke – and a more modern kitchen next door where everything else was cooked.
The old kitchen’s copper pots and pans and other decorative features added to the homely atmosphere. While standing in the cosy kitchen we ate the delicious oysters served in the half-shell, accompanied by one of several Ribas wines we tried: Soma – made from 100% Viognier grape. This delicate and fruity but refreshing wine was a perfect match for the oysters (and also goes well with white fish, other seafood, and Asian cuisine).
100% Viognier grape.
Oysters ready to eat.
The main event of any traditional Thanksgiving Dinner is the turkey – complete with all the trimmings. The turkey was – as you’d expect from an experienced private chef – juicy, flavourful, and abundant! Ross told us he’d bought his free-range bird from Comercial Vera in Palma. We had two wines with this course: the powerful yet balanced Ribas Negre (50% Mantonegro) and Sió Negre (named after Araceli’s grandmother Sió).
Ross and his bird.
. . . and red wines from Ribas.
We ended our Thanksgiving Dinner with traditional pecan pie and small pumpkin tartlets, accompanied by Sioneta – a low-yield wine made from Muscat grapes left to over-ripen for an additional 30 days past the usual harvest time. It was luscious with the sweet conclusions to the meal.
100% Muscat grape.
Pecan pie.
Couldn’t resist a little pumpkin tartlet too . . .
We had a guided winery tour, and enjoyed an excellent dinner accompanied by four Ribas wines, in a historical location. For this we paid 55 euros a head, which we felt was a good price for such a pleasurable few hours. Ross tells me he plans some more pop-up events in 2016 – and we’ll be keeping an eye out for details on the Private Chef Mallorca Facebook page and Ross’s website.
Our hosts
Ross and Joanna at the dinner table.
Joanna keeping her guests topped up with wine.
©Jan Edwards 2015
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Eight Michelin stars on Mallorca for 2016
The name is Spanish for sieve.
Tonight in Santiago de Compostela, Michelin announced the restaurants in Spain and Portugal awarded stars for 2016.
Mallorca did well: it still has the same seven restaurants recognised by the famous red book – but Zaranda, at the 5-star Castell Son Claret, has become one of only 23 restaurants in Spain and Portugal to be awarded two stars. Congratulations go to Fernando Pérez Arellano, Claire Hutchings, Itziar Rodriguez, and all the team for this well-deserved accolade.
I was also pleased to see that the following deserving restaurants have again been awarded one star:
- Andreu Genestra
- Bou (for the 13th consecutive year) – formerly known as Es Molí d’en Bou
- Es Racó d’es Teix
- Simply Fosh
- Es Fum
- Jardín
I imagine there’ll be a little partying on Mallorca tonight . . .
©Jan Edwards 2015
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Mallorca’s annual olive fair
“I spy a few olives . . . “
Today is the first day of this weekend’s olive fair, or Fira de s’Oliva, in the village of Caimari. It’s a pretty little village, in the foothills of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Tramuntana mountains, less than five kilometres from the large town of Inca – but a world away in terms of character and scenery.
Olives to be pressed
We arrived with friends this morning just before the event began – in a bid to find easier parking than we had last year. We were soon touring the stalls in the main square and the few streets leading off it. Many of the goods on display and for sale were olive-related, as you’d expect, but there were others, including several excellent cheese stalls (and we bought some particularly fine cheeses), sausages and preserved meats, honey, artisan beers, and handicrafts – among others. There was even a stall with a display of birds of prey.
Everything the olive farmer could want . . .
If you’re going to visit tomorrow, be sure to head to the new church – housing a display of art and artisan goods for sale. And don’t miss the chance to see inside the old village tafona, or olive press.
Choose from many types of preserved olives.
After a lovely warm sunny autumn so far, the weather changed today. Caimari was being battered by sudden gusts of wind, and some rain this morning – but it didn’t seem to impact on the popularity of the event.
Olive wood abounds.
Book ahead to eat here…
We would like to have eaten lunch at Ca Na Toneta – a delightful restaurant in a village house – but all tables were booked in advance. It’s not surprising, as this small place run by Maria and Teresa Solivellas is a true gem, where we had a great dinner during the summer.
Caimari’s Fira de s’Oliva continues tomorrow from 10am, but we’ll be at another event closer to home . . . celebrating mushrooms instead.
©Jan Edwards 2015
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Review: Eating Japanese…in Manacor
Mallorca has quite a few Japanese restaurants – mainly in the capital, Palma – as well as a few serving the highly recommended trendy Japanese/Peruvian fusion cuisine. Even our nearest town of Manacor has at least a couple of places serving Japanese food – as yet untried by us.
Turning Japanese
However, we have experienced a different style of Japanese dining in our favourite café in Manacor, El Palau. For the past few years – outside the main holiday season – the friendly owner Nofre Brunet Pascual and his small team have been offering a Temaki Sushi Sashimi experience each Friday night. For our first Japanese dining experience at El Palau (described below), we took my brother Steve, who had had several authentic culinary experiences during a visit to Japan to see his wife’s son (who was living there at the time).
Home-style dining
The ambience is relaxed and Nofre told us that we would be eating in the way a Japanese family eats at home, rather than in a restaurant. He wanted us to feel as though we were dining in his home. Thankfully we didn’t have to sit on the floor – as my brother had done when dining on his visit to Japan (after such a generous spread of food at El Palau we would not have been able to get up again!).
Nofre has a Japanese friend: a young woman who taught him some of the things she learnt in the kitchen of her grandmother and about traditional authentic Japanese cuisine. He explained that the dinner comprised three ‘acts’, the first of which consisted of some delicious morsels to be shared between the three of us, using the chopsticks provided. Sharing a number of dishes – to try several different things – has become one of my favourite ways to eat, so this suited me perfectly.
A delicious chicken dish – but not tempura.
Other dishes from the first ‘act’.
The second ‘act’ was partly a DIY one: a generous bowl of rice, plate of small square nori leaves, and a large platter of prepared vegetables, Japanese salad, rolled fine omelette, tuna, prawns, octopus, marinated and smoked salmon, were placed in the middle of the table. Nofre explained how we should tackle the task in front of us, first using the small individual wooden ‘paddles’ provided to spread rice across a nori leaf and then adding one type of fish and our choice of vegetables before wrapping the parcel, dipping it in soy sauce and eating it. Hey, doesn’t that sound easy?
A plate full of tempting ingredients and bowl of rice.
No hope of using chopsticks for this little number!
I’m afraid we probably didn’t look very elegant eating this – so there are no photos of soy sauce dribbling down our chins. But it was a delicious feast, enthusiastically devoured. Nofre went around the tables, replenishing nori leaves and platter ingredients as necessary.
And to end it all . . .
Our final ‘act’ was the dessert, which comprised an unusual ‘bridge’ between the savoury dishes and the mango pudding that followed, consisting of three balls of tofu and a grape skewered on a stick.
Tofu three ways . . . and a grape.
Mango pudding.
For 2018, this Japanese feast costs just 26€ a head (excluding drinks) and is certainly worth the money – for the cuisine, authenticity, fun, and Nofre’s hospitality. Be sure to go there feeling hungry…
El Palau Cafe’s Temaki Sushi Sashimi evenings are for a maximum of around 30 people and it’s essential to book as this Friday-night treat is a popular one – especially among the younger people of Manacor who don’t need a daily fix of sobrasada!
These weekly Japanese dinners take place every Friday now until December 14th, 2018.
Book by phoning +34 654 048 474 or emailing elpalaucafe@hotmail.com
©Jan Edwards 2015 (updated 2018)
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A Mallorcan hotel for a romantic break
Several years’ ago I had the pleasure of interviewing David Stein, the American businessman who owns the 5-star Gran Hotel Son Net in Puigpunyent, Mallorca. The estate – which has glorious views of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Serra de Tramuntana mountains, and looks over the village – dates back to the 17th century, and used to be his family home.
Spectacular location of Gran Hotel Son Net. Image courtesy of hotel.
David’s former house was converted into a luxury boutique hotel in 1998, following a sensitive restoration which retained many of the historical features of the building. The hotel has 31 rooms and suites and all the facilities a discerning (and romantically inclined) guest could wish for. It’s also open during the winter, which – on an island where many hotels put up the shutters during the cooler months – is a bonus for anyone who wants to discover the beauty of Mallorca at this time of year.
Having stayed here with The Boss in the past, it’s easy to understand why Gran Hotel Son Net has just been voted “Best for Romance Hotel in Europe and the Mediterranean Region” in the prestigious 2016 Condé Nast Johansens Awards. It’s another award for the hotel from the same publisher, which named it their “Most Excellent Hotel in Europe and the Mediterranean Region” in 2013.
Quintessential Mallorca
Condé Nast Johansen described Gran Hotel Son Net as ‘a finca hotel that dates back to back to 1672 and screams quintessential Mallorca. Its rooms and suites are awash with colonial influences; beautiful four-poster beds and immaculate marble bathrooms big enough to party in! The Son Net estate has its own vineyard, olive groves and kitchen garden supplying the hotel.’
Gran Hotel Son Net – another perspective. Image courtesy of hotel.
When it comes to romance, there are plenty of boxes to tick:
- Dreamy elevated views for amazing loved-up selfies;
- A superb wooden tree house (ideal for an engagement or wedding proposal dinner);
- Huge bathrooms;
- Four-poster beds;
- Chimney Room – lounge with fireplace;
- Romantic Oleum restaurant with exposed stone walls, original olive oil press, and opulent velvet curtains.
If a romantic getaway is on your agenda, Gran Hotel Son Net is currently offering a package starting from 222€ per couple, per night, including a welcome cocktail, cava and fruit in the room, a three-course candlelit dinner and breakfast in bed.
Notes:
The awards, which are widely regarded as among the most prestigious in the industry, are based on the combined results of the Condé Nast Johansens’ online voting system, guest survey reports, inspector feedback, and Condé Nast head office.
Condé Nast Johansens (www.condenastjohansens.com) is an international mark of distinction. Trusted for 34 years, it is the leading independently produced multi-media source for today’s traveller, sourcing hotels, spas and venues for leisure and business in the UK, Europe and the Americas.
©Jan Edwards 2015
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Learn to cook gourmet tapas in Palma
Learning to cook new things is something I really enjoy. It’s always surprised me that there are no cookery schools on Mallorca offering courses of a few days or more – the sort of thing you find advertised in glossy magazines and quality Sunday newspaper supplements in the UK. Or perhaps there are and I have yet to find them?
But there are certainly opportunities on Mallorca to brush up one’s kitchen skills. In the past on the island I have learned to make sushi. And earlier this week my friend Sandra and I attended the Gourmet Tapas workshop at Palma’s The Galley Club cookery school, run by Katy Rosales.
The Galley Club is in Palma’s Santa Catalina district, which is jam-packed with restaurants, cafes, and bars. The cooking school is just a few minutes’ walk from the area’s great indoor produce market – ideal for Katy to stock up on fresh fish, meat, fruit and vegetables for the school.
Most of the workshops start at 6pm and have a limit of eight participants – many of whom work in the nautical sector cooking for boat owners or charter clients. Some longer courses are specifically designed for yachties; others are also designed for keen – or even novice – cooks.
Chop, chop
Seven of us were there to learn how to knock up some impressive tapas (there was a no-show, which was a pity, as there were more people wanting to attend than there were places). England, Holland, Colombia, South Africa, and Hungary were all represented around a central work station; the only male participant was a Mallorcan. Katy is Spanish but speaks good English (she has travelled the world – very often as a yacht chef), so the workshop was conducted in English, with some Spanish thrown in for the Colombian and Mallorcan participants.
We each had a list of recipes for different gourmet tapas, and were asked to choose one we’d make. I opted for coconut shrimp with mango mint dipping sauce, and was soon de-shelling and de-veining a bowl of plump prawns, as my companions followed the recipes for their own choice of tapa.
From the kitchen to the table
Katy kept a watchful eye on us all, giving tips and help as required. When it came to cooking, we (somehow) managed to have everything ready to eat at once. The evening ended around a dining table, laden with the fruits of our labours – and a couple of bottles of wine – and we spent some enjoyable time eating what we’d made and chatting . . . not suprisingly, mainly about food. My place for this evening cost 40 euros – which included all the ingredients, recipes, and our tapas ‘supper’ – and I felt it was good value, as well as fun.
If you want to spice up your life in the kitchen, check out The Galley Club’s website (in English and Spanish) for a wide variety of evening workshops and courses.
Thanks to Sandra (below), who used my camera to take some of the photos while I was up to my elbows in cornflour, egg white, and a combo of coconut and breadcrumbs! Anyone offer a course on how not to be a messy cook?
Katy checking progress in the oven.
Taking pictures of the results . . . before we demolish them.
Time to eat . . .
©Jan Edwards 2015
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A super scoop of ice cream in Palma
One year, while working for the BBC in Oxford, I appeared (for one night only, folks!) in pantomime. My brief role on stage included performing the song “I scream for ice cream”. I obviously had to learn the words and it became one of those earworms that lives in your head for days. It even put me off my friends Ben & Jerry for a while . . .
Those days are over because, on Mallorca, we have a great choice of ice cream to enjoy. Following on from my last post about the Taste of Tuscany menu at Belmond La Residencia a couple of weeks ago, the Italian theme continues: we have discovered RivaReno Gelato in Palma.
So that’ll be four scoops then?
All natural ingredients
pened this year, opposite the emblematic Sa Llotja building, RivaReno offers authentic artisan ice cream. Adjoining the parlour itself is what they call the laboratory, where the ice cream is made fresh daily. They use all-natural ingredients – no hydrogenated fats, artificial colourings, or preservatives – and Alpine milk and cream from Piedmont, Italy. Their ice cream is made in small batches and kept in traditional Italian lidded-containers to minimize exposure to the air. And, yes, you can taste the quality in every luscious lick.
Get your gelato here!
They’re RivaReno ice creams!
Appealing decor . . .
How it began
RivaReno takes its name from an area of Bologna, where the brand was created. Their first store opened in Milan in 2005 – others have followed all over the country. In 2008 their ice cream won an award for ‘best ice cream in Italy’. RivaReno opened in Sydney, Australia, in 2013 and, now, RivaReno is also pleasing ice cream fans in Malta, Marbella, and Palma de Mallorca; Germany is their next destination.
I was amused to read – on the brand’s website – that RivaReno was created by two Italian gelato-makers, an Italian lawyer, a former Italian car executive – and a former BBC journalist! But I bet the latter never sang “I scream for ice cream” in a flouncy pantomime costume on stage at the Oxford Playhouse . . .
NOTE
If you prefer to enjoy Mallorcan products when on Mallorca, check out the artisan ice cream offered by Can Miquel Gelateria Their parlour has plenty of space where you can eat your ice cream sitting at a table. Their range of flavours includes some delicious savoury ice creams and more varieties of chocolate ice cream than you can shake a cone at.
©Jan Edwards 2015
![IMG_2902[1]](https://eatdrinksleepmallorca.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/img_29021.jpg)
Eat Drink Sleep Mallorca 