Son Moragues Restaurant Review, Deia

Now the hotel is home to three restaurants - El Olivo is the flagship gourmet restaurant, but we didn’t fancy something that formal after our leisurely & boozy picnic lunch, so we decided on the lighter option of Son Moragues Terrace & Bar.

This is the terraced restaurant at the front of the hotel overlooking the sculpture gardens, where you can sit for lunch, afternoon tea, dinner or just a drink or two. The reason we chose it that night was because it offered a tapas menu for dinner, perfect for filling in any gaps after a large lunch.

The pretty cobbled terrace is filled with fragrant flowering plants and is gently lit with wicker lamps. A Spanish guitarist completes the romantic atmosphere. The attentive and friendly staff made us feel immediately welcome, and after placing our drinks order we perused the menu.

For dinner, Son Moragues offers a gourmet tapas menu, and there are also a couple of main dishes available for those looking for a more filling meal. I ordered a selection of fish, meat and vegetarian tapas whilst the Frenchman got stuck into his generous gin and tonic.

And then, our treats started to arrive. Sobrasada croquettes were ball-shaped with a crispy outer coating and soft, delicious sausage meat inside, served on a honey drizzle. Enormous scallops wrapped in pork belly were perfectly cooked and served on a green apple puree. Baby peppers stuffed with goat’s cheese and anchovies were a delight to look at and even tastier in the mouth. Spanish tortilla was chunky and solid, a generous portion whilst a mixed salad with pine nuts and croutons provided our greens for the evening. But for me, the best tapas of the night was the marinated yellow mackerel with trampo and oranges. Served as an open sandwich, super-fresh fish was layered upon trampo (a finely chopped green pepper and tomato salad) upon a crispy crouton and finished with a segment of locally grown oranges. Utterly delicious.

It turned out that we had actually eaten quite alot, as is normally the case for us when presented with a menu filled with goodies. The tapas are priced around the 14€ mark, but you do get two for this price and to be honest the superior quality of the tapas makes it worthwhile in our opinion. You are also dining in one of the prettiest parts of Mallorca, on a romantic terrace that overlooks gardens and the arty village of Deia. It’s quite a special experience.

Lunch (with a more substantial menu) is served from 12.30pm to 4.30pm, or try their famous afternoon tea which is available from 3.30pm until 7.00pm. The tapas menu is available all day until 11.00pm, and if you happen to visit on a slightly chillier evening, the restaurant will provide blankets for al fresco diners, or a table indoors in their cosy dining room. Whatever you choose, you are sure to be well looked after - this place is of course renowned for being a celebrity hang-out, and the professional service reflects this fact.