Marc Fosh Restaurant Review, Palma Centre & Marina

Once I had managed to navigate my way through Palma’s old town, I spotted the Marc Fosh sign outside the 17th-century Hotel Convent de la Missió. Stepping through the doors, I was mesmerized by the change in my surroundings. I would describe the interior décor as a cross between walking into a 21st-century, 5-star hotel and a modern art gallery.

Walking through to the reception, we were met by the maître d' who took our jackets and hung them in the cloakroom, before we were escorted through a sleek, minimalistic dining room to the undercover terrace at the back of the restaurant. The terrace is a contemporary chic setting with a tropical element owing to green foliage and a magnificent water feature surrounding modern, minimalistic tables. Although the terrace had been winterised with a glass roof, there was plenty of natural light streaming through.

The restaurant had won us over at the bread - served warm and with the most divine butter, full of salt, pepper and chilli flakes. Yum! I am salivating just writing about it. Prescribed as creative Mediterranean cuisine, there’s an emphasis on clean flavours and seasonal ingredients throughout the menu. There was definitely a synergy with the menu and the décor, as the rustic roots of Mediterranean gastronomy are juxtaposed with a contemporary flair. There are two different lunchtime menus to choose from, either the 3-course 27.50€ menu or the 5- course 39.50€ menu. For our 3-course menu, we had two or three different dishes to choose from across the starters, main courses and desserts, and there were vegetarian options throughout.

I had opted for the ‘Pumpkin & feta cheese ravioli with hazelnuts & truffle’ as my starter, and it looked as if it were a work of art! Each piece of food had its place on the plate and the crockery was whiter than white, ensuring that the vibrant colours were accentuated. The pumpkin cream was served over the ensemble in front of me, which provided a more personal experience. Wow, the smell of truffle penetrated the air at this point! I was in heaven before I had even taken my first mouthful. As I tucked in, there was an explosion of flavour and the conversation at the table turned toward the different tastes each of us were experiencing. The strong taste of the feta in the ravioli was toned down thanks to the pumpkin cream and truffle. The portions were, of course, small, so we tried to savour every mouthful!

Next up, the ‘Slow cooked pork belly with quince, “ratte” potato-parsley cream & mustard jus’ lived up to the supreme standard of the starter! The colours were as vibrant with the greens and earthy colours complimenting one another on the plate. Every drop of food on the plate had been carefully placed, even the mustard jus. The meat played the leading role both on the plate and in my mouth, it was succulent and full of flavour, whilst the surrounding sustenance played good supporting roles.

To finish, I had selected the ‘White chocolate & yoghurt soup with red fruits & mango sorbet’ which was delivered in a similar procedure to the starter. All the colourful pieces were carefully placed on the plate and presented first, then the waitress poured the white chocolate yoghurt over all the other components on the plate. Yum! It was a unique concoction but worked well. The tart fruit was neutralized by the white chocolate yoghurt, and the mango sorbet brought out the sweetness.

A fellow diner had ordered the ‘Carrot cake with cream cheese and coconut sorbet’ which was again elegantly presented and tasted simply sublime! Although we were all feeling rather full at this point, we didn’t want it to end.

For the finale, some coffees were delivered with hand-baked goods in the form of muffins and homemade chocolate truffles. Delicious! I would highly recommend this 5-star gastronomic experience. Do book in advance to avoid disappointment.