Es Moli Restaurant Review, Sant Elm

The scenery in this part of the island is very tropical. With gentle pine-covered hills, palm trees and aquamarine seas, you can almost imagine that you are in the Caribbean.

This is not a built up resort - in fact there are only four hotels - so we had thought to stop at one of the little rustic fish restaurants on the front and enjoy the lovely sea views. But as we trundled just beyond the town centre, we passed by a rather discrete but stylish looking restaurant called Es Moli.

A quick emergency stop, and we parked up. We popped our heads through the entrance and were immediately impressed. With chill out tunes playing in the contemporary bar area, it had a distinct Ibiza-esque feel. Walking through the bar, we were greeting by the manager who asked if we would like to be seated in the front terrace or the rear interior courtyard dining area. We chose the interior courtyard, with it's white tables, immaculate stone walls and stylishly arranged plants. The Frenchman was pleased to see man-sized, chunky glass tumblers on the tables.

The extensive menu has an Asian feel to it, although it also includes straightforward grilled meats and fish. As we scanned the menu, fresh warm bread arrived, with a wonderfully garlicy aoli and some green olives. Once we had ordered, we were delighted to be offered a tuna tartare on a crostini as an apetizer. Marinated in lemon, the tuna was fresh and delicious. We had treated ourselves to a glass of wine each (rose for me, white for the Frenchman) - both were chilled to perfection and were served in large elegant glasses. As we started to relax into our surroundings, our starter that we had chosen to share arrived. A plate of prawn tempura, served with a spicy sweet and sour sauce was highly successful - the Frenchman had scoffed his half of the six prawns before I had even eaten one. Big and succulent, the prawns had also been de-veined (which has not always been our experience in Mallorca), and the tempura batter was light and crispy. We were relieved that the quality of the food so far matched the surroundings.

After a suitable break between courses, the Frenchman was served his main of red tuna with a green curry sauce. A big fat piece of tuna, it was served still pink in the middle. The creamy green curry sauce had a delicate flavour that did not overpower the tuna - in fact it was a perfect marriage of flavours. My beef stroganoff was not your typical creamy dish served with rice. It was more stroganoff a la Mediterranean. The strips of tender beef filet were accompanied by a rich (but only slightly creamy) sauce of red & yellow peppers, mushrooms and gherkins. It was utterly fantastic. A very good potato dauphinoise completed my meal.

We were offered dessert, but on this occasion, we declined. The manager very kindly suggested that we might like a drink on the house, and despite our protestations, brought us each a glass of herbal Mallorcan liqueur, served on the rocks. A fine way to finish a meal.

Our lunch came to €60. And we absolutely loved it. It has become one of our favourite restaurants on the island, because of the quality of the food, the cool atmosphere and the beautiful & charming surroundings of Sant Elm. We urge you to take a day trip over this way. There's a beach for sun-worshippers, hikes a-plenty in the hills around the town, and of course, Sa Dragonera Island for a little boat trip and the privilege of enjoying unspoilt nature. We later found out that Es Moli had opened in May 2010 and was already attracting the beautiful crowd from Port Andratx. We can see why.