Really looking forward to 2010

One thing I'm going to do tonight is lock up the cats. I'm not blaming them (well...OK...I am) but Archie shot through the door before Keith could do his first footing last New Year's Eve and it hasn't exactly been a wonderful year. I will greet him at the door with some money, a drink and something to eat (finding a lump of coal is a bit harder) and hopefully, 2010 will get off to a better start!

Florida - 30th of April to the 6th of May, 2009

No journal, sadly. A selection of photographs:

 

Restaurant reviews Mallorca 2008

 Ca'n Costa - Friday 22 August 2008

Our last night on holiday and we wanted to go home with fond memories, so again, we chose Ca'n Costa. We'd booked the evening before and after a drink at a lovely little cafe at the bottom of the Calvari steps, we made our way back to one of our favourite restaurants for a last supper.

We studied the menu on the sofas (this time with a glass of fizzy water for us adults... hubby wasn't feeling too good) and I decided to go for the asparagus and parmesan quiche followed by the chicken.

Hubby had managed to persuade our daughter to go with the cod and asked if they could serve it without the sauce for her. My son went for the chicken breast again but opted for the vegetable soup for a starter along with my husband. He wanted to try the lamb I had eaten the previous week.

We ordered a bottle of the Son Bordils Syrah as it was our last night and it was wonderful to see it decanted at our table. My son's eyes were huge as the waiter poured the wine into a special decanter that "sprayed" the fluid against the sides.

"It's being woken up," I said, eyeing his expression.

"Wine isn't woken up!" he replied, laughing.

"It is," I said. And when, after a short while, I was invited to taste it, I can honestly say it was alive and kicking!

The meal was as good as ever. My quiche was delicious, the pastry light and crumbly with a gorgeous creamy filling. Hubby and son demolished the soup and I was careful to give my bread roll to my son, hoping that tonight I would have room for dessert.

My daughter loved her cod, pronouncing it the best she'd ever tasted. Hubby thought his lamb was delicious (especially the sauce) while I enjoyed my chicken which had been wrapped in bacon and stuffed with mozzarella cheese. The dish was served with a little tower of potato cakes and sliced tomatoes.

Amazingly, I found room for pudding - the ultimate comfort food - rice pudding with a fruit compote. Heaven!

The restaurant was pleasantly busy with a large party eating and several smaller tables occupied.

As always, the service was attentive and friendly, and we were all made to feel very special.

The bill came to 149 euros.

Restaurant reviews Mallorca 2008

 La Placeta - Thursday 21 August 2008

Remember what I said about expectations? Obviously, I lied when I said that I no longer had expectations because I had high expectations of La Placeta (especially if Bonyslad was a fan) and we went out of our way to ensure we reserved a table at this restaurant, part of the Hotel Son Sant Jordi.

During the day we followed the road signs in Pollensa, found out where it was and then parked the car and walked up to study the menu which looked very good and had dishes that would suit the children. The British woman who took our reservation was friendly and I experienced a little glow of anticipation at eating in the pretty, palm-shaded square.

In the evening we finally lost patience with the terrible service at the Café Espanyol (yes…my favourite bar…) and it seemed that this was the start of an evening that very sadly, went from bad to worse. Maybe the Gods were punishing me for sitting smugly at the Bar Alhambra and watching people wander by looking slightly confused about where they were going to eat. I was OK, I told myself with a little smile. I knew where we were going to eat, and what’s more… we were going to have a great night! Haha!

At the appointed time we strolled past Ca’n Costa and carried on down the street to the beautiful little square, the imposing church on one side, the Hotel Son Sant Jordi on the other. About five tables were set up under the palm trees and we were shown to one by a waitress who then went to serve a table of about eight people.

So we waited…and waited…

After about fifteen minutes, and just as I was about to suggest we leave and go somewhere else (and therefore join the ranks of the wandering restaurant hunters) the Spanish waitress asked if we would like a drink. The children chose coca cola while hubby ordered a large beer. I asked to see the wine list and was given the menu. I chose the Macia Batle Blanc de Blancs, priced at 19 euros, as hubby and I had both decided to have the chicken after remembering it from looking at the menu earlier.

The drinks arrived, by which time we’d all had a look at the one menu, sharing it around between us. I was a bit surprised to see the children’s drinks arrive as cans of coke with no accompanying glasses, while hubby’s beer was smaller than he had wanted. By now his thirst was akin to that of a man who had been in the desert for a few weeks…

We were given bread, butter and olives and we ordered our meals. We decided to skip starters because it was getting late and the children chose chicken goujons and spaghetti. Hubby changed his mind about the chicken and went for the steak in pepper sauce. My mouth watered at the thought of the chicken stuffed with dates and bacon…

The wine duly arrived - already opened and just plonked on the table without ceremony, unlike the party behind who were given an ice bucket. By now our little table was crammed with cans, wine glasses and plates and on the uneven terrace, I feared it would topple over!

The wine was delicious and as waited for our food it went down rapidly. What else is there to do but drink when your meal takes an age to arrive?

The tables around us seemed to be also waiting for their food and we’d reached the point where relaxed service is no service. Hubby disappeared into the hotel to go to the loo and while he was gone, the British male (head?) waiter appeared and asked me if everything was OK.

“No, it’s not,” I replied. “We’ve been waiting over an hour for our food and I’m not happy.” He didn’t see me stamping my foot under the table.

Whilst I was berating the waiter, hubby was similarly having a go at the poor waitress. She said there had been “problems” and that we would get our food in just a minute.

When hubby returned he said that we would wait five minutes and then go. We waited two minutes and our meals appeared.

Remember those descriptions? Mmmm… steak in a pepper sauce… chicken stuffed with dates… I imagined them as full and plump bursting with flavour, and oh, yes… the bacon…

Hmmm… hubby described the sauce as being like oxo cubes mixed with boiling water and poured over the steak with a few peppercorns added for good measure. My chicken breast had been cut in half and a tiny shrivelled date inserted in the top of each portion. Of bacon, there was no sign. The meals were served with new potatoes, carrots and broccoli. The children seemed fine with their meals, but my son could have eaten three of the spaghetti and my daughter was by now so hungry I think she would have eaten her own leg. In fact, my son told me he was eating his own nails earlier, he was so famished…

When the meals arrived, the male waiter apologised but said that it was our fault - we had to wait so long as we hadn‘t “ordered starters”.

“What?” I said. “I’ve never heard of that excuse before.”

I‘m afraid his reply was rude and sarcastic, saying that the kitchen cooked all the starters at the same time, but we‘d seen people receiving their food at different times and it was a poor excuse for terrible service.

We hurriedly ate our meal and then asked for the bill. The poor waitress seemed genuinely upset and kept apologising but it wasn’t her fault. We wouldn't have minded so much if the staff had been honest with us. Maybe there had been a problem (perhaps the chef had called in sick?) but the arrogant and sarcastic response was unforgivable.

The couple behind us, witnesses to the fuss, agreed with us and said that they had only eaten at the hotel because it was free and part of their accommodation deal.

So, all in all, a sad and very disappointing night and writing this review, heavy with my own sarcasm, gives me no pleasure at all. I can only think we had hit the restaurant on a bad night and that our experience was rare, but I certainly won’t be returning - not when the other delights of Pollensa are so close by.

The bill came to 65 euros.

Restaurant reviews Mallorca 2008

Ca’n Pacienci - Wednesday 20 August 2008

It had been a long time since we’d eaten at this restaurant situated on the main Pollensa-Puerto Pollensa road, but we were determined to go back this year and enjoy the lovely food and ambience that we’d always enjoyed in the past. So we booked a table during the day by telephone, just to make sure we could be fitted in.

After a relaxing drink at the Daina in PP, we arrived and found just a few other tables occupied. In the past, there had been tables set up inside the beautiful old bougainvillaea-covered building, but this evening there were about seven or eight set up on the terrace.

Dudley made us feel very welcome and said that they would be happy to serve half portions for the children if required as they don’t do a children’s menu. One of the long-standing waiters was there and we were very happy to see him as he is lovely and friendly and a real character.

We studied the menu while happily munching on bread and butter! Yes, butter!!! There was also some delicious pate and olives and more bread was brought out with a smile. I chose a bottle of Sangre de Toro wine from Torres which was lovely - very fruity and easy to drink.

For starters, we all had the tomato soup which was delicious and very tasty. The children loved it and we were told that we could have as much bread as we wanted which was great.

Our main courses arrived very quickly after the starters. Hubby had chosen the half duck with stuffing and gravy while I opted for the tiger prawn curry, which I requested a little hotter than normal. The children chose the fried scampi and Dudley told us that they were using the same tiger prawns for this dish as my curry.

Hubby and I were more than happy with our main courses. My curry was delicious - hot and spicy and served with boiled rice and a crinkly poppadum. Hubby’s smallish duck came served with fried potatoes, cauliflower cheese and green beans.

Unfortunately, the children were not happy with their scampi and looking back, I think we made a mistake with ordering the dish for them as they are not used to seafood. The prawns themselves were fine and cooked beautifully but I’ll forever remember my son gamely chewing away on a prawn and holding it by the tail, determined he was going to enjoy it!

To make up for their main courses the children chose the chocolate pot and the sticky toffee pudding for dessert which they enjoyed immensely.

The bill came to 146 euros and we felt that, although good, the food was over-priced. Our soup was 8 euros, almost £7.00 in sterling. Starters range from 8 euros to about 24 euros with the average price at around 12-15 euros. The main courses were around 18-25 euros while desserts were 8 to 10 euros. The set menu is no longer available but a lot of the dishes are still there, with the emphasis on duck and fish.

Restaurant reviews Mallorca 2008

Bistro Mar, Cala San Vicente - Tuesday 19 August 2008

I love Cala San Vicente. In fact, if I ever found myself lucky enough to be able to buy a property in Mallorca, I would love to live there. So I was looking forward to eating in the resort and in particular to trying out another new restaurant - Bistro Mar, formerly known as Bistro Balaixa, which is situated just along the road from Molins beach.

We arrived early in the evening and parked in the car park opposite, before strolling over the road and checking out the menu. It looked very appealing so we booked a table for 8pm and then went and enjoyed a drink or two in the Bar Mallorca nearby.

When we arrived there were still a few tables free, but the outside terrace filled up rapidly so booking is advisable.

Arnie immediately made us feel very welcome and was chatty and friendly, even sitting at the table with us and discussing the menu when hubby popped to the loo. Mandy was also very friendly and it’s obvious this couple know and love what they are doing. Another waitress was also friendly and attentive and all three had smiles on their faces and a welcoming air.

The menu is great and includes lots of tapas dishes, pasta, curry, fish of the day, lamb and burgers. We chose a couple of portions of cheesy garlic bread to start, followed by the three cheese tagliatelle for my daughter (who I have to say stuffed herself back at the villa with alioli and bread and therefore hadn‘t much of an appetite). My son chose the chicken curry and requested it quite hot while hubby and I went for the shoulder of lamb in a Rioja sauce.

The lamb was served on a bed of tomatoes, peppers and onions with huge potato wedges and was tender and delicious. But, beware… it was a large portion! My son enjoyed his curry and it really was quite hot, but can be adapted to taste. My daughter picked out some of the cheese (the variety we enjoy with the mouldy bits in!) but enjoyed her pasta very much.

Only my son found room for dessert - a delicious chocolate mousse with a puff pastry wedge.

Whilst you’re there check out the loos which bear lots of hallmarks of the old Balaixa, including individual flannels and some lovely lotions and potions. I also spotted a lovely lounge area with lots of candles that I presume is for drinks before the meal. Bistro Mar is a great, very atmospheric place with a wonderful relaxing feel to it.

The bill came to 109 euros which included a couple of glasses of wine and lots of mineral water - another scorching night!

Restaurant reviews Mallorca 2008

 El Temple restaurant, Pollenca - Saturday 16 August 2008

Even now, just over a week after we ate at this lovely little restaurant I still feel a warm glow inside when I think back to our evening there. It’s certainly attracted some great reviews and I was looking forward to experiencing it for myself.

We’d made sure of a table by booking the evening before and when we arrived we were shown through to the pretty courtyard at the back of the restaurant. My daughter nearly threw a pre-teenage tantrum when she sat down and was almost swallowed up by a tree (one of many that make this terrace so beautiful) but after some shifting of the table, she was eventually happy.

There’s an almost medieval air about El Temple…maybe it’s the stone carving outside the restaurant or the stone walls within, but it sums up just how much I love the old town of Pollensa and her beautiful ancient buildings.

Another reason for liking this restaurant was the head waiter who simply loves his job (or gives the impression he does). He was wonderful - very chatty and friendly and was more than happy to give us more bread to go with our olives and aioli - I wonder who ate all the alioli? 

We ordered starters of herring and mango salad (hubby) and shrimp and avocado salad (me). Mine was superb - big succulent prawns and avocado bathed in a Marie Rose and Balsamic vinegar sauce nestled on a huge pile of salad. It would have done for a main course!

For main courses the children chose beef stew, hubby went for the rabbit which he enjoyed, while I plumped for the pork in a honey and curry sauce. My pork was plentiful and came served on a skewer with the delicious sauce. The children wolfed down their beef stew which looked delicious - the big chunks of beef were very tender. Each dish was accompanied by sauteed potatoes and vegetables (courgettes, green beans and carrots).

I ordered a bottle of the Son Bordils Negre - at 14% it reminded me of a French Chateauneuf-du-Pape with its blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo, Callet and Syrah grape varieties and was smooth, full-bodied and fruity.

Hubby and I were too stuffed for dessert but the children found room for a mousse each - one was white and the other dark chocolate. The waiter wound them up and brought four spoons but we were happy to see them lick their plates clean!

The bill came to 100 euros which I thought was fantastic value and when we went to pay inside we received a complimentary brandy - a lovely touch and a great way of ending an evening that will live in my memory for a long time.