Sa Vinya d’es Mayolet by Andreu Genestra, Manacor
The Manacor area has a new restaurant – and it’s one to try if you enjoy rural settings, no parking hassle, and, most importantly, delicious food made from the freshest of produce.
Es Mayolet is the ‘agroturismo’ on the 17th-century finca that’s also home to Rotana La Reserva, the rural 5-star hotel that’s re-opening with new Singaporean owners this summer, following an extensive refurbishment.
We’ve eaten at Rotana La Reserva each summer because we love it and, luckily for us, it’s only a few minutes’ drive from our home. With Rotana currently closed, we went for dinner in its new Sa Vinya d’es Mayolet restaurant at the ‘agroturismo’.
I can suggest several good reasons to eat lunch or dinner in this tranquil location on the verdant estate. Tables on the covered terrace offer beautiful views of the surrounding countryside, and just a few metres across the grass, the vineyards. It’s also a prime sunset spot.
For foodies, the most significant reason is that Sa Vinya d’es Mayolet is under the culinary direction of the renowned Mallorcan chef, Andreu Genestra, whose eponymous restaurant in Llucmajor has a Michelin star, a Michelin Green star, and two Repsol ‘Sols’. He’s known as a champion of local produce and dishes that represent Mallorca on a plate, and his culinary team has the benefit of produce from the estate and the nearby farm, S’Hort de sa Vall, for its ‘garden to table’ cuisine.
Genestra’s executive chef for both the ‘agroturismo’ and the hotel is Irene Lluch, who was head chef at his former Senzill Bistro. Together they’ve created an à la carte menu of dishes that represent the best of Mallorcan cuisine.
We order bread only when we know it will be good quality; Sa Vinya’s small, round sourdough loaf, served with romesco sauce, exceeded my expectations (€4 pp). My flavourful tomato salad starter with stracciatella cheese, citrus fruits, and pumpkin seeds (18€) proved the value of sourcing 0km produce.
My husband loved his salad of grilled squid and sobrasada, dressed with pistachio vinaigrette (18€). His main course was sea bass ‘a la mallorquina’ (28€), which he declared perfectly cooked.
I chose aubergine stuffed with hake and prawns with a spicy tomato sauce (26€). This was a real lip-licker of a dish that I’d have again.
Dinner ended with one enjoyable dessert, described as a thin apple tart with Muscat Chantilly (8€).
Aperitifs include Andreu Genestra’s own vermouth and Palma Gin. Wines are mainly Mallorcan with some good French labels, and four wines and a cava are available by the glass (6€-11€).
Our two female servers were delightful – one of whom remembered us from previous visits to Rotana La Reserva – so you can add good service to Sa Vinya d’es Mayolet’s other attributes.
Photos: Jan Edwards
Prices correct at time of writing.
