I always feel driven to post a trip report, but apprehensive that I may bore you to death because we “Disorderlies” are creatures of habit, to say the least! As we often visit favourite restaurants two or even three times in a fortnight’s
stay, I thought I’d post this in a slightly different way…..and explain why we keep going back.
Whilst my elder son and partner usually fly from
Gatwick, and meet my wife and I, and our younger son and daughter in law, at Palma airport, this time we all flew together for a change from Liverpool. Good old EasyJet…..easy speedy check-in, speedy boarding, pre-booked extra legroom seats, and flight on time (arriving early). No hassle collecting bags – just a slightly irritating wait at the
Avis office in the car park for 50 minutes (but have waited over twice that at Goldcar on more than one occasion!) and off with two brand new Seat Ibizas to our fabulous
Villa Plus rented property in Siller for two weeks fun in our favourite place in the world.
Three Visits Each…………. Brisa Marina has traditionally been the restaurant we visit at the start, middle and end of our holiday. The staff are welcoming, the food superb, the Marques de Riscal tinto priced fairly and the food always reliable. That said, the Stuffed Mussel recipe has been changed a bit (they did that once before) and I wasn’t over keen. But shared starters of Battered Langoustine, Iberico Ham, Fried Whitebait were superb. The Fish Soup a big favourite too. For mains the Lamb Chops are fantastic, Fillet Steak cooked reliably blue (as my sons like it) and they really excel at fish. If you ask for the John Dory and request it filleted, it is cooked whole and then filleted by Francisco at the table – result beautifully cooked fish and no bones at all. I think that the Paella must rate as one of the very best in the Port. This year the “blind” version, with no shells or bones, was tried twice and much enjoyed. Stunning value for money.
Stay was also visited three times. A fantastic setting, great attentive service and interesting food – very different from anywhere else with imaginative dishes. They change the set menu every Tuesday, so three visits in a fortnight can be arranged with three different menus. Have a look on their website and you’ll see the menus there. Only one complaint (and it’s something I absolutely detest) – I had to ask for the bill more than once on each occasion and also request twice they to allow me to pay. On the last visit it took 25 minutes from asking for the bill to finally escaping from the restaurant – a shame to end a good meal like that. But at 34 Euros with water, a bottle of wine between two, three courses, coffee and good quality liqueurs this is a stunning bargain.
C’an Josep offers as warm a welcome as you’ll find anywhere. The excellent Iberico Ham, Prawns in Tempura Batter, Scrambled Egg with Chorizo, Mushrooms and Iberico Ham are all excellent starters. There’s a wide choice of main courses, but the fish is particularly recommended – there’s a John Dory in a sauce that is absolutely special. Steaks are good too. It’s Josep himself, and his excellent staff, that make the place. Absolutely brilliant.
Two visits each……….. What a transformation!
El Posito was off our list for a bit as we thought the food too salty, but Sparky replied to a comment I made about this and I can honestly say the food is absolutely excellent. Fantastic Iberico Ham, Stuffed Peppers, Squid and Grilled Prawns make fantastic shared starters. The Suckling Pig is just fantastic and again the fish is beyond reproach. Baron de Lay tinto sells here at 16 Euros (26 Euros at Josep) so something of a bargain too. Staff who recognise us and have been there for years make this a real treat to visit.
One visit each………. La Goleta is a long standing favourite and we stay here in June. Martin and Elke run a great hostel and restaurant and the food is always very reliable and I think they have the best Fish Soup in PP. The Chateaubriand is a real standout dish, and the Sea Bass was absolutely excellent. Marques de Caceres tinto at 16 Euros is a decent wine too. This was a beautifully paced, excellent meal served by excellent attentive staff and if you’ve never been, I highly recommend it.
Los Zarzales has been another regular of ours, though I find some of the staff a bit “strange”. Yolanda is exceptionally welcoming. We went on Flamenco Night (not really my thing as the food stops for the duration of the entertainment) but it’s good as a novelty. We ate off the set menu, not realising that the main menu was available. This was a shame, as we missed some of our favourite things, but the Baby Goat is worth a mention and we all enjoyed the food in a lovely courtyard setting with energetic dancing!
Restaurant Siller has been a fantastic find. We only go once because it feels like a real treat – a true dining experience. Probably the best Iberico Ham we had, and tapas starters that were interesting – meatballs, prawns, olives, homemade bread etc. Another great place for Suckling Pig, Lamb Chops and again fish. All beautifully prepared and much of the produce comes from the owner’s Finca. I commented on the Olive Oil, which was just outstanding, and it turns out that’s from the Finca too. I was given a big bottle of the oil as a present – what a lovely thing to do. I’m happy to report bringing it safely home with no spillages!
Our usual post dinner “watering hole” is
Joker Bar, with the genial Juan, Jonathan , Xavi and Francisco attending to our every need. There’s a new menu there and the Pa Amb Oli with Iberico Ham and Mahon Cheese is absolutely fantastic. With a new chef this is a very decent place for lunch or dinner.
So come Saturday, after two glorious hot weeks we’re off back to the airport. A bit of a queue to get into the car park, but Avis checked over the cars without drama, EasyJet checked us in straight away, the flight left and arrived on time, and the taxi home was where and when it should be. Result? Another fantastic family holiday in PP.
See you all again next year.
Duncan