Can Mel – Cas Concos

Here are three things you may not know about the village of Cas Concos, between Felanitx and Santanyí: its full name is Cas Concos des Cavaller; it has a  population of fewer than a thousand people, and has a popular restaurant serving great Japanese food.

Christian, a friend who works in the Mallorcan gastronomy sector, recommended Can Mel to me, and as I trust his judgement, we went to try it for ourselves.

We went for lunch and discovered that Can Mel is more than just a restaurant. It’s also a petit hotel and has a general shop, which was closed during the lunchtime period. The restaurant has a pavement terrace at the front and courtyard seating at the rear, although it wasn’t in use on that chilly day.

The interior is attractive, with interesting metal sculptures decorating the walls, exposed stone walls, and tables in several rooms. We sat near the main kitchen, but at the other end of the restaurant is the open Japanese kitchen where the sushiman was working.

There are two menus: Mediterranean and Japanese.  We shared a generous bowl of spicy edamame (6,90€) from the Japanese menu, but ordered hot dishes from the Mediterranean menu because it was a cold day. My companion enjoyed his saltimbocca of chicken with rice (15,50€), and I opted for mozzarella ravioli with tomato, basil and sage sauce, and Parmesan cheese (13,50€). The ravioli was cooked perfectly, and the fresh herbs were evident in the delicious sauce. 

Desserts were typical, including brownie, almond gató, and chocolate coulant, and when I asked whether they were home-made, our server told me only the coulant was bought in. My companion enjoyed his tiramisu (5,90€), and I took our server’s recommendation of carrot cake (5,90€), which was moist and delicious.

The prices on the Mediterranean menu are very reasonable, and a few dishes are suitable for vegetarians.  The lunchtime Japanese menu is much shorter than the evening one, but includes hosomakis, nigiris, and uramakis. The larger evening menu includes a sushi mixed board (26 pieces for 42,90€), and two hot main-course dishes.

We drank house wine by the glass (5,30€ red, and 4,80€ for the white), and ended our lunch with an americano coffee (1,80€ each).

We’ll return to Can Mel one evening to enjoy the Japanese menu, which looks promising. I’m told that booking a table for dinner is essential. Can Mel’s popularity for Japanese food extends beyond this sleepy Mallorcan village.

Winter hours: 

Tuesday-Saturday  08:30h-22:30h

Can Mel is closed in December from 7^th-15^th and 21^st to 25^th.

Photos: Jan Edwards