CANELA BISTRO - LUNCH

ADDRESS:  Calle Sant Jaume 13, 07012 Palma de Mallorca
TEL:  + 34 971 71 03 14

I had lunch here with my husband on a Saturday in late October and it was fine enough weather to sit on the terrace which is across the street opposite Canela Bistro outside a church.  This is very pleasant as the passing walkers and traffic do not intrude on your dining experience and it is fun to people watch and observe the horse drawn carriages passing by.

The waiter told us that the lunch menu was different to the evening menu, but as we had not dined previously in the evening we had no expectations of what might be on offer.

My husband had a glass of a white rioja which he thoroughly enjoyed but, sadly, that was the last glass of the last bottle so he followed this with a couple of glasses of verdejo which was very drinkable but not as good as the white rioja - perhaps that's why the last bottle had been drunk dry!  As it was lunch time I was happy with a glass of sparkling mineral water - Fonter which is not over-gassy.

The menu offered snacks as well as more substantial dishes and we chose 2 of the more substantial dishes - a porcini risotto with hake for my husband and linguine with prawns in a tomato, garlic and chilli sauce.  They looked extremely appetising upon their arrival with a little touch of rosemary to garnish the risotto and a sprinkle of saffron for the linguine.

Linguine with prawns in a tomato, garlic & chilli sauce

Porcini risotto with hake

We both had to try one another's as they looked so delicious.  The risotto was full of herb and porcini flavour and the hake served on top was succulent and cooked to perfection.  The linguine had several large shelled prawns which were everything a fresh prawn should be, the linguine was also cooked to perfection and the sauce was a rich delight of tomato, garlic and chilli flavours.

Although I could have stopped at the main course I was intrigued to try a dessert and was torn between the two on offer - passion fruit sorbet with chocolate mousse on top or banofee pie.  I plumped for the latter which was served in a glass tumbler.  The base was a dark slightly salty crunchy crumbed biscuit and was topped with delicate chunks of banana, a delicious vanilla ice cream and a topping of coconut infused cream.  It was not as rich as it sounds and the portion size was just right.  I finished with a perfectly made cortado.

Banoffee Pie

As a food experience this was faultless.  However, the service was a little slow as the restaurant was full of diners - not surprising given the delights on offer.  The waiter did apologise for the slow service and explained why.  We were not in a hurry and were quite happy with the pace of serving but this may not suit everyone.  I think the food is definitely worth waiting a little longer for and the waiting staff were pleasant and friendly.

We shall be back soon to try what's on offer for dinner.

The cost was a very reasonable €51.