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Feel at Home when Dining at Sa Casa Mallorquina
Our restaurant dining this summer has largely been away from the tourist hotspots. We’ve been trying restaurants in towns, villages, and rural locations, in the hope of securing a short-notice reservation – because we tend to be spontaneous with our eating-out decisions. And in a busy summer like this one, it can be easier to secure a table in eateries outside Palma de Mallorca and away from the coast.
Al fresco in Algaida Last night we went to the town of Algaida to try Sa Casa Mallorquina for the first time. Previously an Italian restaurant, it’s now under the ownership of Monique Gueriaux, a delightful French lady. Monique re-opened Sa Casa Mallorquina as a gastronomic restaurant some four months ago, serving Mediterranean cuisine with good-quality ingredients.
The Place
Sa Casa Mallorquina is what it says: a Mallorcan house with traditional features you’d expect in a property dating from the 19th century. The house has been renovated with great care, and the attractive décor reflects Monique’s personality and warm hospitality.
Tables are available in several rooms in the house – one of which is perfect for private dining. What a beautiful space to celebrate an occasion with family or friends. Another room has a fireplace; if used in Mallorca’s cooler months, I’m sure this will be a big attraction.
Images of Sa Casa Mallorquina We ate in the rear courtyard garden, which accommodates around 20 diners. It’s an atmospheric place to enjoy a meal, with well-spaced tables, comfortable chairs, attractive lighting, and unobtrusive background music.
The Owner, Monique Gueriaux
I couldn’t resist asking Monique how she came to buy a restaurant in Algaida. She told us she’d lived a long time in Mexico with her husband, who was quite a lot older than her. When he sadly died four years ago, Monique returned to Europe intending to start a business.
A former dancer and artist, with a passion for interior design (evident in this house), music, and catering, Monique knew she wanted to open a restaurant. In preparation, she studied at Ferrandi Paris, School of Culinary Arts – one of the leading professional training schools in France.
Mallorca – and the handsome 19th-century Algaida house – “seduced” her, she said. The dynamic Monique has plenty of ideas for the future at Sa Casa Mallorquina, and we look forward to seeing them come to fruition.
Chef Cristian Rivera Rodríguez
Mallorcan chef Cristian Rivera Rodríguez is at the helm in the kitchen. He may still be young – under thirty – but he’s come to Sa Casa Mallorquina with some useful experience. He’s worked at Hotel Valldemossa with Ricardo Rossi; gained three months’ experience at Michelin-starred Cliff House Hotel in County Waterford, Ireland, and continued his development by working on the Peninsula at restaurants with Michelin stars/Repsol ‘Sols’. In Mallorca, he also worked at Andreu Genestra’s Aromata in Palma. The influences are obvious in his cuisine.
The Cuisine
Sa Casa Mallorquina offers two tasting menus:
Menu Son Amagat – 45€ – comprises six plates (with choice of meat or fish as principal dish) and accompanied by artisanal xeixa wheat and seed breads with olive oil from Son Catiu.
Menu Can Borrás – 65€ – nine plates (including fish and meat, and two desserts), accompanied by breads as above.
If your appetite isn’t for tasting menus and you prefer a three-course meal, you can choose individually priced dishes, à la carte-style, from the tasting menus.
Two types of bread: xeixa wheat and seeded 
Squid crunchy (made with rice and squid ink) topped with lemon aioli 
Yogurt foam (in spoon), ‘chupito’ of cold melon, cucumber, and mint soup and double ’00’ anchovy served on a slice of Normany butter on xeixa toast. Indulgent and delicious. 
Tudela lettuce hearts with marinated mackerel with a nut vinaigrette 
Veal cheek canelon with portobello mushroom and mint sauce, topped with shaved portobello 
Corvina, leek cream, and pumpkin ‘air’ 
Beef from the Pyrenees with carrot and orange 
Vanilla cream with Son Amagat figs, carob syrup and milk ‘crunchy’ Drinks are not included in the above prices; as a guideline, we had a tasty verdejo at 5€ by the glass. Features I particularly liked: hot food was served on hot plates or dishes; the moreish bread; and an excellent choice of Brodies’ infusions for those who can’t tolerate coffee in the evenings.
Service
Paula – who had her professional training in London – heads the service, assisted by Isaac. Both were pleasant, efficient, and professional, and Paula explained each dish to us as it arrived.
Verdict
Sa Casa Mallorquina made a good impression on me before we’d even arrived. I phoned during Friday afternoon to book a table for that night. Getting no reply, I decided to try again later but was pleased to receive a call back from the restaurant; they had checked for missed calls.
We loved Sa Casa Mallorquina and shall return. I always appreciate being able to eat dishes I would be unlikely to dream up and create in my own kitchen.
Good to Know
Algaida is just off the Ma15, so if you’re coming from either the Palma or Manacor directions, it’s an easy drive on a good dual carriageway. Once you leave the Ma15, follow the signs for centre.
Sa Casa Mallorquina is in the centre of Algaida, a short walk from the main square, Sa Placeta. Aim for the parish church of San Pedro y San Pablo. The restaurant is right opposite the main doors of the church.
A large, free public car park is about five minutes’ walk from the restaurant.
Opening hours now are Tuesday-Saturday 7pm-10.30pm (closed Sunday and Monday). Expect lunch service to be added out of season.
Their website is still under construction but you can follow Sa Casa Mallorquina on Instagram and Facebook.
Fan of Art? Don’t Miss …
Algaid’Art is happening on Saturday, 10th and Sunday, 11th September. There’ll be art exhibitions and music in locations around the centre of the town.
Head to Can Sant Café (Sa Plaça, 11) to see the superb Toros exhibition of paintings of bulls by the Algaida artist Sylvia Baker de Perkal – who will be present on Saturday evening from 6pm-10pm.
Times: Saturday 6pm-10pm & Sunday 10am-1pm
Sylvia Baker de Perkal was a fascinating guest on my podcast ‘Living in Rural Mallorca’. Hear what she had to say by clicking here.
©Jan Edwards 2022
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Review of Dinner at Can Salom, Petra
We’ve eaten a few times at this restaurant in the centre of Petra but, until last week, hadn’t done so since 2019 (pre-Covid). This small town in Mallorca is best known as the birthplace of Fra Juniper Serra, who left Mallorca to set up missions on the west coast of America. He also took some Mallorcan vines with him, thereby planting the seed – so to speak – of California’s famed wine industry.
Early evening sun on the parish church in Petra Petra is well worth a visit for its authentic, agricultural-town vibes. It’s a popular refuelling point for groups of cyclists in the cooler months, when you’ll be dodging bikes and dazzled by brightly coloured Lycra stretched across some bodies that should know better.
On our 2019 visit for dinner at Can Salom, we ate downstairs in the cellar restaurant. This isn’t like some of the cellar restaurants you’ll find in towns such as Inca; this one is light, modern, and decorated with contemporary art rather than the wooden ends of vast wine barrels.
The piano was a hint of something to come. We were there on a quiet night and, after we’d eaten, restaurant director Joan Riera Salom surprised us by sitting down to play the piano and sing.
Be assured that Can Salom isn’t one of those restaurants with cheesy, singing waiters. Tenor Joan Riera Salom – at the head of the restaurant that’s been in the same family since 1969 – studied music from 2008 until 2012 at the Conservatori Superior del Liceu de Barcelona. His fine voice has pleased audiences at concerts in Mallorca.
Dinner at Can Salom in 2022
Petra’s most famous son looks over the square Unlike some restaurants in Mallorca, Can Salom is fortunate in having local people in its team, which means none of the staff accommodation problems that some Palma restaurants have. Two of the young men who served us were brothers who live in their family home in Petra.
For our latest visit we ate in the square itself. Joan makes a lot of effort to create an appealing ambience at night. Tablecloths, lights on the tables, potted plants, and a variety of standard lamps dotted around create an indoor feel outdoors – enhanced if your table is under one of the attractive trees which create a natural, green ‘ceiling’.
If you want to eat in a village atmosphere on a balmy Mediterranean summer’s night amid the buzz and chatter of local diners as well as visitors, Can Salom in Petra ticks all the boxes.
Our Food
We shared two tapas/starters. Portions are generous and next time we’ll share only one, to leave space for dessert. We had chipirones (12,50€) and mushroom croquettes (7,50€). The Boss opted for a tasty main of squid-ink tagliatelle with salmon (15,90€) and I had large, grilled prawns with a salad (18,50€). I’d definitely have those again. Delicious.
Our starters 
Delicious prawns and a fresh salad 
Tagliatelle with salmon For price guidance: an Aperol spritz costs 6,50€; a glass of rosado cava, 3,50€; a large bottle of sparkling water (their own), 3,50€, and an Americano coffee, 2€.
Although we hadn’t been for a long time – and it was unlikely that Joan recognised us – we arrived to the warm welcome of an old friend. If we felt royally looked after that night, we soon realised we were in great company: Joan was treating everyone like royalty.
Good to Know
Park in the area around the parish church – Església de Sant Pere – and it’ll take you only three or four minutes to walk to the Plaça del Pare Serra, where you’ll find Can Salom. In summer, most diners eat al fresco on the square, under the stone gaze of the statue of Petra’s most famous son.
Can Salom in Petra is open until November 1st, then closes for a winter break.
©Jan Edwards 2022
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Reserve a Table at Mallorca’s La Reserva Rotana
La Reserva Rotana Golf & Wine Resort is a beautiful, rural hotel near Manacor, with a private nine-hole golf course and a helicopter pad. The hotel sits in 200 hectares of land, including the golf course, vineyards, and vegetable garden.
We haven’t stayed in this 5-star hotel for the simple reason that it’s too close to home to justify the expense of paying for an overnight stay. For several reasons, though, we have become fans of La Reserva Rotana’s restaurant.
The Setting
At the end of May, we had dinner in the restaurant’s cosy courtyard, sheltered from any breezes.
Al fresco in May in the restaurant courtyard 
Cosy ambience 
View from the summer terrace 
The summer kitchen Our next visit was for lunch, by which time it was warm enough to be eating on the spacious, open terrace with its beautiful, bucolic views over Sa Vall – the fertile valley that’s the source of some of the fruit and vegetables sold in the local town. The setting is gorgeous – particularly as the sun sets – and it’s hard to believe you’re so close to busy Manacor.
I feel sorry for chefs working in the intense heat of July and August in Mallorca but, at Rotana’s summer terrace, the food is prepared in an open-sided kitchen, which must surely be a more comfortable place to work than some indoor kitchens.
The Cuisine
Before 2021, the only time I’d eaten in La Reserva Rotana was for a review I was commissioned to write for a magazine. We didn’t see the bill at the time, having been invited, but imagined the amount would be commensurate with the hotel’s five-star status.
Last year we went to eat there again – partly because it’s our closest restaurant to home and I didn’t want to drive too far. We were surprised to find that Rotana offers a set-price, executive menu for lunch and another for dinner. If you’re on a limited budget, it’s good to know how much your meal is likely to cost – although you have to add any drinks you order to your bill. La Reserva Rotana offers its own wines as well as other labels.
We’ve been back already a few times this year, when lunch costs 35€ for three courses. We had a choice of two starters and three mains (one of which was veggie); there was no choice for dessert, but cherries and lemon sorbet worked for me. These were our choices, and for a five-star hotel restaurant, I think the value for the cost was fair.
Creamy carrot soup 
Fish duo with grilled veg 
Duck breast with potatoes 
Cherries with lemon sorbet Dinner is a three-course affair (with no choices) at 55€. Of course, you can also order à la carte – which we did on our last visit for dinner. These were a couple of the dishes we chose then.
Goat’s cheese croquettes with caramelised onions 
Scallops – a personal favourite 
A Rotana wine, by glass or bottle Good to Know
Easy and signposted access from Manacor, with ample parking space.
Good service and tasty, well-presented dishes.
Other benefits include being able to combine lunch and golf; arrive by helicopter (oh, I wish), and combine your visit with a horse-riding excursion locally with the wonderful people and horses of Naturacavall
©Jan Edwards 2022 / Prices updated for 2023
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Review of Übeck Restaurant in Manacor
Javier Hoebeeck – who’s the chef behind the culinary creations at the Playa de Muro restaurants Fusion 19 and Gaikan – is the owner of the eatery Übeck in Manacor. Fusion 19 is on my list of restaurants in Mallorca I’d like to try, but the 80€ per head price tag for what does look like a fabulous tasting menu means we’ll have to save our visit for a special occasion.
T-shirts too! Javier’s Übeck restaurant in Manacor is an affordable, if different, alternative, as we discovered recently when we went for lunch on a whim.
Übeck is located on Manacor’s Avenguda d’es Torrent. It’s not the smartest street in Manacor but it has the advantage of ample street parking (metered), which is ideal if you don’t want to walk too far to a restaurant in the sizzling summer heat. Übeck stands out for its bright exterior signage in yellow and black, so it’s easy to find.
The Interior of Übeck
Contemporary, clean, light, and attractive sum the interior up well. Übeck is quite small, seating around 20 people at the most. The colours yellow and black are used again in the décor.
Most of the cooking/plating is done behind the bar/counter, so diners can see what’s going on.
This restaurant has no outdoor seating.
The Menu
One of the things I love here is that the menu is displayed outside on the wall – in English too – so you can check the offerings before you go in. That’s especially important if you’re a vegetarian.
Übeck uses local produce to create dishes with flavours of the world.
The menu offers eight starters – three of which are suitable for vegetarians. Prices range from 6-9€.
Choose from eight mains (two vegetarian), priced from 8,50 to 14,50€. Four side dishes are each 2,85€.
We shared one portion of six fried chicken gyozas (7,50€) to start. They came with coconut cardamon sauce and home-made sweet chili. Our main courses were udon wok with crispy prawns (13,50€) and spiced veggie shaorma with vegetables and yellow curry (14,50€). Portion sizes are generous.
The two desserts (each 6€) looked appealing but we had no room to eat anything else. Not a problem, as we shall return with larger appetites and looser waistbands.
Übeck also offers a dish of the day (from a choice of two) and a drink for 9,75€ and some specials. Oh, and you can order take-out too – in environmentally friendly packaging.
Drinks
cof 
dav 
The wines are displayed on shelves marked with the bottle prices. Some are available by the glass. Bottle prices looked fair: Miquel Gelabert’s Golós Blanc, for example, is 17€. They have a special-edition vermouth and also hidromiel, the fermented honey drink we know in England as mead.
The Service
Gabriel and Cassandra We ate at lunchtime, when there were another five people eating. Gabriel and Cassandra, wearing their bright-yellow, branded T-shirts and black aprons, were in charge of everything. Gabriel took our orders and served our dishes; he’s efficient and pleasant, happy to chat and explain anything unfamiliar.
The Verdict
We’re definitely going back. Good value, a pleasant environment, and tasty dishes. I’ve already decided what I’ll try next time!
©Jan Edwards 2022
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Finca Serena Wines Now Available
Finca Serena’s first wines In 2019 when we first stayed at the 5-star rural hotel Finca Serena in Mallorca, the vines had not long been planted. It was the first time I’d ever thought about the degree of patience required by anyone planting a vineyard.
Last week I was among those invited to try the first wines from these vineyards, at an event hosted by hotel director Álvaro González and sales manager Juan Segura.
The Finca Serena estate, in the heart of Mallorca (near Montuïri), covers more than 40 hectares – 10 of which were planted with the native mallorquín vines Premsal Blanc, Callet, Giró Ros, and Monastrell.
Conditions are favourable for vines grown here: the land is less than 100 metres above sea level; sunshine bathes the vineyard for 300 days a year, and thermal winds cross the land. But those benefits don’t mean this was an easy project: tons of stones and rocks had to be removed from the land before the vines could be planted.
Acclaimed Winemaker for the Project
Winemaker Tomeu Llabrés of Vins Ca’n Verdura in Binissalem is responsible for the resulting organic white and rosé wines. Tomeu’s Ca’n Verdura wines are both 100 per cent Mallorcan and very modern in style – qualities sought for Finca Serena’s wines.
The presentation of the wines by Tomeu (left) & Álvaro González amidst the vines. The resulting wines have the designation DO Tierra de Mallorca and are relatively light, with an ABV of 11.5% alcohol. This makes them perfect for summer sipping during the afternoon by the hotel pool or enjoying in the hotel’s restaurant, Jacaranda; the latter is open to the public as well as guests staying in the hotel and offers a BBQ on its terrace every Tuesday and Thursday.
The Finca Serena Rosado is made from Callet grapes; the Blanco from Premsal Blanc. Both are balanced, with a lasting, final subtle acidity. Harvesting was manual, in boxes of no more than 12kg of grapes.
Único Hotels
Finca Serena is part of the Único Hotels group in Spain, owned by Pau Guardans –whose dream it was to have a vineyard at his Mallorca hotel. Único opened its second Mallorca hotel in 2023. Read about The Lodge’s restaurant here.
The group’s other properties – Grand Hotel Central (Barcelona, Hotel Único Madrid, The Principal Madrid, and Mas de Torrent (near Girona) – also offer Finca Serena wines to their guests.
©Jan Edwards 2022 Updated 2024
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Dreams of Owning a Vineyard in Mallorca?
One hundred and fifty thousand euros won’t buy you the perfect holiday home in Mallorca these days. But if you have dreams of owning a vineyard – or at least a part of one – on this Balearic island and have that kind of spare capital begging to be invested in something Mediterranean, a new project could get your corkscrew twitching.
Montesion Wine Estate
Two well-known names in the world of wine in Mallorca have combined forces: the renowned agronomist and viticulturist Carlos Feliu, whose biodynamic winery Bodega Can Feliu is in Porreres, and Ivan Levy, whose own estate’s biodynamic wine brand Son Naava is a must-try at his gourmet restaurant Fera in Palma.
Their collaboration is the new project Montesion Wine Estate – twenty hectares in one of the best vine-growing areas in Mallorca. The aspiring vineyard owner with 150,000 euros to invest will own the rights to one hectare of vine-growing land for a period of twenty years. They can choose between two grape varieties and either both white or red, or one of each.
The first vintage is harvested after the third year of planting, so a degree of patience greater than my own is required before the investor can drink their own wine. To help alleviate the wait, Montesion Wine Estate will provide a barrel of wine for the first and second year after planting.
No Work Required
All the hard work associated with wine production is carried out for the investor, adhering to biodynamic principles and certified by Demeter. It’s just a matter of the hectare-owner wielding a corkscrew and enjoying their own wine. And the satisfaction of making that vineyard-owning dream come true. Even if it is only a hectare.
©Jan Edwards 2022
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Not Only a Meat Lover’s Restaurant: Lume & Co
The weather was hot, the morning had been busy with appointments, and we were in the southwest of Mallorca – killing time before a mid-afternoon appointment in Port Calanova. Lunch would be the perfect time-filler.
But where to go? Neither of us fancied a busy resort eatery that day. And eating al fresco in 35+ degrees Celsius was definitely not on.
‘Somewhere rural,’ The Boss said, leaving it to me to choose where we’d have lunch. That’s quite a tall order in the southwest, where the coast is a string of popular holiday resorts – especially when time constraints mean you can’t travel too far.
I instantly thought of Olivera, one of the two restaurants at the countryside 5-star hotel Castell Son Claret. But there wasn’t time to get there and back and enjoy a leisurely lunch in its beautiful courtyard. Another time.
Then I remembered Lume & Co – a restaurant we ate in last year but hadn’t yet been back to. And it fitted the ‘rural’ request perfectly.
Lume & Co is located just outside the village of Genova, near Palma, yet feels a world away from urban life. It’s on a large site with ample parking and a rural feel. The building housing the restaurant is said to date back to the 15th century, which adds to its appeal.
We climbed the steps at the side of the building to enter via the courtyard where we’d eaten before. It’s an attractive, large space where we’d happily eat in slightly cooler weather. On this particular day we ate indoors in a beamed hall combining traditional Mallorcan architecture – wooden beams, terracotta ceilings, and stone walls – with attractive Scandi-style interior design. And the essential air conditioning.
Meat is the Speciality
Lume & Co is known best for its high-quality beef dishes – including Galician, Black Angus, and Wagyu. Speciality cuts (for sharing) here are chateaubriand, T-bone, and tomahawk – making it a go-to place for meat lovers.
Three individual-portion beef dishes are offered.
Other Dishes too
Crunchy prawn rolls 
Tuna tartare The menu offers a good choice of starters to share and we opted for crunchy prawn rolls with a spicy sweet sauce of mandarin and tamarind (pictured).
Neither of us eat much meat and we both chose fish mains. The Boss had turbot with potato ragout, green olives, and dill beurre blanc – which he enjoyed. I had tuna tartare in a cucumber and padrón gazpacho, scattered with pistachios. In my opinion it was perfect for a hot day – both refreshing and satisfying. I wish I was having it for my lunch today.
Short of time, we skipped dessert and coffee to scurry off to our next appointment. That lunch at Lume & Co, a short drive from Palma, was the highlight of a busy and hot day out.
Good to Know
- Lume & Co has its current menu (and prices) on its website. I wish a lot more restaurants did this as it avoids any unwelcome surprises when visiting.
- This restaurant has a fireplace, which would further ramp up its appeal in winter.
- Children are welcome and have a choice of three-main course dishes for kids.
- The restaurant offers gluten-free bread on request, which makes me feel that the kitchen understands coeliacs. You’ll also find some vegetarian options.
- Lume & Co is open Tuesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner. Check times during the summer months, as these may vary.
- Lume & Co is the perfect place to escape the bustle and heat of Palma de Mallorca – yet is only a short drive away with no parking hassle. Business lunch anyone?
©Jan Edwards 2022 Updated March 2024
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Check out Wild Mallorca in a New Balearic Guide
Mallorca offers holiday experiences for all tastes and budgets, which is probably why TripAdvisor named it the top destination for 2022.
This month saw the start of United Airlines’ direct flights to Palma’s Son Sant Joan airport from Newark Liberty International (there’s a name that trips off the tongue), making it easier for people in the USA to visit this diverse Mediterranean island. Mallorca’s five-star hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants are proving a big draw for these visitors from America.
Hidden Mallorca
But if you want to discover the more authentic and wilder aspects of Mallorca – and have a touch of adventure in your soul – you’ll find a new book useful for your time on this island. Wild Guide Balearic Islands – Hidden Adventures in Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza & Formentera.
Written by sisters Anna Deacon (author, journalist, and photographer) and Lizzie Graham (who’s lived a local’s life in rural Mallorca for more than twenty years), the book introduces you to hidden places and experiences in the Balearic Islands.
You’re unlikely to find sunburnt tourists and lurid inflatable beach toys on the hideaway calas Anna and Lizzie feature in this book. But it’s not all about hidden beaches: cliffs, mountains, watchtowers, ancient ruins, and rural idylls are also included. The places and experiences the adventurous sisters have included in this gem of a book are those they know and have enjoyed.
Where to Eat, Drink, and Sleep
My blog focuses on eating, drinking, and sleeping on the island of Mallorca and I’m featuring Wild Guide Balearic Islands because the book also includes places to eat, drink, and sleep that may appeal to anyone looking for something more authentic to the islands.
The authors’ suggestions include rural agroturismos and mountain refuges for sleeping, slow-food eateries, traditional cellar restaurants, produce markets, and wineries.
What’s Included in Wild Guide Balearic Islands
The first 35 of the 228 pages include a ‘Best for’ section, covering hidden coves, cliff jumps and sea caves, uninhabited islands (yes, they exist), hilltops and views, hikes and coastal walks, wildlife and nature reserves, sleeping and stargazing, and more. Sleeping under stars strewn across a sky without light pollution does sound tempting – even though I usually favour a five-star mattress.
The section relating to Mallorca is split into north, south, central, east and west –useful if you’re only likely to visit one particular area of this island. Each sub-section begins with highlights under the heading ‘Our perfect weekend’.
The book is crammed with glorious photographs, maps, and ideas. It’s the ideal guide for anyone in search of their inner explorer, or wanting to discover some of the lesser-known reasons why the largest of the Balearic Islands – Mallorca – has such wide appeal.
NOTE: Wild Guide Balearic Islands is also available from Amazon.
©Jan Edwards 2022
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Discover and Taste Mallorca’s Traditional Cuisine
This statue sits outside Mercat de l’Olivar, Palma Food markets have become a tourist attraction in their own right. Mallorca’s capital – Palma – is home to a market (with two adjoining halls) that few foodie visitors to the city will miss. The abundance of glossy, colourful and high-quality fresh fruit and vegetables at Mercado del Olivar, in the heart of Palma, puts typical Northern European supermarket produce to shame. And then there are the charcuterie, cheeses, meat, and amazing seafood stalls to ogle over. I’m sure that many visitors wander around wishing they could shop here on a daily basis.
The Stories Behind the Produce
However, Mallorca’s Mercado del Olivar (opened mid-20th century) is so much more than a feast for your eyes and Instagram feed. Like all produce markets, it’s a window into the local culture of food, history, and society. But how do you open that window and see beyond the tempting produce on display at Palma’s vibrant market?
My recommendation is to book a place on the Palma Market Tour & Traditional Cooking workshop with Deborah Piña, whose small business in the city is called Deborah’s Culinary Island. Deborah was born in Palma to a French mother, and speaks excellent English. She’s also delightful and her passion for, and knowledge of her island’s culinary identity make her the perfect guide and teacher.
The Palma Market Tour
Our knowledgeable guide, Deborah My instructions were to meet Deborah and the other participants at 10:30h at the designated meeting point outside the Mercat del Olivar. Four of us were doing the tour and cooking workshop last Thursday (the maximum number of participants is six, to keep it an intimate experience). The other ladies were German (one of whom lives in Ireland).
Deborah gave us a brief background to the market before leading us in. We visited stalls run by vendors she uses for her own shopping and, as we went from stall to stall, she gave us an informative commentary on what we were seeing, and its place in Mallorcan culinary culture. Along the way, she shopped for some of the ingredients for the cooking workshop we’d be doing afterwards.
Let’s Cook!
A ten-minute stroll from the market took us to the Pane Nostro bakery (a stop for organic bread for the pa amb oli aperitif later), then moments later we arrived at Deborah’s atelier. Her workshop is an original 18th-century bakery, known as Forn de sa Llotgeta; you can still see the ancient ovens used to bake the bread. In this atmospheric setting, we prepared a menu of three traditional Mallorcan dishes that we would eat together for lunch.
Our work station at the atelier 
Ready for culinary action 
The lunch table 
Fresh from the market 
Deborah demonstrates topping the coca 
Mallorcan produce for our aperitif 
A sobrasada worth tracking down 
Healthy coca 
Strawberries on greixonera de brossat The dishes cooked always use seasonal produce, so vary throughout the year. We made a starter of coca – a flat bread that’s the nearest equivalent of a pizza (but much healthier, as it doesn’t feature cheese); a delicious soupy rice dish containing artichokes, sobrasada, and butifarra; then a greixonera de brossat (a traditional Mallorcan dessert made from fresh cottage cheese) served with sweet, juicy strawberries which are already in season in Mallorca.
Preparing the dishes was a fun as well as educational experience, with Deborah giving us helpful kitchen tips as we worked.
Once the coca was in the oven baking, it was time for our aperitif. Deborah had laid out the Mallorcan bread, ramallet tomatoes (to rub on the bread) extra virgin olive oil, green and black olives, pickled sea fennel, botifarro, Menorca cheeses, and an organic sobrasada (from Son Cànaves of Llucmajor). The latter was a delicious revelation and I shall be seeking out this product for use in my own kitchen. Deborah poured us each a glass of Ribas Rosado, made from the Mantonegro grape, which paired beautifully with the sobrasada.
We learnt how to make a sofrito – the flavourful foundation of many traditional Mallorcan savoury dishes. This was the start of the rice dish we would be eating. And finally, we learnt to make the Mallorcan dessert.
Lunch is Served
We sat together for lunch at a long wooden table in a cosy, open room at the back of the atelier. Our dishes were served with an organic red wine from Son Vell in Son Macìa, near Manacor. By the end of lunch, we four participants had shared phone numbers and said we’d keep in touch. We’d all thoroughly enjoyed the Palma Market Tour & Traditional Cooking workshop and bonded through our love of Mallorca and its gastronomy.
My Verdict
A highly recommended experience for anyone who wants to find out more about Mallorcan culinary culture and produce. Although I’ve lived in Mallorca for 18 years now, I learnt a few things I hadn’t known – so this experience is worth doing whether you’re a visitor or foreign resident.
Good to Know
The Palma Market Tour & Traditional Cooking workshop takes place every Wednesday and Thursday morning and must be booked in advance. The cost (including lunch and wines) is 95€ per person. All ingredients are included, and aprons are provided.
Wear comfortable shoes, as you’ll be walking or standing for a large part of the day.
©Jan Edwards 2022
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Dinner at Marc Fosh in Palma de Mallorca 2022
On the day we moved to Mallorca, in April 2004, we ate lunch out at a Manacor restaurant (which no longer exists). Some people we knew on the island had recommended the place, which we discovered on arrival was astonishingly cheap. That was a ‘red flag’ moment for me.
After eating our lunch, the expression ‘one man’s meat is another man’s poison’ came to mind. We certainly weren’t poisoned, but that first-day lunch made me wonder if we’d ever eat the standard of food in Mallorca that we’d been able to enjoy back in Oxfordshire.
And then there was Marc Fosh
We needn’t have worried: we soon discovered the cuisine of British chef Marc Fosh. Back then, he was working in a rural hotel, at the helm of a restaurant that had gained its Michelin star in 2003. We stayed several times at this rural hotel for special occasions and it was only because we knew Marc would be cooking our dinner.
Marc has gained a great reputation in the years since he left the countryside to start his own business. He’s also been responsible for developing some of the young chefs in Mallorca who have since opened their own successful restaurants. Now a gastronomic destination, Mallorca has no shortage of great restaurants these days.
Dinner in Palma
Contemporary and stylish exterior Marc’s eponymous restaurant in Palma has had one Michelin star since 2014. It’s located in the Hotel Convent de la Missió – a 17th-century building with a distinctly contemporary interior.
We dined there recently, courtesy of very dear friends in Oxfordshire who generously sent us a Marc Fosh gift voucher at Christmas for use when the restaurant reopened for the 2022 season.
To enable us to enjoy the restaurant’s excellent wines with our dinner, we booked a night’s stay at the 4-star Art Hotel Palma – which was more suitable for our budget than the 5-star Convent de la Missió (in which we have yet to stay).
Art Hotel Palma (which is a small, friendly hotel in a convenient location) doesn’t serve lunch or dinner, so we didn’t feel guilty about going out to eat. The walk from the hotel to the restaurant is just a few minutes, and was easily doable even wearing high heels (my first time in those for a long while).
Over winter, Marc Fosh Restaurant renovated its interior décor with some artistic touches. We sat in the atrium on this occasion and found the restaurant almost full when we arrived for our table at 8.30pm.
Menú Marc
Below I’ve pictured only one (mackerel and pea tartlet with summer savoury) of the four small dishes that constitute ‘Los Snacks’ – a tantalising start to dinner. The other seven plates from the menu are pictured, along with the cheese course – which was an optional extra. Three different petits fours were served afterwards.
Marc’s creative cuisine is contemporary Mediterranean, based on seasonal, local produce, and some less common ingredients – such as citrus albedo. The latter (I admit I had to google it) is the white part inside the skin of citrus fruit, which is nutritionally beneficial. Having read about it, I won’t be removing it painstakingly when peeling citrus fruit in the future.
The attractive presentation adds to the enjoyment of Marc’s food. Every dish was flavourful, interesting, and had the ‘wow’ factor.
Mackerel and pea tartlet with summer savory 
Local langoustine with bouillabaisse, broad beans, clementine, and bergamot 
Foie gras with rhubarb, hibiscus, and spiced bread 
‘Bombeta’ rice from Sa Pobla with smoked pigeon, parsnip, and lovage emulsion 
Wild sea bass with white asparagus, citrus albedo and sea lettuce dash 
Local lamb with fresh peas and snail ‘hierbas secas’ jus 
Super cheeseboard with accompaniments for each cheese 
Sheep’s milk yogurt sorbet with yuzu, mandarin consommé and honey crisp 
Textures of dark chocolate with coffee and passion fruit If you’re curious, the four dishes of ‘Los Snacks’ were: Mackerel and pea tartlet with summer savory (pictured); Tomato and black olive Madeleine; Wild mushroom donut with truffle and macadamia snow, and Chicken skin crisp with liquid Caesar salad.
Wines at Marc Fosh
This restaurant is fortunate to have one of the Balearics’ best-known sommeliers. Head sommelier Giorgia Scaramella is Italian and was born in one of the country’s famous wine regions, Friuli Venezia Giulia. She likes to say, “wine is in my blood.”
Giorgia is charming as well as highly knowledgeable. As well as the wine we chose ourselves from the list, she suggested the perfect glass of wine to pair with the foie course and another to accompany the cheeses. Both were superb.
Service
We booked our table online and, if you want to eat at Marc Fosh Restaurant this summer, I recommend you book as soon as possible – even before you arrive on the island. This is a recommendation I’d make for any high-end restaurants this season, as Mallorca is expecting a busy tourist season.
The day before our dinner, we received an email with a copy of the menu asking us to confirm our booking was still required and also requesting details of any dietary issues. I once had a bad experience eating snails and asked that we didn’t have the snail jus with the lamb. After we’d settled ourselves at our table, one of the servers who attended to us confirmed that we wouldn’t have the snail jus – without us having to mention it first.
As you would expect in a Michelin-star restaurant, service is professional but friendly, and the servers explain each dish as they bring it to the table. Faultless service, in fact.
You can probably tell that we had a memorable dinner – thanks to the generosity of our wonderful friends Duncan and Kristina. You can’t go wrong if gifting a Marc Fosh voucher!
I mentioned Marc Fosh Restaurant twice in my novel Daughter of Deià – as a mark of my respect and liking for this chef/patron and his establishment. This novel – featuring a radio presenter’s mission to find her unknown father, and her saving of a cat refuge in peril in Mallorca – is available to purchase in e-book and paperback formats here.
@Jan Edwards 2022
Eat Drink Sleep Mallorca 