CANELA - DINNER

Address:  Calle Sant Jaume 13, 07012 Palma de Mallorca
Telephone:  00 34 971 71 03 14

I have visited Canela on several occasions since November 2015 for both lunch and dinner and this time I went with my husband and 2 friends for dinner in April 2016.

The restaurant was closed for several weeks from February 2016 for an internal refurbishment.  The ambience is similar to before but has smart new wooden floors as well as a low bar table which surrounds the kitchen on 2 sides from where you can watch the chefs preparing your meal.

The staff are the same and give you a warm welcome on entering the restaurant.

The first time we ate after the refurbishment the service was rather too relaxed for our liking and the size of some of the main courses was variable to the point that some were more like the size of starters.  We fed this back to the restaurant staff who were most grateful for the feedback.

We were given the choice of sitting at a table in the restaurant or at the table surrounding the kitchen but we decided upon the table in the restaurant which is more conducive to conversation if there are 4 people.

Our drinks order was taken quickly and menus supplied.  I had an acceptable G&T and the rest of the party chose a white wine which was a combination of verdejo and another grape (whose name I have forgotten) from a Mallorcan vineyard.  We also ordered a large bottle of still water.  This was deemed very drinkable as evidenced by the partaking of 2 bottles.

The waiter assisted us in choosing our starters as well as the main courses.

We shared a selection of "Bites" for starters which included delicious mushroom and truffle croquettes with a light cheese foam sauce,  grilled white asparagus with a soft egg yolk as a dip which was different, small pork dumplings which were given the thumbs up by half the table and an average rating by the other 2 diners and a tasty pork and vegetable delight on a toasted bread.  All of these filled a spot and whetted our appetites for the main courses.

For mains two of us chose the suckling pig which was deliciously tender with flavours of Asia, one chose the beef sirloin and the other the blackened cod, both of which were described as delicious.

None of us had room for dessert but 2 of us had cortados - nicely made.

We had been advised that we could have a table from 8 pm to 10 pm when we made the reservation as the restaurant was very busy that night and this was th the only way of accommodating us.  However, the pace of service was not hurried and we enjoyed our meal in the time allowed and were gone from the table just before 10 pm.

The total bill was €216 for 4 which is a bit more than you might pay in some other restaurants but the combination of excellent ingredients cooked with imagination and flair, the ambience, welcoming staff and efficient service means that we shall definitely be back.