Restaurant Nama, Deià

2019, Sep 9th

Beautiful Tramuntana village of Deia is home to this stylish restaurant serving memorable Asian cuisine – with plenty of choice for vegan diners.

You’re spoilt for choice when eating out in the picturesque mountain village of Deià, but if it’s authentic Asian flavours you’re hungry for, then Restaurant Nama is the place to head for. Nama is in a townhouse on the main street through the village and has been a popular eatery since it opened in 2016.

Restaurant owner Namali Schleberger is half Sri Lankan, half German and, before opening her own restaurant, was a production designer working on sets for big TV shows. Her world travels came to an end when she came to Deià and fell in love – then used her design skills to create the chic eatery Nama.
Restaurant Nama is on the ground floor of the house and has an attractive terrace at the back with beautiful mountain views.

 
This restaurant has the benefit of executive chef Bonnie Han, who was born in Singapore but raised in Australia and brings authenticity to the modern Asian cuisine here. Fresh produce is sourced locally and much of it is organic.

 
Nama’s menu offers tapas, what it calls ‘small plates’, main plates, and extras (which include Indian-style roti, steamed fresh organic greens, steamed bao buns, and quinoa).

 
Three of us shared two portions of fresh summer rice-paper prawn rolls with a dipping sauce (four pieces for 18 €). Our main courses were organic chicken Thai green curry with Jasmine rice (26 €), crispy duck and pineapple curry with roti (28 €), and I had spicy organic kung pao ginger chicken with cashew nuts (26 €) – a colourful dish with lots of delicious crisp vegetables and a good spicy hit. Portions are generous.

 
Desserts are all 12 € and include a vegan Thai mango sticky rice and coconut ginger gelato. Six desserts tempted us, but we’d eaten well already, so shared two between three of us: yuzu meringue pie with pineapple, passionfruit and basil sorbet, and berry cheesecake – both tasted as good as they looked.

 
Vegans will find plenty to delight them at Restaurant Nama. The menu indicates which dishes can be made vegan (at a reduced price). I took my father – who’s a coeliac – and there were plenty of gluten-free dishes he could eat. We had memorable service from our Bulgarian server Dafi, who reassured my father that dishes that were unfamiliar to him were suitable for his restricted diet.

 
We went for dinner; at lunchtime there’s a lighter menu on offer – which includes tapas, lunch bowls, and fresh summer plates.

 
Restaurant Nama in Deià is seasonal and open until towards the end of October, so there’s still time to enjoy a taste of Asia in Mallorca’s best-known village.

Photos: NAMA / Jan Edwards

Prices correct at time of writing.