Ummo Restaurant Review, Santa Catalina, Palma

So when the Frenchman, Mikey our sales manager & I found ourselves fortuitously in the Santa Catalina area of Palma, we were reminded of our exploits at the 2010 TaPalma (it’s held in October and is highly recommended), and in particular, the wonderful tapas we tried at Ummo. So we made our way along the shabby-chic streets that is Santa Catalina to the restaurant, which is certainly more chic that shabby.

Ummo is not a large restaurant – just a front room really, with a small bar area. Décor is moody & fashionably retro, with contemporary lighting and modern furniture. It’s got a great buzzy atmosphere, as most diners come for a quick snack and a drink before moving on to the next place – in traditional Spanish style.

Menus are available in English & Spanish and feature the small bites of tapas & pintxos (mini open sandwiches), plus a small selection of salads and main courses. The tapas on offer are not your usual croquettas or patatas bravas; what you find here is far more imaginative and elegant. The tapas that won Ummo the TaPalma prizes are on the menu and we strongly urge you to try them.

We ordered a random selection of the tapas, plus a duck salad & the Ummo salad for a touch of variety. Luscious green olives were served while we waited. We didn’t have to wait long either. The delivery of our tapas was staggered so we always had a couple of full plates on the table rather than everything arriving at once.

The first to arrive was crunchy cannelloni of black pudding with a red pepper bread (one of their TaPalma winners). Not only a work of art but really delicious. Fresh anchovy & tomato pintxos swiftly followed and was an absolute triumph. Beautifully seasoned sweet tomatoes with succulent anchovy on a slice of toast, you don’t get much simpler or more delicious than that.

We also tried the black pudding & quail egg on a bed of sliced peppers, and octopus with apple & sultanas, both of which lived up to the by then very high expectations. The two other TaPalma winners were the sardine, tomato jelly, piparrak & ramallet (just glorious) and their stuffed baby squid with caramalised peppers (some divine intervention must have gone on in the creation of this tapa).

Not to be outdone, the salads provided some welcome greenery. The duck salad contained baby leaves, sun dried tomatoes and confit of duck, all bound together with a balsamic & maple syrup dressing. Fresh and well balanced, we thought it was excellent. The Ummo salad was also beautifully done, with crispy wafers of ham providing the crunch to the leaves, caramalised onions & cherry tomatoes in a mustard dressing.

Ummo really is one of the best places to eat in Palma– not just for tapas, but for a more filling meal too. And with each tapa costing between €2 and €4, it won't break the bank. We all agreed that it was the best meal we’d eaten in Santa Catalina, from the sophisticated surroundings to the exquisite creation and presentation of the tapas. You can see from the photos just how much effort has gone into creating these little marvels.

Ummo can be found on C/ Sant Magi 66, 07013 Palma de Mallorca. Definitely one for the little black book.