Gaudeix Restaurant Review, Palma

Upon arriving, it becomes clear that tables outside are at a premium - but it is a fantastically cosy setting, so well worth calling in advance if al fresco dining is important to you. We sat indoors - which is a simple, yet fun, setting - where you can watch the controlled chaos unfold as the spare tables get picked off. It’s also a bit easier indoors to catch a waitress’s eye to top-up your tapas…

The owner, Christina (as she didn’t hesitate to tell us) is a fantastic character - effortlessly reeling off the entire menu in English (and then also in German to a table next to us), which was quite impressive given the complexity of some of the dishes (‘Seared Tuna marinated in Orange and Coffee’, ‘Black Pudding truffles’ and so on…).

The enthusiasm for all things gastronomical is obvious at every turn - from their quirky wine-list which is a magnum bottle with the various options tippexed around the sides, to the gesticulating arms and hands of Christina and her team as they guide each table through the different options available - describing the ingredients, flavours, portion sizes and more.

Having settled for a glass of good Mallorcan red wine, we motored our way through as many of the tapas and pintxos (bite-sized tapas) as we could…

The Black Pudding truffles were served as three Ferrero-Rocher-esque bonbons on a plate, and lasted about 30 seconds. If that. We then moved on to a pintxo each, which was a seared scallop resting on a glistening slice of Soller orange over a bed of couscous. I actively forced myself to cut the scallop into four pieces, just so as not to devour it too quickly - even so, we were still onto our third order in less than five minutes.

Conversation was at a minimum as we craned our necks to scour the menu on the blackboard behind our table to find the next options, and being delighted with each new dish which arrived on our table: grilled squid stuffed with a chunky prawn was my personal favourite, and the tuna described above went down very well on the other side of the table. All of the classics were there (croquetas, chill & garlic prawns), and were delicious - but the highlights are definitely when you indulge the chef’s creativity.

Booking in advance is strongly-advised - we passed by again a few days’ later at 10pm, but there were no tables available. And don’t feel you need to follow our lead of speed-tapas consumption - get yourself a good spot, and sit back to enjoy some of Palma’s best tapas.