( On the Waterfront 1954 Marlon Brando/Eva Marie Saint)
It was with much interest that we returned to PP this summer to try out the totally rebuilt restaurants on the waterfront.
la llonjawhich opened, I believe in January and , of course,
Staywhere we all held our breath in anticipation and somewhat disbelief that it would open in time for the season and unlikely in June ( see postings passim).
Let's get it straight from the start, both places sell ambience and with a fixed price menu del dia of 28 Euros at LL and 30 Euros at Stay they are both competing in the same market place and virtually the same location. For this price you get a three course meal plus wine & water and usually a choice of 3/4 starters and the same choice for the mains.The food is usually good but not outstanding but what they thrive on is service and location. In
llonja you look towards the Pinewalk from a courtyard type setting and in Stay across the bay towards Alcudia. From here on a lovely evening you feel like a million dollars sitting by the water's edge
( see my imaginary date with Claudia Shiffer on page 10 )
Prior to our arrival we had heard from friends that Stay had expanded by about 50% with a new building and decking but a few feet further away from the waterside.We were also a bit concerned to hear that they were having a few teething problems and that food had been sent back cold etc. and many were coming to the opinion that la Llonja had gained the upperhand.
So, we started at la llonja and were impressed by the general level of service but not totally overwhelmed by the food although this was mainly down to individual choices from menu de dia.Nice setting though on a warm evening and on the whole it delivered the ambience expected. We got a bit irritated though when the change from la cuenta ( and commented on previously by friends) was not parrticularly forthcoming. I suspect we all like to decide how much to tip and it just left a slightly sour note to what had generally been a pleasant evening.
The following week we tried the new Stay for the first time and it was difficult to criticise apart from my main course being delivered 15 mins after my dining companions. However it felt like the old Stay and it would be churlish to be too critical from this one instance. We enjoyed it so much we booked again for the following week . On this occasion everything was fine and it was pleasing to hear the manager tell a table behiind us
( I suspect old returnees) that they were pleased but admitting they had had a few teething problems. After all if you recognise a problem you can always iron it out.
Bonyladette's friend reckoned that the loo doors in the ladies are too translucent though cos she could faintly see bodily functions being carried out whilst applying her lippy !!!!
So it's going to be interesting to observe these two "slugging it out" in the future. You can get better food in PP but hard to beat the ambience on those lovely evenings we all enjoy there.
What does anyone else think ?
BonysLad