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Go Back   Pollensa Forum > ONCE YOU'RE THERE > Bars & Restaurants in Pollensa, Majorca

Bars & Restaurants in Pollensa, Majorca Where to eat and drink. For great reviews and comments on bars, cafes and restaurants. Do give locations if possible.

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  #1  
Old 21-04-2008, 00:04
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Default SPRING 2008 (Part3)

This is the last of it!

STAY
There’s been quite a bit of discussion on the board about Stay recently, with some people expressing very positive views and others thinking, perhaps it’s not quite what it used to be. It certainly has taken a little while to fully appreciate the feel of the place since the extensive refurbishment two years ago, most noticeably in my view, the tables being that much further from the water, the “duckboard” flooring and the general slightly “metallic” appearance about the whole place. The service also seemed a little chaotic at times, with waiters flying around everywhere. However, I’m happy to report that all these teething troubles seem to have been ironed out, and Stay is back to its glorious former self.

We were fortunate to dine there twice last week, and any criticism would be very hard to find. Senor Joseph had every thing under control, the staff were charming and efficient, the general atmosphere was great and the food superb. They also appear to have substantially increased the size of the portions, (no need to request a portion of chips on the side anymore!). I’m unable to give too many details of the food because on both occasions Senor Ken picked up the tab, but from memory, Seafood Salad, Fresh Tagliatelle with Prawns in Saffron Sauce and Mussels Basque style all went down well as starters, although the mussels were a little on the small side. They’ve also tweaked the menu a little, and there are one or two additions this year: Roast Leg of Majorcan Lamb “a la Provencale being one new dish that received favourable comments. Personally, I can recommend the fillets of Dorade-Bream baked with garlic and olive oil. I thought the fish had been fried rather than baked, and it was quite delicious. Can’t remember if this is new this year, but if you’ve got any room for a pudding, it has to be the Terrine of Tiramisu-Mousse with Mokka Sauce and Ice Cream, wonderful stuff.

The wines were as usual, excellent. We tried a couple from what must be Mallorca’s finest supplier, Jaume Mesquida of Playa i Llevant: a brilliant bone dry Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon, both of which were new experiences for myself. All in all, a couple of fantastic evenings, one never feels rushed when dining here and you know the table is yours for the evening. I would also add that on both occasions, the place was absolutely full, yet still everything was quite perfect. It was also interesting to find ourselves sitting inside, something we’ve never done here before, but if anything, it only added to the general atmosphere and ambience.

So, to summarise, Stay is as good as ever, but it’s certainly not cheap. Expect to pay anything between 75 – 125 euros for two, depending of course, on what you eat ,and perhaps, more importantly, what you drink. But to put this into some sort of context, this equates to somewhere in the region of £60 - £100 which compares very favourable with top quality restaurants in the UK. (We can quite easily spend £40 - £50 in our local curry house or pizza joint!)

On a slightly different note, Stay is also the perfect venue for a lazy lunch-time snack, particularly in the summer months. Just sitting there in the shade, overlooking the bay, watching the various boating activities taking place in front of you is quite delightful. It’s not quite the same this time of year, but still very pleasant. We had lunch there once this time, everyone was sitting outside catching the early spring sunshine, and the place was quite busy. Two small beers, one glass of wine and one coffee, accompanied by Chicken and Chips and a Fresh Salad, and the bill was 34 euros.



LA LLONJA
I’ve always thought of La Llonja as Stay’s little brother. They’re situated a couple of hundred yards apart in the heart of the marina and both have stunning views of the surrounding bay. I also think La Llonja has unashamedly copied Stay in many ways, although I don’t think that is at all a bad thing. Both provide excellent service and superb ambience, an extensive wine list that includes several selections from Majorca, and a modern European menu which is predominantly fish based. They also both offer a frequently changing 3 course set menu, including coffee, wine and water for about 30 euros. I’m also told that the affable German guy who presumably owns the business, and certainly runs it, was for many years, working at Stay and Ca´n Cuarassa

La Llonja was of course, reopened a few years ago after the old establishment was severely damaged by winter storms. In fact it has been completely rebuilt, but has been designed very much along the lines of the old building with its distinctive arches. (Check out the photo that opens their web site). In the summer, meals are served in the delightful courtyard area at the rear of the building, and there is an equally attractive and cosy area on the opposite side of the building for lunch time snacks and drinks. It also has a tiny bar area inside and this appears to be a popular meeting place for the locals. In the winter months everything is relocated upstairs in a delightful dining room with huge windows on 3 sides overlooking the marina.

The night we went, (four of us) the bill totalled 240 euros. This included a glass of cava each as an aperitif, and starters, main meal, and puddings all round. The food was as usual, top notch, and couldn’t be faulted in any way. I can particularly recommend the fish soup, a starter priced at just under 10 euros. It’s served in a huge tureen, and a waiter appears at regular intervals offering to top up your bowl!. You have to say no thanks after awhile, because everyone else has finished, and are patiently waiting for the next course. Also worth a mention is the Monk Fish and Clams Casserole “a la Marinera”, which was just sublime.

The wines included a Palacio de Bornos Rueda, (which interestingly, is also available at Waitrose), a quite stunning Albarino from Rias Baixas called Pedro Soutomajor Abarino, (these Galician wines must surely be the greatest of all the Spanish whites) and a Rioja, the Vina Pomal Seleccion Centenario, which I’m told was absolutely sensational, although I’m no expert on Spanish Reds.

It’s certainly not particularly cheap, but I always left with the impression that dining here is “a little special”, and an experience in itself.



LA FORTALESA
An old favourite of ours, one is always guaranteed good food and service here, and the same was true on our latest visit. Soup of the Day and a Deep Fried Squid Rings to start, Spaghetti Bolognese and one of Martin’s specialities, Majorcan Baked Cod with Peppers for the main meal, followed by one Sorbet and one Coffee. Drinks were the usual; one small beer and gin & tonic, water and a bottle of Jose L.Ferrer Reserva, (16.50 euros) and the total bill was 68 euros.

However, I’ve felt on the last couple of visits here, there was perhaps something lacking. The atmosphere seemed a little reserved, everyone talking in whispers, just a general feeling of not everything being as it should be. A great shame because the cooking here is second to none. Just one small example, the afore-mentioned Deep Fried Squid Rings in Batter are the best available in the Port. These are an old favourite of mine, and I’ve tried them in Corb Marie, La Llonja and Stay amongst others, and none compare to those at La Fortalesa. My wife also has the same opinion about their Gazpecho.

Another area in which I think there could possibly be an improvement is the choice of wines on offer. La Fortalesa is a local Mallorquin institution, yet is rather limited on local wines. They offer a couple, including Jose Ferrer, but there is nothing from Macia Batle, Hedederos de Ribas or Miguel Oliver, to name just a few. I would have thought that this would be the ideal type of restaurant for some of these, but again, it’s really more of an opinion than a criticism. Overall, it has some of the finest cooking anywhere in the Port with some of the most competitive prices, so any moans of mine must be kept in context.
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  #2  
Old 21-04-2008, 09:19
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Excellent reviews Pinewalker!!!

You've mentioned many of my favourite restaurants especially la Llonja , Stay and La fortelesa. I have to agree on your critisism of Fortelesa..It is , as you said, a little reserved although the food cannot be faulted!

You've made my mouth water
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Old 21-04-2008, 11:15
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Default Spring 2008

Glad you liked the review, and appreciate your comments re: La Fortelesa, (at least it's not only us that thinks this way!) I don't think we're be rushing back there this summer, as on the last couple of occassions we have ate there,(the other week and last summer), we both felt a little uncomfortable. It's a great shame because, as I said, the quality of the food is outstanding, and very reasonably priced.
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Old 21-04-2008, 11:17
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Absolutely brilliant reviews! I've thoroughly enjoyed reading them over my morning coffee.

You've got me so looking forward to July

LK
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  #5  
Old 21-04-2008, 17:02
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Thanks Pinewalker,
How wonderful to read reviews such as these. We will be in PP in 2 weeks time and El Posito was on our list to try this time, so we are looking forward to an enjoyable evening or two. Also great to hear what others choose from the wine list in restaurants. We do not generally drink spanish or mallorquin wine and we usually ask the staff what they would recommend. We have not been disappointed as yet but it is great to have a little extra information.
regards Tanya
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  #6  
Old 21-04-2008, 17:28
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Only ever went to La Fortalesa once, and that was once too often. We took friends who were new to PP and they wanted REAL Lomo con Col, three of us had this and one had fish. To my horror we got frozen LCC and i do mean FROZEN it had ICE inside, i pointed this out to the waiter and he took it away when it came back it was hot but obviously NUKED. We did eat it because we were hungry and it was getting late, however when i asked for a reduction on the bill all i got was "You ate it so pay up", which i did but i will never go again. Admittedly we hadn't booked and it was busy but if they couldn't cope they should not have served us.
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  #7  
Old 21-04-2008, 21:02
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Pinewalker

Thank you for the excellent review, I really enjoyed reading it.

Sharon
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Old 22-04-2008, 07:13
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Pinewalker,

It's been great to read all your reviews - a really interesting read! Thanks very much!

Jane
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