Skip to main content
SeeMallorca

Tristan Restaurant Review, Puerto Portals

Popular and top quality restaurant on the harbour

featured in Restaurant reviews Author Nicola Henderson, Site Editor Updated

Having got used to Mallorca’s laid back lifestyle, the Frenchman and I have become accustomed to dressing in our more casual attire of shorts and flip flops for most occasions. But when you have dinner booked at one of the most prestigious restaurants on the island, you realise that it’s time to seek out the smarter selection of clothes in the wardrobe. We were to going to be dining at Tristan, a Michelin starred restaurant in Puerto Portals, Majorca - the most glamorous restaurant in what is regarded as the most glamorous marina on Mallorca.

Tristan is situated right on the harbour front in Puerto Portals here in Mallorca, surrounded by multimillion euro yachts. With palm trees and elegant water features by the immaculately kept promenade, it feels like a smaller and prettier Monte Carlo. The restaurant is the main attraction of Tristan, but there is a bistro for more casual dining, and a bar for those only looking to have a drink in the open air. As we walked through the restaurant dining room over beautiful teak floors, and with a gentle evening breeze coming through the open French doors, it felt as if we were boarding one of those luxurious yachts. You can’t help but be uplifted by the elegance of it all.

The dining room is very well arranged to allow maximum privacy for its diners - tables are well spaced and the low lighting is delightfully flattering for the skin. We were offered a glass of champagne or sparkling wine once we were seated - a choice of three rosé and three classic. The Frenchman betrayed his roots and opted for the South African pink which I had had my eye on (but turned out to be too sharp for my tastes) – he did offer to change his choice; but I remained decidedly traditional and took a glass of Krug (which was just how I like it). A glass of bubbly always seems to mark the beginning of something special, and tonight was no exception.

The menu at Tristan is highly selective, and is limited to one or two items for each course. You can choose to have anything from two courses to seven courses, and the price is dependent on how many courses you order. We opted for a four course tasting menu.

A selection of fresh breads quickly arrived, and we chose a bottle of Scottish sparkling water from the water menu (yes, you can chose your H2O from an international selection). Interestingly, the servers decant the water into a jug which contains a glass stirring rod filled with 'crystals of the mountain'. These little rocks are meant to purify your pure water even further. All surprisingly 'zen'.

Our pre-order appetizer was discreetly served by our very lovely server. A croquette of parmesan cheese with artichoke, green beans with a little plastic pipette filled with balsamic glaze was beautifully presented in a Martini glass. The use of the pipette along with the glass stirring rod for the water made us feel like we were back at school in the chemistry lab and we began to wonder if the chef at Tristan was the ‘Mallorcan Heston Blumenthal’? Not content with just the one appetizer, we were soon presented with a second - a panna cotta of curcuma potato & oregano, with a coulis of lambs lettuce salad and Iberian ham. Both appetizers combined a series of savoury flavours that challenged our taste-buds and we spent the next ten minutes trying to match the ingredients to the tastes we had just experienced.

As we were to take the sommeliers wine recommendations for our tasting menu, we avoided the ‘pleasure’ of choosing from the extensive wine list that floated around the dining room on its own private conductors stand. Our first wine of the evening was an Albillo white wine from the Canary Islands. Similar in fragrance to a New Zealand sauvignon blanc but lacking the bite, it was light, fresh and creamy. We noted down the name of the wine for future reference, it was so good (El Nispero, if you'd like to try yourself!). Our starter was then served - Vitello Tonnato a la Tristan. A charming little swiss roll of excellent red tuna in a spicy pastry, with a creamy tuna and veal sauce, it is a twist on the Italian classic. Garnished with duck egg caviar (cleverly made by pipetting duck egg into hot water to produce little white and yellow pearls of egg), and a little pot of salad on the side, it was a work of art.

As our plates were cleared away, we were served our second white wine of the evening, a South African semillion with distinct oak tones. I am not crazy about oaked wines but the sommelier knew what he was doing as it complemented our fish course perfectly, and as ever the Frenchman enjoyed the choice. The fish course this evening was a scallop wrapped in spinach served on a bed of pureed plantain and caldereta of prawn and cardamom – it was once again, very elegant. An unusual ribbon of tomato paper not only decorated the plate, it also tasted delicious.

For the meat course, we were served succulent, boneless quail in a rich red wine sauce, with a white asparagus tortilla, and chopped celery wrapped in a ribbon of carrot. A very leggy Spanish red wine (a rich 15% a/v cabernet sauvignon/temparillo) was served to accompany the quail - again a perfect marriage.

We were thankful for the size of the portions of each course, otherwise there would have been no way that we could have managed dessert. Even worse, we would have missed out on the sumptuous rose Muscat dessert wine from South Africa. With a citrus smell and a sweet flavour, it was fabulous. 'Just like fru salad' declared the tipsy Frenchman. Our confidence in the sommelier was absolute – not a single poor choice, and charming to boot.

The sweet consisted of warm vineyard peach soaked in red wine, with a white chocolate mousse in the middle. Walnut ice cream and candied nuts completed the pretty plate. To finish, we were offered coffee but on seeing that it was midnight, we declined. It seemed we had been drifting at sea without noticing for the past three hours - the evening had flown by. Despite not ordering coffee, we were served petit fours (and a delicious lime ice-cream) which the Frenchman polished off, along with the last of the dessert wine which he had (hic) thoroughly enjoyed.

At €129 for a five course menu per person, Tristan does not come in cheap. It is, however, a true gastronomic journey and you will experience many dishes here that you just will not get anywhere else.

Our view on the tasting menu is that you might get dishes you wouldn’t normally choose, which is great for the adventurous diner, but the understated flavour combinations may not always suit your taste buds. We recommend that you choose dishes that naturally appeal to you, over simply taking the tasting menu, as the cuisine at Tristan is already exploring new boundaries.

There is no doubt that the dishes are skilfully prepared using the very best ingredients. The wonderfully discrete but friendly staff makes Tristan a delight to eat in, and the surroundings just ooze glamour. Little touches, such as a silver table hook for handbags, and the little golden note detailing the appetizers, do make Tristan stand out - if you are looking to impress someone in a sleek and glamorous setting, take them to Tristan.


This restaurant is now closed. It will reopen under new ownership in summer 2016.

Location

Map of the surrounding area