TIERRA DE GRACIA - SUPPER

Address:      Calle Missio 15B, Palma 07003
Telephone:  00 34 971 590 535
Website:      www.surtierradegracia.com

I went here with my husband on a Thursday evening in August.  I booked a table for 8 pm for the two of us thinking that in August it could be very busy. However, many locals go away in August and when we turned up at the restaurant it was completely empty.  

We were greeted by a very professional and welcoming waiter and given the pick of the tables in the restaurant.  We chose one overlooking the internal patio which we were told was not used for dining so as not to disturb the neighbours.

In spite of being decorated in an industrial style, the restaurant had a comfortable and calm ambience.

Our drinks orders were taken quickly and menus brought to the table with the drinks menu.  I had a very generous and well made Hendricks G&T and my husband had a glass of Verdejo white wine which was served at a good temperature as were the glasses of Ribeira del Duero red wines which he followed with.  Both wines were more than drinkable.

We decided to share a starter of prawns in Venezuelan rum.  The prawns were beautifully fresh and perfectly cooked and the sauce was not too alcoholic, with a dash of hot spice, and contained halves of cherry tomatoes.  This was accompanied by tasty and crisp homemade kettle chips.

For mains we went with the waiter's recommendations - veal tenderloin for my husband and sea bass for me.  Like the prawns the ingredients were beautifully fresh and cooked to perfection.  The sea bass was slightly crisp on one side and I was worried that it would be overcooked, but it was succulent and tasty beneath and I enjoyed the contrasting textures of crispness and succulence.  The veal was served with mashed potatoes, vegetables and a black sauce and was a good-sized portion.  The sea bass was served with roast new potatoes and miniature batons of sweet potato.  Again this was a good-sized portion.

Although I was pretty full I was curious to try a dessert and ordered the rosemary panna cotta with strawberry jus.  This was delightfully light to finish on and the rosemary gave the panna cotta an excellent piquancy and the strawberry jus had just the right amount of sweetness.

Finally I had a cortado (espresso with a shot of hot milk) to end the meal.

We complimented the waiter on the food and the chef, one of the Venezuelan partners in the family business, came out of the kitchen and answered our questions about the meal in a very charming way and was happy to talk about with us about his cooking as well as life in Venezuela.

The meal came to €83 without the tip and we felt this was a fair price for a very good quality dinner and drinks.

We really hope that this restaurant thrives, as it is in a back street parallel to La Rambla which means that it does not get too much foot fall.  It is certainly one that we will return to.

TOQUE DE QUEDA - SUPPER

Address:          Carrer de Can Cavalleria, 15B, 07012 Palma, Illes Balears

Telephone:       00 34 971 21 38 10

This is one of my husband and my favourite haunts as it is close to where we live and the quality is consistent every time.

We went there on a Tuesday evening in August having booked a table by text at lunchtime as they were not open the previous day as it was a fiesta and they were not open at lunchtime on the day that we wanted to go.  I received a text almost immediately to confirm that a table would be available for 6 of us.  At this time of year it is best to book as it is popular with both tourists and locals alike.

On arrival we were given a warm welcome and offered the choice of 2 shared tables - one with high chairs by the door and the other further into the restaurant with normal height dining chairs.  We chose the one with normal height chairs as one of our party has short legs!


The restaurant is in an old bakery and much of it remains as was so it is more shabby than chic but this adds to the charm of it.

Our drinks order - sparkling water, beer, white wine and and G&T - was taken quickly and brought to the table equally quickly at which time we ordered our choices of food.

We shared the table with a party of about 5 French people with a baby in a small pram.  The baby was sleeping until my husband started speaking a very loud voice which wakened her.  However, the French people calmed the baby and she soon went back to sleep.

We ordered a selection of tapas and a tabla of Italian cold meats.  Our tapas were carpaccio of courgettes with avocado and parmesan shavings accompanied by delicious balsamic vinegar (you can buy this to take away) x 2; burrata mozzarella with dried tomatoes and salad x 2; oven-cooked new potatoes with tomato mayonnaise x 4; crystal bread x 2; anchovies in olive oil x1.  We found this to be more than enough for 6 of us.  The taste of every dish was a delight due to each being made with fresh ingredients and each was presented in an appetising way.

To finish we had 2 portions of homemade brownies and a home made panna cotta with caramelised condensed milk, together with 4 coffees.   Each dessert was just the right size and tasted wonderful.

The cost came to €50 per couple including tip.  We felt this to be excellent value for money and will continue to be regulars here.

FOSH LAB - DINNER

Address:         Carrer d'En Morei, 5, 07001 Palma, Illes Balears

Telephone:      00 34 971 59 53 01

My husband took me here a couple of weeks after it opened on a Wednesday night in August as a welcome home treat after I had been away for nearly 3 weeks.

It is very tastefully decorated in muted colours in an industrial style.  The seating was extremely comfortable dining chairs and banquettes and there were  food-themed painted glass panels on the walls.

We were immediately welcomed in a friendly and professional way and taken to have a look at the in-restaurant kitchen area where some of the dishes were being prepared.  A novel feature was a plasma screen TV mounted above this area which enabled diners to see their food being prepared.

Our drinks order was taken quickly and my husband was delighted that Nou Nat white wine was on the wine list and he confirmed it to be excellent as always.  I had a very well made gin and tonic.


Our waiter was very attentive and friendly in a professional way, as were all the staff and he was there when my husband's wine glass needed topping up and explained each dish as he brought it.

The menu was a tasting menu of 9 dishes with no a la carte menu.  However, we noticed at the next table a vegetarian alternative was offered in place of the meat course.   The menu changes weekly.  Every course was elegantly presented as you would expect in a Marc Fosh restaurant.

Our first course was a delicate ensemble of 4 small tasters - prawn cracker, marinated tuna, melon consommé and bao filled with sour cream and caviar.  Each taster was well flavoured, but not exquisite.

Next was a carpaccio of red prawns with anise, samphire and watermelon.  This had a good blend of flavours but for me the watermelon slightly overwhelmed the prawn flavour.

Following on was slow cooked tomato with smoked cheese, basil and black olives.   This was tasty but the tomato was too chilled for my liking.

Next was Acquarello rice with capers, pollen and green asparagus pearls.  This was the best course so far - full of interesting flavours and an excellent texture and the first course that left a satisfied feeling.

A frozen lemon with thyme and citronella palate cleanser followed and this did the job well.

Sea bass with roasted corn, black radish, sous-vide stir-fried onions and lime came next.  This was cooked to perfection and all the flavours worked well together.  

Whales (this is what the menu said but I think it perhaps should have been Wales/Welsh) lamb with celery puree, roasted garlic, onion powder and parsley clorofila was next.  The lamb was cooked to perfection and the accompaniments worked well with it.  At this point my husband ordered a Ribera del Duero red wine which, like the Nou Nat, was excellent.

Two separate desserts were served.  The first was raspberries stuffed with red pepper, coconut ice cream and "crispy" yogurt.  This was tasty but not remarkable, unlike the second one.  It was chocolate and coffee cream with milk jelly, chicory, dandelion and liquorice and was absolutely fantastic.  I could have eaten a lot more of this even though it was the final dish of the menu.

I ordered a cortado to go with the petit fours which were included in the tasting menu and a nice finishing touch.

The bill came to well over €200 (including the tip) as my husband had had several glasses of white wine as well as a couple of glasses of red wine and the sparkling water and cortado were added extras.  My husband said he still felt hungry at the end of the meal, but I felt pleasantly sated.

As a dining experience this was very pleasant, but we felt that there are other fine dining restaurants in Palma where a similar or better meal could be had at a more reasonable price.

We won't be rushing back but it might suit foodies who want to have an interesting dining experience in classy surroundings.