Trianon Restaurant - Review, Port d'Andratx

We finally settled on the restaurant, Trianon – their menu seemed a touch more eclectic and interesting than some of the more traditional neighbouring restaurants. It had also been awarded ‘Sexy Food’, ‘Best Service’ and ‘Top Ten Restaurant’ by a German foodie website, which always goes down well with the Frenchman. There is a nice terrace out front, and a cool, contemporary interior in the Philippe Starck mould. Once again, the Frenchman requested the only table that wasn’t laid – right next to the water’s edge and unsheltered by the canopy. The lovely server fixed it up for us in a jiffy and we found ourselves seated with bread (fresh and warm), olives (soft, juicy and delicious), olive oil (pale and oily!) and herbed salt. Lemons had been used as a table garnish, and little tea-lights in paper-bag-wrapped glasses provided a romantic and unusual glow. We had great dusk views of the harbour and the lights from the houses on the hillside opposite had just started to twinkle.

The menu was a tantalizing mixture of modern European with an Asian overtone, with many interesting sounding combinations. Wine started from €13.50 for house wine, with most of the selection coming in the €20 to €30 price range. We plumped for the ‘trio of quail with walnut foam’, and ‘Thai crispy prawns on pineapple & melon strips with spicy ginger & coriander dip’. I asked for seabass for my main, and the Frenchman decided on monkfish. No monkfish left we were told. And no sea bream either. It turned out that I had actually ordered the last piece of seabass too. All quite surprising considering it was only 9.30 PM. As you might expect, the Frenchman decided to be unconventional, and asked if he could have two additional starters as an alternative to a main course, to be served at the same time as my main course. The server looked slightly bewildered but took the order of Mallorquin fish soup, and tuna sashimi ravioli stuffed with wasabi cream and served with a Chinese noodle salad.

It was not long before our starter starters arrived. The Frenchman’s Thai crispy prawns consisted of three prawns artfully arranged on a diagonal of sliced pineapple and melon, all dressed with a gingery sauce. Salad leaves and a flower garnished the plate nicely. ‘Prawn-like’, was the verdict. I received a delightful plate containing a quail consommé (garnished with a lavender stalk), two quail breasts and four bread-crumbed quail legs that had been stuffed with something deliciously sweet. A generous portion, I thought it was wonderfully conceived and produced.

As we suspected, the Frenchman’s soup was next to arrive. Crammed full of prawns, mussels and chunks of white fish, it was presented in a preserving jar, rather than a traditional bowl. Some al-dente vegetables and a bit of spice made the soup quite a hearty, warming dish, which combined with a main course, may stretch the stomach lining of some diners. Not however, for the Frenchman, who duly mopped up the last vestiges of the soup with a piece of bread and a satisfied slurp.

And so to the much-in-demand fish dishes which were to be our main courses. The tuna ravioli turned out to be a blob of wasabi cream sandwiched between two slices of tuna sashimi, served on a bed of noodle salad. Decent fresh tuna and wasabi with a kick made this a refreshingly light dish for the Frenchman to finish on. My seabass had been skewered with a stick of lemongrass, and was presented on sliced cucumber and mango, served with an avocado salsa, a prawn, and three fat chips. A couple of edible flowers garnished the busy, but pretty plate. The seabass was perfectly cooked, and I enjoyed the variety of flavours on the plate.

Feeling very full, we had decided to skip dessert, until we were tempted to read the dessert menus by the charming server. A quick look confirmed that we could manage to squeeze down something small. To this end, we ordered lemongrass brulee and marinated strawberries. One of my pet hates is being made to eat desserts with man-sized cutlery – especially spoons – so I was very pleased to see that we were presented with dainty forks and spoons for this final course. The brulee came with a decorative strawberry coulis lattice – again, very nicely presented. The brulee itself was good and creamy, and lightly flavoured. The strawberries came with a marscapone vanilla cream and were utterly delicious. A caramelized lemon biscuit (referred to as ‘leale’ in the menu) accompanied the strawberries. And very nice it was too.

Total cost of our dinner was around €100. The modern and interesting menu, and the beautifully presented dishes makes Trianon stand out from the crowd. The menu changes every month, and you can have a three-course lunch for only €16.95. I am looking forward to returning.