Clivia, September 2011
 

We like to eat at a wide range of restaurants. There’s enjoyment for us at one of Manchester’s “curry cafes” where four quid will get you a lunch of rice and three different curries. There was enjoyment at a recent meal at a Michelin 2 star place in Rome. But, for the most part, restaurants really don’t have to get any better than Clivia. Listed in the Michelin Guide, they know one of the great “secrets” of the restaurant trade – take top quality ingredients, do very little cheffing with them, serve them up with professionalism and a smile and folk will keep coming back to enjoy.

So, a starter of prawns from Soller bay was simplicity itself. A generous portion of delicious seafood; chucked in the pan for a minute and served up with half a lemon., Nothing else was needed, except for the thoughtfully provided finger bowl.

Padron peppers were an almost refined version of the Spanish classic. Again, briskly fired and perfectly fine – although I have to confess a liking for a more rustic version – oversalted and with a distinct flavour of olive oil. I wonder what’s happened to these peppers in recent years – you used to regularly get a spicy hot one in amongst the plate but it seems some years since I last played Russian roulette with the plate.

We both went with fillet steak for main courses. Another generous portion at 300gr, these were cooked spot-on as requested – the medium rare oozing juices, the medium just with a touch of pink. They came with a couple of boiled potatoes, a little carrot and some deep fried aubergine – the best tasting aubergine we recall in a long time.

To full for dessert, we finished with excellent coffee. Clivia has a good wine list, including several half bottles, so my companion in life was a happy bunny with a choice of a Rioja. We also had a couple of bottles of water. Bill was just over €90.

Hi Harters, never went to Clivia - the no t-shirts sign put us off. However on the subject of russian roulette, it's alive and well and living in Soller! We had some peppers in Bar Espanya in the main square and although the food was nothing to write home about the peppers we not bad and I should have guessed that the one pepper that looked slightly different almost blew my head off. I was speechless for 5 minutes and my mouth didn't really recover for more like 15 minutes.
We also got "Pimientos de Padrón" as a freebie after our lunch at Ca's Pobil in the central square in Andratx, this was not so much russian roulette but certain death, they were all scorchingly hot, even the locals in the bar gave us theirs as they thought so too.

Quite agree Harters. For the last 2-3 years, I haven't found one hot one, until this year. Have now eaten Pimientos de Padron 3 times in the port, and each time there has been a hot one!

Barefoot we have found the same. A Spanish friend of mine told me last year that the reason we were not getting any "bum burners" was because they were not the real McCoy, it seems that the real thing is only grown in one area of mainland Spain :confused:.

Genuine Padron peppers are only grown around Padron.