Doing these weekly columns, I try to review a wide variety of places and include something for everyone – from traditional Mallorcan menus and exotic international dishes, to nourishing choices for the health conscious amongst us. I was pleasantly surprised to discover one such super healthy place within five minutes’ walk from my home. Since I first went there a couple of months ago, it has become my weekly “go to” place - alone, with friends or work colleagues.
This week I went there with a friend who is really focused on health and wellbeing, making it her life and hobby in one. The expectations were high and I was anxious to see whether she would be as impressed as I have been. As we walked up the stairs and entered the terrace, we admired the perfect order of the vertical garden and the variety of plants on display. I was already looking forward to hot summer afternoons here, sipping cool smoothies and munching on healthy salads.
Kale-Spinach soup.
For now, on a cold, rainy February day, we started our meal with a couple of soups, to warm our bones. Ana took a Kale-Spinach soup, which I have already tried, while I opted for a Healthy Island. We both took additional protein, in the form of lean roast chicken cubes. She asked for her portion to be of a specific weight, without salt, and our charming waitress Irina obliged, without batting an eyelid to this rather specific request. Judging by a huge grin on her face and a very few words spoken, it was obvious that Ana loved her coconut based soup with kale, spinach lime and chilly. My Healthy Island was coconut and ginger based and also contained banana (yes, in a soup!), microgreens, peanuts and a splash of sesame oil. It sounded strange, especially with a banana, but it tasted exceptional! I will definitely try it again, maybe next time swapping chicken for prawns, to go even wilder on taste.
The Healthy Island.
As we were already pretty full, we shared a main dish: a Spicy Chicken Casserole, with chickpeas, lentils, sweet potatoes and tomatoes in a harissa coriander sauce. This was topped with a dollop of (possibly vegan) cream, to add some thickness to the sauce. Another excellent dish, flavourful and aromatic!
I was surprised how filling all this healthy stuff has been, even with just a minimal addition of protein, By the time we were done with the fantastic main meal, my stomach was almost bursting, but there just had to be a tiny space in there for a spoonful of desert. Seeing that everything here was super healthy (How many times have I repeated that phrase already?), I was looking forward to a Low Carb Brownie,made with 70% cocoa ecological chocolate and no wheat flour, topped with mango ice cream, mango sauce and those lovely microgreens again. The desert was really tasty; I loved the combination of the warm brownie and cold mango ice cream and the fact that there were some greens there, making this a totally guilt free treat.
The only tiny thing that I would say could be improved in a place like this – and it has nothing to do with the food – is that I would expect filtered water to be free. I loved the name “tears of rain”, but at 2.80 euros per bottle it was rather expensive. I appreciate that we live on the island and that water is sacred, but I really appreciate the places that offer it without charge.
A lovely surprise at the end of the meal was that the Head chef Imat came out to greet us and enquire whether everything was all right. Chefs that do that always get “an extra mark” in my books. As if this place didn't already get full marks and more from me!
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