Ayt Iraten, Artà

Earlier this year, I first tried the restaurant Ayt Iraten, within the adults-only, boutique hotel Juz de Yartan in Artà. I’d gone there because Gabriel Nebot, a chef whose food I’d appreciated in his previous hotel restaurant, was now leading the kitchen.

Juz de Yartan is tucked away in the narrow lanes of Artà, but it’s an easy walk from a huge car park I hadn’t known existed. The handsome hotel building, with its high ceilings, was once a bank; the security grills on the outside of the ground-floor windows are a distinctive feature.

A quick history lesson: Juz de Yartan was the name of this Muslim district of Mallorca before the Christian Conquest. The hotel’s restaurant was named after the Berber tribe, Ayt Iraten. I’m sure that local taxi drivers are amused – or possibly confused – by foreign visitors’ pronunciation of these names.

The restaurant’s contemporary dining room is attractive. However, during the warmer months, the rear courtyard garden is transformed into an elegant outdoor dining area with tablecloths and small lights on the tables. It’s a gorgeous setting among the trees and plants for a summer evening. There’s a comfortable seating area for pre- or post-dinner drinks.

We’d previously eaten and enjoyed dishes from the à la carte menu, but this time we tried the tasting menu, which changes each month and costs 65€ for five plates, including an appetiser and petits fours, but excluding drinks.

Chef Gabriel Nebot’s signature cuisine is based on seasonal, locally sourced produce and includes some Asian touches.

We began with a basket of good, mixed breads, accompanied by extra virgin olive oil from Yartan Hotels’ Son Poca Palla finca.

After our appetiser, we began the tasting menu, which offers two starters, fish, meat, and dessert dishes. The starters for August are a beetroot and squid salad with kimchi, which we both really enjoyed. The second starter was broken fried eggs with truffle and Iberian ham; I’m not an egg fan, but my husband really enjoyed this dish.

Next, we had perfectly cooked sea bass served with a sauce made from shellfish and saffron, served with sliced courgette in a cream sauce.

The meat dish for the August tasting menu is a cylinder of pulled duck breast with a crunchy coating, served with orange sauce and a port wine reduction to counter the richness of the meat. I really enjoyed this dish.

The tasting menu ended with a moreish pistachio tiramisu, followed by two petits fours each. The result was two satisfied diners, who’d enjoyed the variety of what we’d eaten without feeling stuffed at the end of dinner. I’m already looking forward to seeing what September’s tasting menu will be.

A large bottle of Yartan’s sparkling water cost us 2,20€, a glass of Tianna Negre’s Columpio ‘rosado’ was 6,50€, and a bottle of alcohol-free Heineken, 3,20€.

The service by Diego and his team was efficient, as it needed to be, as the courtyard tables were all eventually full. What pleased me was seeing and hearing local people, as well as hotel guests, enjoying dinner at Ayt Iraten. It’s popular, so be sure to book.

Photos: JAN EDWARDS

Prices correct at time of writing.