Maricel Senzone Restaurant Review, Cala Major

So there are definitely times when you need to take yourself away from it all, and just stop. A world of five-star luxury perhaps, where you can be cocooned from the outside world for a short time. One such place within easy reach of Palma de Mallorca is the Hospes Maricel Hotel, located on the seafront in Cala Major, Majorca. The Frenchman and I had clocked this place a while ago, and had decided that this was the ideal place to escape to in times of stress. Sadly unable to stay for a night, we had opted instead for a simple dinner in their Senzone Restaurant. The prospect of ‘revitalising' and ‘rejuvenation' promised by the hotel website was irresistible.

The hotel is set in a palatial manor house right on the sea, with huge doors and a magnificent lobby area. This is not however, a traditional, old-style grand-dame hotel. The interior is cool, calm and contemporary, with a wonderful sense of elegant space and views to the sea. The restaurant is located on the lower floor right next to the sea front. Al fresco dining on the terrace allows for an uber-romantic setting, with views of Palma Bay and the sound of waves lapping gently against the sea wall. The adjoining dining room has a modern, minimalistic design, which taken together with the neutral palate, places the emphasis on the natural surroundings - an ‘awakening of the senses' as the tag line goes.

We were greeted in the restaurant by two of the tallest waiters I have seen in Majorca. They greeted us warmly and escorted us to a table by the panoramic windows (outdoor dining not an option at this time of the year, although we did step outside on to the magnificent terrace and imagined ourselves dining alfresco to the sound of the waves just below). The twinkling lights of Palma city could be seen in the distance. The menus, in keeping with the simplicity theme, offered a small but choice selection of Mediterranean dishes, all of which we could have happily eaten. We placed our order and were rewarded with warm fresh bread and Soller olive oil.

There is an emphasis on Mallorcan produce in the Maricel and we were delighted to taste a ‘Mallorcan' mojito (not entirely sure what was Mallorcan about it but it was really delicious). The waiter also recommended some Majorcan wine for us to try from a modern wine maker called Susana (sempre) - red for the lady, and white for The Frenchman. My cabernet sauvignon/montenegro/merlot blend from Binissalem was young, fresh and fruity, and was pleasingly served chilled. The white mix of chardonnay and semillon was rich and well rounded - again, its youth meant it tasted clean and buttery without the powerful oak that can overtake the senses. We were impressed.

We were served a rather wonderful appetizer of moist llampuga fish with romesco sauce. With flecks of salt and seaweed, the combination of flavours was excellent. It left us salivating for more. I had chosen the unusual sounding mozzarella soup with lobster ravioli & sweetened tomato for my starter, and was happy to see that the star of the show was the monster ravioli itself. It was sitting in a light frothy sauce of mozzarella milk, and had been garnished with tomato flavoured caramelised onions and a big fat lobster claw. The Frenchman looked on enviously, as he awaited his starter of lobster tartar. This was a special of the evening, and the lobster had been marinated with orange and ginger to produce a distinctly Asian flavour. The fresh and cleansing sauce was a very good counter-balance to the richness of the lobster.

The stylish cuisine continued into the main courses. I had plumped for roasted suckling pig with a lemon cream and snow peas. A big chunk of pork was accompanied by some marmite (well, maybe not marmite, but you get the idea) flavoured pearl barley - the rich saltiness (in a similar fashion to crackling) went brilliantly with the juicy pork. The lemon cream was served separately, and for me, didn't quite complement the rest of the dish. The Frenchman's seabass was beautifully cooked and was served with a bundle of black squid noodles and alioli sauce - another very good combination of flavours.

Thanks to the sensible portion sizes, we were able to squeeze down dessert without bursting the belts. My hazelnut couland was a delicious fondant style timbale of warm hazelnut sponge filled with a luscious hot chocolate-hazelnut sauce. Utterly decadent and delicious. A beautifully presented apple tart was the Frenchman's choice. Served with a green apple sorbet, the tart was light and delicate and the apples were firm but soft - exactly the right kind to use in a hot dessert.

Petit fours completed our evening, along with a Majorcan daiquiri - a very fruity strawberry slush puppy - recommended by our friendly waiter and slurped down happily by The Frenchman, although it could have been a sorbet dessert in its own right. You can expect to pay in the region of €80 per person for a 3-course dinner with wine at the Senzone restaurant. The simple but sophisticated cuisine is well thought out and is neither too rich, nor too plain. Those watching the waistlines will enjoy the light healthiness of the choices available; we also liked the use of Mallorcan produce wherever possible. We left the restaurant feeling refreshed and pleasantly full, and we prolonged our stay by taking a moment on the glorious terrace to listen to the sea.

An evening at the Marciel is definitely one of stylish simplicity and luxury. There is calm majesty to the place, helped by it's location, but also created by the interior and the unfailingly polite and charming staff. We can't wait to return again.