Plat a Plat, Maria de la Salut

The British and American Gut Project – run by the University of California and Dr Tim Spector of King’s College London – recommends that we eat 30 plants a week for a more diverse gut microbiome. If that number sounds like a challenge, you’ll get a good start if you eat at Plat a Plat, a vegan restaurant in the small rural town of Maria de la Salut.

Plat a Plat is sadly not open every day, but you can have dinner there on Friday, Saturday, and Monday evenings, from their short, seasonal à la carte menu. We had a tasty dinner there last year and were only disappointed to learn that it was the last week of their season.

Plat a Plat is the restaurant of the attractively designed, vegan boutique hotel Curolla – owned by Julia Hälbig – and is open to the public. Arches, exposed stone walls, and ceiling beams are traditional Mallorcan features of the spacious dining room. We sat outside this time at a shaded table on the terrace, enjoying the birdsong, peace, and views of the hotel’s lush garden.

Sundays are all about the buffet brunch, so we recently went to try it. It runs from 11:00h until 15:00h.

Vero Romero is the enthusiastic young woman and innovator in charge of the restaurant. She remembered us from our last visit, which may mean that not many foreigners have yet found this restaurant. Or she remembered our enthusiasm for what we ate then.

Brunch costs 25€, which includes water, juice, coffee, or tea – and it’s all help yourself. You pay if you want drinks from the bar.

Although we’d booked for one o’clock and the buffet had been open for two hours already, chef Silvana Egea and her team of two other chefs replenish and even add new dishes to keep the buffet looking appealing.

Vero told us that 90 per cent of the food is also gluten-free, so if you’re a coeliac or avoiding gluten for other reasons, ask her to point out what’s to be avoided.

We tried home-made vegan cheese, different vegetable burgers, salads, several varieties of hummus, coca, and more. Like all nutritious food, it was very satisfying.

I didn’t count the number of different vegetables, fruits, legumes, herbs, and spices – all of which count towards the recommended 30 plants a week – we consumed, but I think Dr Tim Spector would have been impressed.

The 12-room Curolla hotel has a car park but there’s also parking in the street on which the hotel is located.

Photos: Jan Edwards

Prices correct at time of writing.