15Palma

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Tommy Tannock writes about food for Time Out and Monocle, and runs numerous pop-up restaurants. Hes summered all his life in Mallorcas medieval monastery town of Valldemossa and takes any opportunity for an evening of tapeo in Palma.
Clockwise from top left: Mercado del Oliva; coca de patata and espresso at Can Joan de Saigo; Palma harbour; sea bream, apple, almond emulsion and celeriac at Simply Fosh
SEPTEMBER 2013

WEEKENDER

eat away city break

reasons to visit

Visit Mallorcas buzzing Medieval capital to try some pillowy sobrassada sausage or enjoy salt-steamed Sller langoustines to order Words Tommy Tannock Map Patrick OLeary

trust

Start the day like all Mallorcans, with a cortado (espresso macchiato) and pastry, or a coca de patata, a light bun made of potato flour and powdered with sugar, 3.60. CAN JOAN DE SAIGO (Carrer del Bar de Santa Maria del Sepulcre 5, canjoandesaigo. webs-sites.com) still retains some of its 18th-century charm, and has been providing families with unctuous hot chocolate and cakes for almost as long. One of the citys best butchers CARNICERIA BONAIRE (Carrer Bonaire 8, carniceriabonaire.com) sells suckling lamb and makes fabulous charcuterie. Pick up a pillowy sobrassada sausage, a chorizo-like paste of pork loin and bacon, which can be melted into sauces or spread on toast, 17.90/kg. The exclusive shopping street Avinguda Jaime III boasts grand porticos and marble pavements a godsend when escaping the summer heat, as is GELATERIA CAN MIQUEL (Avinguda Jaume III 6, gelateriacanmiquel.com). Choose from over 20 Valrhona chocolate varieties, as well as experimental flavours like roquefort and Mallorcan trampo

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(slow roast peppers, onion and tomato). Two scoops 3.20. The staff may be occasionally curt but with a well-positioned table outside theres nowhere better to do some people-watching than at BAR BOSCH (Plaza Rei Joan Carles I 6, barbosch.es). Opened in 1936, its still a popular meeting point. Order a granizado de limon (crushed ice lemonade) 3.20, and toasted cheese and pork fillet bocadillos, 6.75. Another institution, CONFITERIA CAN FRASQUET (Carrer Ofilia 4, confiteriafrasquet.com) traces its roots back to the late 17th century. The windows are filled with truffles, nougats, and festive sweets like polvorones (almond biscuits) and peladillos (sugared almonds) beautifully piled on pedestals. It also specialises in crystallized fruits: everything from oranges and pears, to watermelon and pumpkin. Wooden gift boxes cost from 16 for 500g.

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You can still get a taste of the real city street life at the KIOSKO ALASKA (Plaa del Mercat 6A). Founded in 1936, this small kiosk advertises itself as a hamburgueseria but is really a place for local workers to congregate and chat over early morning carajillos (espresso with brandy). If its too early to start on the hard stuff try the horchata, a creamy iced drink made from crushed tigernuts, 2.20, while admiring the neighbouring Art Nouveau Casas Casasayas with their magnificently overwrought balconies. Palma has three markets, the MERCADO DEL OLIVAR (Plaa del Olivar 4, mercatolivar.com) being the largest. This has evolved into a foodie mecca, with greengrocers, rows of fishmongers and tapas bars. Try the Ostreria Platinum for the freshest Galician oysters or Especias Cresp, a shop selling all manners of teas, herbs and spices; a pack of fragrant Menorcan camomile costs 2.20. Chef Marc Fosh achieved Michelin star success here some years ago, but decided to leave the pressures of haute cuisine behind and never looked back. Now with three restaurants in Palma, SIMPLY FOSH (Carrer Missi 7A, simplyfosh.com) showcases his take on Mediterranean cuisine. Its remarkable value for such cooking; three courses costs 21.50, and includes dishes likes cod brandade, strawberry gazpacho and sea bream, apple, almond emulsion and celeriac.

photographs: alamy, getty images

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eat away city break

One of the best ways to explore the old Gerreira district, and get a taste of the nightlife is the Ruta Martiana (rutamartiana.wordpress. com), a tapas crawl every Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Around 25 bars participate and each provides a small drink with pintxo or tapa for 2 to 3. Make sure to end up at the hipster hot spot MOLTA BARRA (Pes de la farina, 0034 971 07 67 67) for delicious skewered octopus, double-stacked tortilla and chorizo on toast. Miguel Pujol, the islands king of ensaimada, retired last year after 45 years of back-breaking work at PASTISSERIA CAN MIQUEL (Carrer de la Pelleteria 8, 0034 971 715 711). But he still intermittently opens so its worth calling ahead to check. A layer of dough is rolled out to the thickness of a penny, smeared with a much thicker layer of sam, a reduced lard, then filled with pumpkin marmalade or crme patissiere. These are coiled into a circular shape, baked until crisp and sold by weight. Down by the portside is the great Catalan bar LA

HOW TO DO IT
GET THERE

Fly from 90 return (easyjet. com) from various UK airports.

STAY THERE

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Feel the sea breeze with a chic sea view double, from 325, at the luxurious Hotel Portixol (portixol. com). Or try the newer Calatrava (boutiquehotel calatrava.com), with doubles from 180.
ON A BUDGET?

Stay at the characterful

Hostal Pons

(Paseo Sagrera 3, tabernadelaboveda. com). Here you can sit on the spacious terrace, or at the tiled bar, and try their revueltos (mixed scrambled eggs), the classic Mallorcan pa amb oli (saltless bread rubbed with Ramellet tomatoes) and gambas al ajillo (prawns in garlic) with a crisp glass of fino sherry (around 15 all in). The gentrified Santa Catalina is home to the MERCADO SANTA CATALINA (Plaa Navegacion, mercatsantacatalina.com).Youll find great wines, fresh goat cheeses, mushrooms and some jamon stands, with a selection of the highest quality bellota-fed Iberico legs, from 90 up to 300/kg. Get some of the local Soller langoustines at the fishmongers, around 70-80/kg and the bar will salt-steam them a la plancha for a small fee. In the corner of the market, JOAN FRAU (Calle de Annibal 19, 0034 971 737 862) deserves mention as a personal favourite of famous Spanish chef Ferran Adri. From around 4.30am this tiny bar

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TABERNA DE LA BOVEDA

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feeds the market workers plates of staples like frit (lamb giblets, peppers, fennel, artichoke, potatos), callo (tripe soup) and cocarrois (pastry stuffed with a mix of onions, greens and raisins), around 12 per person for a selection of plates. Locals flock to EL CHAFLAN DE PATXI (Calle Espartero 28, 0034 971 284 486) for its no-frills Basque grill and pintxos. Kick things off with cuttlefish croquettes, then order an enormous charcoal-grilled chuleton de buey (ribsteak) to share (40/ kg). Try a red reserva from the dependable Binissalem vintner Jos L. Ferrer, 36.80. Down the long coastal Avenida Gabriel Roca,

(hostalpons.com), where a double with tiled nativity scenes and wooden bed starts at 73.

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152* PER PERSON

*price includes return flights and half share of cheapest double room for two nights
Far left: Galician oysters; left: pa amb oli; below La Boveda

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(Avenida Joan Miro 244, laparadadelmar. com) is a great place to get shellfish at sub-central Palma prices. A fishmongers stall displays the catch of the day, you choose maybe some local lobster, John Dory or razor clams pay the market price and they grill it for you. Its spartan dining area comes to life with rowdy Mallorcans who swig beer and build stacks of discarded shells on the tables.
More information: illesbalears.es
SEPTEMBER 2013

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LA PARADA DEL MAR

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