Sa Pedrissa Restaurant Review, Deia

Sadly, the most romantic gesture that MY Frenchman makes is gifting me a red pen torch ‘for when my car breaks down in the night’. My knight in shining armour...

So I was surprised and somewhat sceptical when he suggested that we take a trip over to the west coast for a romantic dinner for two. Candlelit table on a charming terrace, overlooking the sea with majestic mountains in the background – it sounded, well, romantic! I wondered what the catch was.

The drive from Palma is only 20 minutes, and at this time of year (late September), the roads are blessedly empty and we were able to enjoy the evening light as we drove the coastal road to Deia. Our destination was the Sa Pedrissa hotel, a rather cute Mallorcan farmhouse that has been lovingly restored and modernised into a small luxury hotel. Just outside the village of Deia, its location on a headland is quite incredible, with uninterrupted views of the sea, Deia and the mountains. You don’t get much more romantic than that.

The main house is surrounded by beautiful and fragrant gardens, with well-maintained paths and immaculate stone walls that I have come to expect of Mallorca. The dining terrace in front of the hotel looks out to sea and the horizon, with the village of Deia shadowed by the Puig des Teix mountain to the right hand side. This is the place to be on balmy summer evening. On our particular visit, the weather was getting a little chilly so we opted to eat indoors. Not to be outdone by the terrace, the interior dining room is set in the old olive mill and is abound with character. With the old mill press in the rear of the dining room, wonderfully high ceilings, gorgeous flagstone floorings, and locally made glass jars on the shelves - it felt like a step back in time. The lashings of white linen, fresh flowers, plants and candles combined with the old to make this a sumptuous, yet traditional Mallorcan restaurant.

We were presented with menus by a welcoming black-clad waiter, who proceeded to bring us fresh, warm bread (olive & sun dried tomato flavour, soft and delicious), aioli (mild and creamy) and home grown green olives. He informed us that the olive oil already on the table was home-made (in fact, the hotel has its own range of soaps, shampoos and marmalades available for purchase). The menu is Mediterranean, with a selection of starters, fish and meat courses, and there are daily specials to add extra variety. The wine list features an extensive selection of Mallorcan wines, starting from €14, with most falling into the €20 to €30 price range.

I chose to try two dishes from the daily specials – small red peppers filled with prawns, followed by duck breast in a grape sauce. The Frenchman stayed a la carte and opted for toasted Mallorcan bread with baked vegetables and smoked mackerel, followed by venison with an olive crust. Our lovely waiter brought us a pre-dinner appetizer of bacon & aubergine mille feuille alongside a coconut and strawberry milkshake. Both were beautifully presented on a piece of black slate, and this classic yet unusual combination of salt and sweet flavours to start the evening is a favourite of the chef. The appetizers quickly disappeared.

A short time later, and our starters arrived. My roasted red peppers had been de-skinned and filled with prawns in a hot Mornay sauce. It was a very generous portion, with three not-so-small peppers stuffed to the gunnels with the prawn sauce. The red peppers themselves were full of flavour and were utterly delicious. The Frenchman’s sturdy Mallorcan toast came smothered in roasted red peppers and aubergine, and there were plenty of slices of strongly smoked local mackerel. A proper rustic starter, the flavours all clashed brilliantly.

Our main courses were served on enormous china plates - thankfully for our waist lines, it was the artfully arranged food that took up the space, as opposed to giant-sized portions. The Frenchman was very impressed with his fat, man-sized venison steak which he could have cut with a spoon, it was so soft and rare inside. Accompanied by a timbale of excellent potato dauphinoise and some little sticks of asparagus, it was after all, quite a large portion. My duck breast had been elegantly sliced and was accompanied by a grape sauce, which had a distinct chutney flavour to it. An unusual take on a sweet and sour sauce, it complemented the duck very nicely.

Despite being nearly full to the brim at this point, we dutifully ordered the ‘Pedrissa’ take on apple tart (their description) to share for our dessert. And we were amazed when it appeared a short while later. As the waiter brought the plate towards us, it seemed that we had in fact ordered a prototype tower with earthquake-proof building foundations. The waiter clearly delighted in wobbling the dessert so it looked as if it would topple at any moment, but of course, he knew how far to push it, and it remained in one piece as he placed it on the table. Not exactly your standard apple tart, it was more of a gateau. Layers of apple puree (similar texture to a panna cotta) and a thick crème anglaise (also like panna cotta) were separated with biscuit-like discs of pastry. It was surrounded by a delectable white chocolate sauce, but the crowning glory was a scoop of fresh, creamy yoghurt ice cream (superb tasting, according to the Frenchman). Quite an artist’s creation! And of course, whilst it might have withstood an earth-tremor, it was no match for the Frenchman’s spoon which he used to demolish it within seconds.

You can expect to pay around €70 for a 3-course evening meal (not including wine) at Sa Pedrissa. With attentive and friendly service and a real mix of traditional & avant-garde cuisine, this is a place for foodies and those who enjoy charm and beauty. And it certainly is a romantic spot – there is no better end to an evening than sitting on that glorious terrace with a full stomach and a digestif, and just soaking in the tranquillity.

And the catch? Well mine is The Frenchman of course, who has proved that on occasion, he CAN do better than a torch!