While I love trying new cuisines and discovering new flavours, every so often I crave just some simple “meat, fish, and greens”. It was fortunate, then, that I was invited to Sa Fumata, a stylish-looking restaurant on the outskirts of Santa Catalina in Palma for just that kind of a meal. Ottilia, the Hungarian-Swedish half of the couple that owns Sa Fumata, greeted me with a broad smile and a warm welcome reserved only for long-term friends, even though we have only been in touch via WhatsApp till now.
It was a relatively quiet midweek night and we had time for some small talk before my friend arrived. We started the evening with a couple of excellent cocktails, expertly prepared by their barman who enjoyed telling us about his creations. But more on that in my cocktail column, some other time…
Back to food. Ottilia suggested that we try a meat dish and a fish dish, so we went for grilled, lightly smoked salmon and smoked secreto Iberico. I was intrigued by “smoked smetana” in baby potato with smoked smetana, herbs and avruga caviar, so we ordered a portion of that to share and rounded out the meal with a bowl of green salad. This selection kind of reminded me of a Sunday lunch my mum would make, that consisted of grilled or roast meat, some sort of potatoes and obligatory green salad. I loved it! Both salmon and the meat were perfectly cooked and tasted excellent, without any gimmicks.
They were lightly smoked and delicious. Salmon had a light crust with a melt in your mouth soft, flaky centre. Iberico was also scrumptiously soft and just on the right side of salty, without being overbearing. The smetana, a dairy product produced by souring heavy cream, added an intriguing sour contrast to roast baby potatoes while avruga (a herring-based caviar substitute) added a touch luxury to this simple side dish. Together with a sprig or two of dill on the potatoes, it served as a subtle nod to the owners’ Swedish heritage.
I loved this simple meal where the quality of ingredients, rather than sauces and wacky preparation techniques, played a main role in the experience. Even the presentation, while simple, was nonetheless classy.
We concluded our experience with an interesting dessert comprising dark chocolate terrine, orange segments, white chocolate mousse and smoked almonds. I loved the fact that the smoky theme was consistently carried through to the dessert. The combination of contrasting flavours and textures ensured that from start to finish we were pleasantly surprised and thoroughly satisfied with our evening at Sa Fumata. As Ottilia told us that they will soon add some smoked ribs to their menu, we agreed that we would be back as soon as next week!
The place: Sa Fumata - Carrer de Cotoner 16, Palma
Tel: 871 05 81 78
Instagram: @safumata
Opening hours: Friday and Saturday from 1pm to 1am / Wednesday and Thursday from 7pm to 12.30am
Prices: Grilled, lightly smoked salmon 17 euros / Smoked secreto Iberico 19 euros / Green salad 4.50 euros / Potato with smoked smetana and avruga caviar 10 euros
The verdict: Excellent quality meat and fish, satisfyingly smokey and absolutely delicious! Surprisingly great cocktails for a restaurant whose focus is on food rather than drinks. Also, more than reasonable price/quality ratio.
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