Palma de Mallorca, Spain

This is my 3rd visit to Palma, and only now posting about it. Slacker!

Palma's strategic location in the Mediterranean with close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean has created a major point of entry for the well heeled to dock their yachts and frequent port of call for cruise ships. This with Spain culinary tradition and local ingredients make for a delicious dining haven and inexpensive compared to the rest of Europe and the US for that matter.

Let me share my discovery and delicious journey...(sans the quality photo of our most esteemed LTHers)

My favorite - Font de Sant Joan, elegant, hip, and modern in a former community oven, where the neighborhood families brought their bread in each day to bake. So incredibly inexpensive, too. Not sure I am allowed to post prices, but the foie platter was a mere 14 euros, and the glass of wine was 2.5 euros. 3 course lunch was 16 euros, delish with no skimping on quality or portion. I ordered a la carte off the menu, and was too exuberant with my own dishes (which I shared) to take pictures of my sisters' 3 course lunch dishes which were very good but not as interesting.



I crave this between visits each year. Everything is right about this dish. The delicious richness cut slightly by the sweet and tartness of the aged balsamic, but the mouth feel is perfect, too, smooth but with the shaved texture for interest that melts beautifully. Served on delicately crisp and thin pita-like bread. Perfect with their white wine of the day always so well curated, which was a luscious verdejo, delicate green floral and fruit notes with just the right structure to cut through the richness.



These cornets were the bomb! Another excellent and delicate blend of flavors, freshness, and fun!



These went too fast...the parmesan cream was plate licking good, the languostine was only a vehicle



Heartiest dish, and was too full to fully appreciate it



Perfect finish with sweet Mallorcan strawberries rich with creme brulee....how can this be anything but delish!!!



Font de Sant Joan
Address: Calle Sant Joan, 4, 07012 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
Phone:+34 971 72 84 22
http://www.forndesantjoan.com/en/

Simply Fosh, a Marc Fosh restaurant, housed in the 17th century Hotel Convent de la Missió is another gem. Our lunch service was so enjoyable, we returned for the Degustation menu in the evening. Again, another gorgeous example of how centuries old historic spaces are transformed into elegant, modern, and hip urban spaces.

I enjoyed our lunch better than the degustation menu, even though the lunch service was rude unless the professional service during dinner. I think it was the experience of sitting in a gorgeous oasis, where we were in semi glassed in area with air conditioning under a tree complete with a gentle twinkling of a vertical water fountain. So cool!

Here are a few pics to give you an idea of their style of cuisine and experience:













SIMPLY FOSH
Carrer de la Missió, 7A - Palma
MALLORCA - ESPAÑA 07003
TEL. +34 971 720 114
http://www.simplyfosh.com/en/

Good to honest seafood, and nothing but seafood that completes a beach vacation.

La Parada del Mar in a quiet neighborhood on the other side of Porto Pi shopping mall built for the cruise ship herds that descend for the day.

As you enter the restaurant, a bountiful array of seafood is ready for your choosing. The charming fishmonger weighs your selections and give you a number to place on your table. Wine is selected as you pass by the bar area, then select the table of your choice. From our selection, the kitchen will select the appropriate cooking method: raw, deep fried, broiled, grilled, etc.

Inexperienced first timer that we were, we didn't temper our ordering for a more varied variety, but oh, we shall next time, we shall.



Shouldn't have had seconds...amateurs



Of course, we had 3 platters of this...






La Parada del Mar
Address: Avda. Joan Miró, 244, 07015 Palma, Spain
Phone:+34 971 59 27 06
http://laparadadelmar.com/

Each year, I look forward to my sandwich on my Lufthansa flight back from Palma to Frankfort before connecting to the long leg home to Chicago. This year's sandwich is probably one of the best I have ever had in my entire life, ok, maybe not the best, I did grow up with Vietnamese banh mi and croque monsieur after all, but most definitely top 5.

Pastrami with sauerkraut and a gooey eggy aioli like sauce in addition to a sweet/sour mayo sauce. I saved the ingredient label, and will try to translate from German to English, and hope to impart some insight as to what that yummy eggy sauce is. OMG!



The downer were the meals on the flight from Frankfort to Chicago, yuck! Perfect a time as any to start my diet after 2 weeks of feasting.

I am lucky enough to be invited to my sister's timeshare which has a full kitchen with outdoor grill, so we get to purchase instead of just drool at the market.

Mercat De L'Olivar is the largest indoor farmer's market right in downtown Palma with a wing dedicated to seafood, which is only open from Tuesday to Saturday, while the rest of the market is open everyday except for Sunday.

Just a few pictures for a taste of their offerings:













Mercat De L'Olivar
Address: Plaça de l'Olivar, 4, 07002 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
Phone:+34 971 72 03 14
http://www.mercatolivar.com/

Awesome stuff. Thanks, for sharing. I really need to leave the country more often!

=R=

One more for now...

Ombu, a modern and more creative take on tapas, from the Forn de Sant Joan folks right on the main stretch of the touristy Passeig del Born, down the street from the Cathedral of Santa Maria, more commonly referred to as La Seu. It was good fun, but not as elegant and delicate in taste and execution as Forn, but still worth a trip.

APOLOGIES for the bad pictures, but it was dark in the dining room, and was probably shaking with anticipation.

What else need to be said?


The mini cornet and tuna tataki would have been perfect if the sauce was more delicate and not overly dressed as especially the mini cornet. The oysters were pristine especially the Peruvian style ones which was lighter allowing for the excellent oyster to shine.


We loved the shrimp, will have to order those first with a nice gin martini the next time, shrimpy and sweet. We were so full by the time these arrived that we didn't really appreciate the patatas bravos as much, cause the sobrasada foam was delish! We wanted to take the leftover home and have it the next day for apero hour.


2nd serving of the Pervuvian style oysters, look at that brimming cup of liquor, nice fat oyster without being cloying. Fresh ocean sweetness without being too briny. Gorgeous smooth mouthful with a nice kick at the end with the tears of the tiger pepper.


Elevated chicken fingers coated with crispy potato chips, what a great idea.


We loved this dish, and again, would have been perfect if the vinaigrette was made with a lighter hand.


Ombu
Address: Passeig del Born, 5-7, 07012 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
Phone:+34 971 21 43 87
http://www.ombupalma.com/en/

We do do other things other than eat....Palma by night

p-g:

Gorgeous! Thanks for sharing. I'm with Ronnie -- I need to get out of the country more.

Thanks, Ronnie and the GP for looking. Both of you do your fair share of traveling, I have seen evidence of that on here.