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28. June 2014: Restaurant Béns D’Avall

| July 14, 2014 | 0 Comments

WOW! I mean, WOW! This place really blew my mind. For a change let’s not talk about the food as a first thing but let’s talk about the place. It is adventurous to find the place as it is located somehow not really where the majority of tourists on Mallorca are. However, once you have found it (and believe me without a navigation system you won’t) you will know why it was worth the drive. The view you have onto the ocean is absolutely spectacular and breath-taking.

There is not really a menu to pick from but there is just one (!) menu – and not to pick from. The tasting menu you are offered accounts (taking all courses) for EUR 82.00 and starts with a nice selection of different nuts. At first I was thinking what the hell is this but I decided that it was a good idea after I had tried the different nuts which were flavoured with local paprika, pure roasted almonds and sweetened pistaccio.

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The first official course of the menu was called “The crackers & snacks” which consisted of “mushrooms with chicken breast and melon” which was not only smooth and tender in consistency but also absolutely flavourful and nicely balanced of with the sweetness of the melon. The little salad which was served with it, a combination of “tomato, onion, and green papers with sardines and black olives” was not only refreshing but also made a great combination with the saltiness of the fish and the rahter balanced flavour of the vegetables.

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The next course already sounded interesting, the “80’s cuisine tribute: seafood cocktail with watermelon “sangría” sounded promising and literally had mouth-watering effects the moment I saw it. It was “watermelon rested in Sangria with a watermelon emulsion as a basis”. On each little cube there was another “topping”, so to say. It started with a shrimp. And, oh my god, this shrimp was probably the smoothes, most tender shrimp I have had in my entire life. And it was not only overwhelmingly tender it was also slightly sweet. The next cube had “sea cucumber” on it – now after my first experience I had approximately one year ago with sea cucumbers I was not really fond of it as it was chewy and everything but this one was a whole other story – again tender. Last but not least the mussles were fine too. Overall, the perfect creation as it had everything, sweetness, the taste of the sea and the perfect combination of flavours.

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The next course were “Majorcan lobster ravioli” …

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… with a Minorcan “caldereta” sauce. The ravioli were rich and taste intense but the caldereta sauce (also made of lobster) was overwhelmingly intense but still to a level which was pleasant. Frankly though, if it would have been any more intense, it would have been too much, but luckily it was not.

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The main course was “eggplant, linking ingredient of all Mediterranean cuisines, texturized and accompanied with local coastal fish with a lime orange emulsion and red pepper sauce”. Again, you had everything, the crispiness of the fried eggplant mixture, the refreshing element of the little tower to the right mainly made of eggplant, the sweet and sour of the lime and orange emulsion and last but not least the disembling consistency of the fish.

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The second main course was the “‘Quely’ suckling pig: cooked like a picatta with vegetables and a “pot a feu” from its own juice with herbs and caper mayonnaise”. Frankly, this dish was – compared to the others – a bit disappointing. While not bad at core and the suckling pig really disembled when you touched it with the fork (once you were through the layer of fried stuff) the fried crust was just too thick and on the other hand somehow not dried out so it would be kind of gluey. Else, the vegetables were good as was the caper mayonnaise.

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The next course was already the “pre-dessert: red sheep milk curd, vanilla-roasted apricots and amaretto sorbet” which was again lovely (and not only because of the picture and its background). The red sheep milk curd did not have a sheep taste (as products from the sheep somehow often tend to have) and the vanilla-roasted apricots were lovely – especially in the combination with the amaretto sorbet.

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The actual dessert was a bit heavier but not any less interesting. It was a “popular snack inspired desserts, June: “Oreo” Béns d’Avall. cocoa sablée, tonka bean caramel, citrus mascarpone, caramel and salted butter ice cream, and a chocolate and cherry drink”. The cherry drink was unfortunately a bit too frozen which was a shame as it made it more of a sorbet than of a drink (and especially as the waiter had recommended to <em>drink</em> it before the dessert. However, the dessert itself was incredibly nice as it was a modern interpretation of the Oreo cookie and was highly appealing in taste. Especially the tonka bean caramel and the sour cherries in combination with the icecream really made it a great dish.

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To finish off this several hours lunch, “petits fours (peppermint cake, maracuja jelly, cocos cake)” were served and I must say that I liked them all very much. It was the perfect ending of a great lunch in an even greater atmosphere. Frankly, you forgive basically everything when you have lunch here as the place is so amazing that you tend to care way less about everything around. However, there is nothing to forgive with regards to dishes.

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The only thing which was a tiny bit disappointing was the service. Not because it was bad, not at all, the waiter as well as the waitresses were professional to a high degree (sometimes the plates were not brought / taken from the correct side) but in the beginning the waiting time until something happened was with approximately 15 minutes too high – especially as there was only one other table (with approximately 20 Germans though to be fair). Still, at this level, I do expect a certain attention to the customer – even if there is a table with 20 guys. Else, nothing to complain.

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Last but not least, the price of EUR 82.00 for the tasting menu is more than okay for the quality of food you get. The two owners / chefs Benet and Jaume Vicens do a great job, so does their team, and the food is amazing – and even more is the view. When you are going to Mallorca, visiting the Restaurant Béns D’Avall is a MUST.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Béns D’Avall

07100 Sóller (E)

Tel.: +34 971 63 23 81

E-Mail: info@bensdavall.com

Homepage: http://www.bensdavall.com

About the Author:

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.
EUR 115.00 (incl. tip) Filed in: Palma de Mallorca (E), Restaurants
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