Passion Amidst The Woolies, The Caves And The Convent
The irony that is Mallorca
Photo Credits: The Blog
Mallorca is but a curious paradox. In one breath, you’ll find a humble rural existence that moves to the rhythm of sheep’s bleats and their jingling bells. In the next moment, you’re whisked away to a world of gastronomy so lavish it’s fit for the gods. There, wooly companions grace your morning stroll and culinary masterpieces define the evening.
We could elaborate on all the intricacies of this Spanish island but instead we prefer to single out just two restaurants—two experiences totally diverse but equally reverent in their approach to the dining experience.
Pablo Tamarit’s restaurant, Cova Negra, is in the Creu de Tau hotel in Capdepera. As you titter the sloping, winding, cobbled streets of this town, you’ll pass the impressively towering walled fortress, el Castillo de Capdepera.
Once you make your way into the art-infused Creu de Tau hotel—formerly a 19th century convent—you’ll drift through art within the domed spaces to the Bar Capella, its cocktail bar and the convent’s old chapel. A note on your bar table may have this to say:
“Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing or they produce bad imitations” [Basically another way of saying, “take an idea/product that already exists and make it simpler, more accessible, and more joyful.”]
The appetizers will do more than just “appetize.” The view is magical—and so is the fragrance of expensive Spanish wine.
Josep Joan’s restaurant, Ses Coves de Campanet, is different, but just as titillating. He claims Ses Coves is neither a restaurant nor a bar but a space where food and drinks (and might I add experience) are offered. He and his wife work with their own daily sustainable farm-to-table products, and use “simplicity and smoked touches thanks to the use of almond, oak, carob and wine mills.” They generate their own firewood by pruning the trees from their farm, cultivate their own organic vegetables, and raise their own free-grazing sheep, goats and chickens. We too think without a pure nurtured product, you have nothing.
Here as you sit at a table on their mountain terrace with a mountain vista, you’ll find yourself wrapped in a sort of sleepy, solemn silence. Regardless of your group size or level of enthusiasm, a view like that commands a deeper slower energy.
The flaming outdoor grill sends out tantalizing clouds—thick heavy declarations of the glowing piles of fish, meat and vegetables that make their way to the tables.
For those with a monotonous disinterest for “plain” food—for food that’s been grilled or steamed simply, food with no decadent accouterments to ensure an elevated fine-dining experience, this experience will change you. Here, each element of food is simply prepared, simply served, and presented as a bare protagonist. Each is cooked respectfully, maintaining its integrity.
Whether it’s the calamari, the carabinero, the chuleton vaca rubia gallega or the red bell peppers, you’ll taste each as if for the first time. The desert, something so simple as creamy pine nut gelato adorned with figs is so incredible you’ll eat every spoonful with the sensuous concentration.
But no, this is not where the meal ends. After desert is when things get really enchanting.
https://www.covesdecampanet.com/en/restaurant
You can sign up for a tour of the Coves de Campanet, which is far beyond just dark caves of stalagmites and stalactites. Josep Joan’s family obtained ownership and permission to use the caves for tourism. And here is what you’ll “tour” and keep forever etched in your memory:
So what will Mallorca be to you?
A place to mingle… with the wooly neighbors you’ll meet on your morning walks, with good friends eager to sit and eat and drink for hours, and most of all with the food that beseeches perfect abandon and deep immersion.
Mallorca Top Recommendations:
Hotel recs:
Son Net
Belmond Hotel
Creu de Tau
Restaurant recs:
Mar&Duix (Son Net)
Cova Negra (Creu De Tau)
Brut
Ses Coves de Campanet
Periplo
Mhares
Oliva (Belmond Hotel)
Es Racó d’Arta