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New Repsol Sols & a Michelin-star Move
Alicante was the centre of attention for the Spanish gastronomy world last evening: the Repsol Guía held their annual gala dinner to announce the new ‘Sols’ for 2023. These awards are the Spanish equivalent of Michelin stars.
Álvaro Salazar of Voro – 2 ‘Sols’ 
La Vieja de Jonay Hernandez – one of the new ‘Recomendados’ Mallorca’s new Sols are as follows – and both recipients are in the resort of Canyamel:
Voro – 2 Sols (Voro also has 2 Michelin stars)*
Can Simoneta – Canyamel – one Sol. I am delighted for chef David Moreno and his excellent team at this 5-star hotel.
Total Sols in Mallorca
One 3-Sols restaurant
Six 2-Sols restaurants
Eleven 1-Sol restaurants
Repsol ‘Recomendados’
The following Mallorca restaurants are new recommendations for 2023:
Es Pi – Deià
La Gran Tortuga – Peguera
La Vieja de Jonay Hernandez – Palma*
Nus – Santa Catalina, Palma
Sa Pleta by Marc Fosh – Canyamel
Terrae – Pollença
As you may have noticed, Canyamel is now quite the foodie destination!
*These reviews are pre-pandemic, but will give you an idea of the cuisine available. Any prices mentioned will have changed, of course.
For a full guide to all the Repsol Sols in Spain (new and existing) for 2023, click here.
A Michelin-Star Move
Mallorcan chef Andreu Genestra is relocating his one-Michelin-star, eponymous restaurant from Capdepera to the countryside near Llucmajor. After a decade at Predi Son Jaume Rural Hotel, Genestra will re-open in April in the new location of Hotel Zoëtry, a 5-star hotel on the 14th-century Finca Sa Torre. Andreu Genestra restaurant also has a green Michelin star for sustainability. Senzill, Genestra’s bistro at Predi Son Jaume, will remain there.
Although the hotel in Llucmajor has changed hands and name in recent years, it won’t be the first time that a Michelin-star restaurant has been under its roof. When Andreu’s friend, chef Fernando P Arellano, relocated his starred restaurant Zaranda from Madrid to Mallorca, it was on this very same property.
Jan Edwards ©2023
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New Reasons to Stay at Finca Can Beneït, Mallorca
We had our third stay at Finca Can Beneït hotel in Binibona last week, to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Our first stay was to check the place out in April 2021, shortly after Toni Duran – a charming Mallorcan with more than 20 years of international hotel experience – bought the place.
The following year we stayed there for our wedding anniversary; it was such a memorable and enjoyable experience that we checked in again this year.
Since Toni Duran has been the owner, he’s been investing in sensitive enhancements to this centuries-old property with his Can Beneït guests and sustainability in mind. We couldn’t wait to see what had been done since our last stay.
New Garden Spa
Before going to our suite, adjacent to the 200-year-old chapel and the surviving medieval walls, we had a look at the new wellbeing facilities. The former sauna, which was close to the outdoor pool, has been converted into a spacious treatment room where therapist Joana offers facials, massages, and body rituals.
Products used in these treatments are from the Barcelona company, Natura Bissé – which has four times been voted the world’s best spa brand in recent years.
The wooden sauna is now housed in a restored stone building in the garden area. To improve sustainability, it’s the type that functions only when someone is using it, thus saving energy.
Mere steps away from the sauna are a plunge pool (heated in the cooler months), an outdoor shower, and a couple of chairs for relaxing in the outdoor but sheltered, private space. The sauna and this plunge pool area are bookable by the hour for exclusive use.
Close by is a new open-air yoga lawn.
Path to the hideaway sauna and plunge pool 
Sauna 
Sheltered outdoor relaxation area 
Prepare to be pampered To create these new spaces and preserve the integrity of Can Beneït, Toni Duran chose to renovate old stone buildings on the property that no longer had a purpose – thus giving them a new lease of life and creating something special for discerning hotel guests.
Other New Features
The 200-year-old chapel is now a space for art, although elements identifying its original purpose are still in place.
The hotel has invested in new, more comfortable dining chairs too – perfect for a long, leisurely lunch or dinner in the Mirabona Restaurant.
Produce from Can Beneït’s organic kitchen garden has increased with the addition of more beds for vegetables and herbs.
Art in the chapel 
The sheltered herb garden 
Organic produce for the kitchen Good to Know
- If you’re into yoga, pack your gear: the hotel has regular morning classes and that yoga lawn where you can salute to the sun amid fresh air and the sound of birdsong.
- Take walking boots/shoes to take advantage of some of the bucolic lanes and tracks around Binibona.
- The hotel offers bicycle hire (including electric bikes) and has storage facilities for bikes.
- A few places nearby are worth a visit – if you can tear yourself away from tranquil Can Beneït. Nearby Campanet is home to some caves that are well worth a visit. The Black Vulture Conservation Foundation at Finca Son Pons is also interesting to find out about the world’s only island population of black vultures and the associated work to protect these and other birds of prey in the Serra de Tramuntana. Look up to the sky above Finca Can Beneït and you’re likely to see some of these magnificent birds on the wing.
- Read more about Can Beneït here.
Jan Edwards©2023
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Review of Lunch at Senseless Art Gallery & Cafe, Sencelles
Walking from the car park down to the church in Sencelles Walk around the small town of Sencelles – in the heart of the agricultural plain known as the Pla de Mallorca – and you’ll realise there’s something special about this place.
Many of the old houses have a decorative ceramic plaque or tile fixed next to the front door to commemorate the town’s most famous daughter: Sister Francinaina Cirer lived from 1781 to 1855 and was beatified by Pope John Paul II. The nun founded the town’s Convento de las Hermanas de la Caridad de Sencelles.
A Taste of Belgium in Sencelles
Sencelles is also a place to experience the day-to-day life of a typical Mallorcan rural town. And the delicious Belgian fries on offer at Senseless Art Gallery & Café. Yes, you read that correctly. Belgian fries. In an art gallery. Which is also a café.
Senseless Art Gallery opened in 2018 and began serving breakfast, excellent coffees (try their speciality coffees), and lunch in November 2021, when it added ‘& Café’ to its name.
We parked in the public car park (free) and walked towards the church, pausing to look at the variety of tiles depicting Sor (Sister) Francinaina. A left turn just before the church took us into the street named after her, where we found our destination at number 51.
Senseless Art Gallery and Café was smaller than I had imagined, but small can be beautiful (and it is here). Immediately we spotted the welcome log fire – even on a sunny winter’s day in Mallorca, it can feel chilly. Owner Julia Fischer-Bernard greeted us warmly and offered us the last available table in this cosy space. We hadn’t booked but shall do so in future, having realised how fortunate we were to get a table without a reservation.
Lunch for 19€
We were there for the three-course lunch, which was not only delicious but also good value. It began with a cup of delicious courgette soup, with a hint of coconut (not pictured).
Come on in! 
I liked these ceramic napkin rings 
A fresh and interesting salad with main course 
Chicken strips cooked in Roquefort sauce 
Glorious Belgian fries 
Choice of apple or chocolate cake for dessert. The Boss went for apple; I had chocolate. Beautifully moist home-baked cakes. Although Julia wasn’t born in Belgium, she grew up there and her partner is Belgian; when I asked her why Belgians make such good fries, she laughed, saying, “I think Belgians are born with the ability in their blood!” All the food is home-made and fresh each day.
Alcoholic drinks include Belgian beers, a small selection of wines by bottle or glass, red vermouth, and L’Apéro Amargo – a drink made from organic oranges at the finca Can Cavall Blau in Sencelles. After a sample, we bought a bottle for home.
Lunch ended with a speciality coffee from Indonesia (2€ for an espresso). Trenggiling has notes of spices, chocolate, and brown sugar, and is roasted and supplied by Syra Coffee in Barcelona.
The Gallery
Don’t leave Senseless Art Gallery & Café without having a look at the artworks and the selection of artisan items for sale.
Julia is also a talented artist – see her website link below – and you can see some of her lighting designs in the gallery. She’s also a translator with her own agency, Conexion Mallorca. Check out the reels on the Senseless Instagram page and you’ll see that Julia also has a terrific sense of fun. I liked her and her partner immediately.
Verdict & Good to Know
We loved our lunch at Senseless Art Gallery & Café and shall certainly return.
- It’s open only on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, from 09:00h to 18:00h; their breakfast items are popular with locals. They also serve lunch between 13:00h and 15:00h. Each week Senseless Art Gallery & Café publishes its set menu (19€) on its Instagram page.
- Make a reservation by calling (or WhatsApp) Julia on +34 674 72 90 98
- Senseless is on Instagram as senseless_art_gallery
- Find out more about Julia Fischer-Bernard’s unique designs of lights and lamps here.
- Between Sencelles and Costitx, you’ll find what’s known as the archeological route of Sencelles, which covers some interesting remains from the Talaiotic period in Mallorca.
- The Sencelles area is also home to two wineries: Son Prim and Celler Can Ramis (in the town itself).
©Jan Edwards 2023
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Review of Lunch at Bartomeu, Sa Coma
I’ve been a fan of Mallorcan chef Tomeu Caldentey’s cuisine since before I began this blog. He was the first Mallorcan chef on the island whose cuisine was awarded a Michelin star, which he maintained for 14 years.
In 2018 Tomeu gave up the star to change his restaurant concept to something more affordable, and, judging from his cheerful whistling as he worked last week during our latest visit, a lot less stressful.
He created his new concept, Tomeu Caldentey Cuiner, in the same premises as his former Michelin-starred Bou in Sa Coma, on the east coast of Mallorca. The chef was no longer running a brigade but taking the lead role in his gleaming contemporary kitchen. He’s the modest star of his own cooking ‘show’, with an enthusiastic audience seated around the counter watching him work before they enjoy the fruits of his culinary labours.
Bartomeu
In the wake of the strict Covid restrictions in Mallorca, Tomeu opened his second restaurant, Bartomeu, serving only lunch. Bartomeu is in the same premises as Tomeu Caldentey Cuiner, and is located at one end of the Protur Sa Coma hotel – although it has its own independent entrance. Today, Tomeu operates both Bartomeu and Tomeu Caldentey Cuiner.
What is Bartomeu
Bartomeu offers a set lunch menu on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. The menu changes every week and is published in advance on social media. Lunch begins with a round loaf of Tomeu’s moreish olive oil bread and a spicy mayo to spread on it. If we lived closer to Sa Coma, this bread would be my dietary downfall; it’s so moreish.
The Migdia menu offers five plates, the aforementioned bread and mayo, water, and coffee for 22€. Other drinks are at an extra cost and are self-service. Help yourself from the wide choice and tell Tomeu what you had when you pay the bill. A vermouth cost us 3,50€ and a glass of wine, 4€.
Tomeu serves the dishes himself (he has an assistant in the kitchen) and it’s clear he enjoys contact with his customers.
The Bartomeu space is filled with natural light, which feels even more uplifting on a sunny day. The capacity looked to be around 20 people, so it feels quite intimate and relaxed. The latter is helped by the fact that Tomeu wears an apron over a T-shirt and jeans, rather than chef’s whites.
You do need to book at least a day in advance for this lunch, which is popular with locals. As soon as we read that Bartomeu was open again last Wednesday after a month’s winter closure, we booked our table. Bartomeu has two sittings for lunch: 1.30 & 2.30pm.
Our Lunch Last Week
We had a very satisfying lunch, with a variety of textures and flavours. The ambience here is relaxed and friendly. We went for the 2.30pm setting, as that is about the usual time we eat lunch at home. We think lunch at Bartomeu is excellent value and are happy to recommend it.
Help yourself to a glass of something 
Or drink wine by the bottle 
Tomeu’s renowned olive oil bread – all this for two of us! 
Croquetas to share to start the menu 
Cream of cauliflower and potato soup, garnished with slices of butifarra sausage 
Duck and chicken cannelloni with Menorcan cheese sauce – this was to share 
St Peter fish a la mallorquina with crushed potato 
Chocolate and orange – with hazelnuts Lunch on February 1st Good to Know
A large free car park is just across the road. For an enjoyable post-lunch walk, head for the nearby headland, Punta de n’Amer.
©Jan Edwards 2023
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Fire up the BBQ for a Calçotada in Mallorca
Nature provides certain foods for us at the most appropriate time of the year. Consider citrus fruit: oranges and lemons are abundant in Mallorca at this time of the year – when we most need a good dose of Vitamin C. And in the cooler months in Mallorca, when a fire or BBQ makes being outdoors cosier, the calçot season arrives.
What are Calçots?
Resembling slightly unkempt leeks, calçots are green onions but (with apologies to Star Trek) not as we know them, Jim. From planting seed onions to harvesting calçots takes around eighteen months, because the growth period is interrupted for a while.
Usually planted in autumn, they are harvested the following early summer and stored until late summer, when they’re trimmed and replanted.
As in the method for growing celery, the calçots are then ‘earthed up’, as though wearing shoes, to encourage growth. And that’s where the name comes from: the Catalan word for a shoe is the similar calçat.
When harvested in the early months of the year, most of the length of the calçots has become white and the flavour is much milder and sweeter than onions or spring onions (or scallions).
The calçot originated in the province of Tarragona in Catalunya and has PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status. There, the city of Valls is famous for its Gran Festa de la Calçotada, which takes place on the last Sunday in January every year. As I write this, the day after the 2023 event, I imagine the cleaning up in Valls will take some time.
What Happens at a Calçotada?
A calçotada is when people gather to cook and eat calçots together. Traditionally, calçots are cooked until blackened over a fire of vine cuttings, then wrapped tightly in newspaper and allowed to steam, which loosens the burnt skins to reveal the tender heart of the vegetable.
Eating calçots is a fun and sociable, but messy business, especially as they are dipped in a spicy, nut sauce before they are eaten. Don’t wear your best clothes if you’re going to a calçotada – unless you’re looking for an excuse to buy some new ones.
Salsa per Calçots is available in jars in food shops and supermarkets, but it’s not difficult to make your own.
By the way, if you’re worried that eating only calçots won’t satisfy your appetite, they’re usually followed by a meat dish.
Calçots in Mallorca
You don’t have to travel to the Peninsula to enjoy calçots or, indeed, a calçotada. At this time of year, you’ll find them in Mallorca – although, depending where you buy your vegetables, you may have to place an order for them.
Local food-store chain Agromart Balear has more than 20 stores in Mallorca and if they don’t have calçots in stock will order them for you. My photo above was taken in the Manacor store.
If you’d rather someone else did the cooking, some restaurants offer calçots at this time of year and a Google search should reveal these. The best calçotades though are probably the simple ones enjoyed with friends at a rustic finca in Mallorca. Time to fire up the BBQ?
©Jan Edwards 2023
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Review of Restaurante Peperoncino, Son Servera
NOTE: PEPERONCINO IS CLOSED FOR THE WHOLE OF FEBRUARY 2023 FOR STAFF HOLIDAYS
I could credit the amiable Stanley Tucci or those adorable nonne on Pasta Grannies (on YouTube), but the fact is that my love for Italian cuisine began a long time ago at a restaurant in Cambridge, where I also drank my first Campari. That Italian restaurant, Don Pasquale, didn’t reopen in the city’s Market Square after the pandemic lockdown, bringing its almost fifty-year history to a close.
Enough of the nostalgia though, as I return to the business in hand: a review of an Italian restaurant in Mallorca that’s been a fantastic find.
Restaurante Peperoncino is in the town of Son Servera, in the Llevant region of Mallorca. It’s a family-run establishment by chef Giuseppe Carbonaro and his family, who took it over from his in-laws in 2015 and gave Peperoncino’s premises an attractive makeover in 2019. There are several distinct dining areas, including a roof terrace (seasonal) and a natural-light-filled covered interior courtyard (heated in winter). Our favourite space is the front dining room, for its ambience.
Giuseppe Carbonaro
You could be forgiven for mistaking the bearded, tattooed, and capped Giuseppe for a rock musician; his distinctive appearance is used to good effect in the Italian restaurant’s marketing. But there’s a lot more to Restaurante Peperoncino than Giuseppe’s image printed on some of the displayed items for sale. These items include his cookbook, Tuttavia, although it’s only available in German. Giuseppe grew up in Germany, where his parents ran a restaurant.
Peperoncino’s Cuisine
Beef carpaccio with Parmesan, rocket, and celery 
From the suggestions: home-made black fettuccine with chestnuts in sherry sauce with tiger prawns 
Chocolate and coconut – a pretty and delicious home-made dessert 
A light pistachio cake and ice cream The menu is à la carte, with a selection of chef’s suggestions, and is offered for lunch and dinner. You’ll find a choice of mozzarellas and garnishes; pasta; meat and fish; risottos and focaccia, pizzas, and desserts. Giuseppe sprinkles his culinary creativity over authentic Italian dishes that are attractively presented and served by a team including his charming son Gian Luca.
Wine enthusiasts will find an excellent choice at Peperoncino, including some very fine wines at prices to match the quality. It’s a restaurant where you could come for anything from a celebratory meal to, as we’ve seen others do on our recent visits, a pizza, a pud, and a beer or glass of house wine.
If Stanley Tucci ever visits Mallorca, I think he’d really enjoy Restaurante Peperoncino. We’d be delighted to accompany him … and not just for the pleasure of his entertaining company.
Good to Know
Peperoncino is open every day except Tuesdays, for lunch and dinner. Lunch service is earlier than in some restaurants: from 12:30-15:00h.
During the holiday season, you need to make a table reservation a few days in advance but we’ve managed to book a table at a day’s notice recently. We’ve found the booking procedure on the website works well and is followed by a prompt email confirmation.
Son Servera has a large, signposted public car park that’s free of charge, about five minutes’ walk away from Peperoncino.
NOTE
We’ve also enjoyed dinners at the Porto Cristo Italian restaurant Osteria Dolores which, in the winter, has a log-burning stove to keep the place cosy. Sadly for diners, this restaurant is closed this year for a winter break until February 2023.
©Jan Edwards 2022
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Chef-Aid Mallorca Supports World Central Kitchen
No, I hadn’t heard of World Central Kitchen* either until a few days ago. But thanks to the efforts of fourteen of Mallorca’s top chefs (six from Michelin-star restaurants), more people will become aware of this non-profit organisation, which has been feeding people in crisis situations around the world since 2010.
Remember Band Aid in the ’80s? Now, we have ‘Chef-Aid Mallorca’ with a specially composed song entitled ‘Don’t Ask Me Why’ – a fundraiser for World Central Kitchen.
The song was written by Marc Fosh, the only British chef in Spain at the helm of a Michelin-star restaurant (the eponymous Marc Fosh in Palma).
You can listen to ‘Don’t Ask Me Why’ on Spotify or check out this video to see the chefs performing the song. And if you can afford to, make a donation here to help World Central Kitchen continue its vital work.
Project Participants
Some of the team involved (some chefs were unable to attend the media launch) 
(L-R) Sergio Llopis, Jaime Anglada, Nando Esteva 
Mark doing a TVE interview The following chefs took part: Marc Fosh, Adrià Quetglas, Santi Taura, Andreu Genestra, Maca de Castro, Fernando Arellano, Tomeu Caldentey, Pau Navarro, Miquel Talent, Ariadna Salvador, Víctor García, Joan Marc Garcias, Jonay Hernández, and Lluís Pérez.
Musical arrangement was by composer Sergio Llopis and well-known Mallorcan singer/songwriter/musician, Jaime Anglada. The video was by multi-award-winning photographer and videographer, Nando Esteva, and Juan Monserrat from Foto Ruano in Palma. The final mastering of the song was done at the world-famous Abbey Road Studios in London.
I spoke to Marc at the media launch of ‘Don’t Ask Me Why’ by Chefs-Aid Mallorca and asked him how the idea for the fundraiser came about. Here’s what he said:
*What is World Central Kitchen?
World Central Kitchen was founded by famous Spanish chef, José Andrés, in response to the huge earthquake that devastated Haiti in 2010. Since then, WCK has provided food relief in places including Puerto Rico, Australia, Nicaragua, Cuba, Cambodia, Uganda, Beirut, Texas, Louisiana, and Ukraine.
Just one day after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, WCK began providing food to Ukrainians affected by the war. The organisation has partnered with many restaurants in Ukraine to serve meals and set up sites across the border in other countries to feed refugees who have fled for their lives.
©Jan Edwards 2022
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Son Mesquidassa – Olive Oil Tourism in Mallorca
On a narrow country lane between Felanitx and Porreres you’ll find the Son Mesquidassa estate … eventually. We were beginning to wonder whether we’d somehow missed the finca until I spotted the sea of olive trees to our left. Moments later, we saw the Son Mesquidassa sign at the entrance and knew we’d arrived.
It’s an impressive estate covering almost 100 hectares and is home to more than 150,000 olive trees. The majority are of the Arbequina variety but estate owners, the Rosselló-Castell family, have also planted l’Arbossana, Koroneiki, and Siktita varieties. They harvest around eight million tonnes of olives a year, from which they produce up to 200k litres of extra virgin olive oil. Son Mesquidassa is the largest producer of intensive olive farming in Mallorca, using sustainable agricultural practices. Their oils have Oli de Mallorca Denomination of Origin status.
Son Mesquidassa’s History
The Son Mesquidassa estate was founded in 1818 and you pass the original house as you drive towards the large, contemporary structure housing the shop, tasting room, video-screening space, tafona (press), bottling plant, and space – indoors and outside – to host a variety of events (including weddings). Work on the impressive building began in 2015, and it was inaugurated in 2019.
The original estate building 
From the old to the new 
Tasting area 
Video-screening area 
An artwork in the tasting room 
A sea of olive trees, viewed from the upper floor The Rosselló-Castell family bought the finca in 1986 and have since spent some eight million euros in creating the impressive Son Mesquidassa that visitors find today. It’s a fine example of olive-oil tourism in Mallorca.
Their Range of Olive Oils
Temptations galore We went to collect some Son Mesquidassa EVOO I’d bought online as a birthday gift for a friend. Inevitably perhaps, we came home with a bottle for ourselves too, as well as a jar of their preserved olives and a bottle of their wonderfully named Olidays EVOO.
These are their extra virgin olive oils:
Son Mesquidassa – Arbequina variety
Joan Rosselló (a homage to the founder of the business) – Arbequina and Picual
Can Troquet – Arbequina and Picual
Ni Verd Ni Blau – Arbequina
Olidays – early harvested Arbequina
I think the latter would make a great (and healthy) souvenir of Mallorca or a meaningful gift for someone back home. Olidays won the EVOOLEUM Silver Award in 2017 for ‘Most Innovative Label Design’.
Good to Know
Son Mesquidassa is open to visitors from Monday to Friday from 09:00-16:00h. Group visits should be arranged in advance.
Beware: The country lane between Felanitx and Porreres is narrow in places but some of the locals who use it drive like Fernando Alonso. You’ve been warned!
©Jan Edwards 2022
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Mallorca’s Michelin Stars for 2023
The annual Michelin gala for Spain and Portugal took place last night in Toledo at the Palacio de Congresos ‘El Greco’. This event is when the NEW stars are announced, and the relevant chefs take to the stage to collect their chef’s jacket, embroidered with the Michelin star(s).
Mallorca has one new star for 2023. Javier Hoebeeck was in Toledo to collect his jacket for Fusión 19 in Playa de Muro (part of Grupo Boulevard). Sadly, you can’t eat at the restaurant until next year, as it’s now closed for the winter.
Mallorca retained all the stars from 2022, of which four are in Palma – each with one star:
Adriàn Quetglas
DINS Santi Taura
Zaranda
Other Michelin-starred Restaurants in Mallorca
Maca De Castro – Puerto de Alcúdia – one star
Bens d’Avall – Sóller – one star
Andreu Genestra – Capdepera – one star
Es Fum – Costa d’en Blanes – one star
Mallorca’s only two-Michelin-star restaurant is Voro in Canyamel.
Congratulations to all the teams at these Michelin-starred restaurants in Mallorca.
@Jan Edwards 2022
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Review of Restaurante 19 by Living Dreams – Santa Maria, Mallorca
The end of October marks the close of the main holiday season in Mallorca. With a collective sigh of relief and exhaustion, many restaurants and hotels shut their doors until the following spring. The 2022 tourist season has been very good, enhanced by the direct flights to Mallorca from Newark, USA, introduced in early summer.
This year, some hospitality establishments have extended their season slightly, which means it’s not too late to eat lunch or dinner at Restaurante 19 – located within the Swiss-owned lifestyle/furniture store Living Dreams, in Santa Maria del Camí.
We’ve had both lunch and dinner there recently; (no, not on the same day, although in my time reviewing restaurants for an annual guide, that did happen).
I reviewed this restaurant for a magazine some years ago but knew there had since been changes. During a chance encounter, the entrepreneurial restaurateur of Soul Sea Group – who operates four eateries in Porto Cristo – told me he’d done consultancy work for Restaurante 19 and that the experience there was now ‘at another level’; a level in which he knew I’d be interested.
We took visitors there for lunch in September and returned ourselves for a special-occasion dinner last week – when the evening was still warm enough to eat al fresco in the garden.
The Place
Left: the largest dining table at Restaurante 19; (r) some of the decorative items for sale at the Swiss-owned Living Dreams store Tables are available indoors, on a covered, raised terrace, or sitting in the verdant garden. Driving through Santa Maria’s main street, you’d never guess that such a glorious outdoor space was there. During the day, this garden’s a haven from the busy road, where you sit among trees and plants, surrounded by stylish decorative items for the home and garden that would require some serious flexing of a credit card.
On both visits, we sat at the long, dark-wooden table that’s the centrepiece of the garden. The table is large enough that it can be shared with other diners without feeling as though you’re sharing. For our dinner visit, we initially chose a cosy table for two, but the lighting in that area meant we could barely see each other let alone read the menu. We moved to one end of the long table.
The Food
Love the hummus! 
Asian flavours dominate the menu of tempting dishes. Prices are higher than in other Santa Maria restaurants, but the quality/price ratio is fair, taking every aspect of the experience into account.
The assorted bread rolls with olives and alioli come with the welcome addition of curry and coconut hummus – delicious. You pay 4,80€ for this, but the bread’s very good and that hummus is so moreish.
Of the dishes I tried this year, I’d flag up the homemade free-range chicken croquetas, flavoured with Madras curry and dried apricots. You get four for 11,50€ and if I could buy these by the dozen to take home, I probably would.
Next, the yellow Thai curry with line-caught hake, shiitakes, shallots, snow peas, confit tomato, and peanuts. It comes with a side of rice and is 28,90€. The generous piece of hake was perfectly cooked; I am salivating as I recall eating this deliciously spicy dish.
The Service
We found the service professional and pleasant. For our first visit, we were with someone who has a serious allergy to anything pork-related but our server was helpful and our companion felt confident in her menu choices.
Good to Know
The 2022 season is almost over for Restaurant 19 by Living Dreams; in November, opening is limited to the following dates:
Saturday, November 5th – lunch and dinner
Sunday, November 6th – lunch only
Saturday, November 12th – lunch and dinner
Sunday, November 13th – lunch only
The Restaurante 19 menu includes a section of dishes for younger diners.
The town has a popular market on Sunday mornings; if you want to combine a market visit with lunch at Restaurante 19, be sure to book a table.
Santa Maria del Camí is one of the towns served by the Mallorca train network, SFM. Take the train and you’ll save yourself the hassle of searching for a space to park the car.
@Jan Edwards 2022
Eat Drink Sleep Mallorca 