Lemmy Kilmister and rock 'n' rock are religion in Clandestí
STEALTH BITES IN MALLORCA
Majorca as a meeting place. And as a goal, find a furtive and honest proposal , of course, speaking of issues that concern the stomach and the palate, that we discover even more that wild part of the island. That part of truth.
They have told us about a 'garage-bar-local' that they recommend us to go to for dinner. Before finishing the day there we feel like a bit of calm, getting lost and improvising. It seems that **tonight an overdose of Rock'n'Roll awaits us. **
The clandestine restaurant that you will find in a parking lot in Mallorca
SIMPLE BUT GOOD
Starting gun in the Santa Catalina market gobbling down a longuet The most famous sandwich on the island, with no apparent trick. Later they tell us that, like any simple but good delicacy, the discussion lies in if the correct thing is to toast the bread before or after preparing it to ensure that it arrives at the table as fresh from the oven.
No letter and no shame
Already seated at the bar, the sandwiches arrive out of order: one of tortilla, half of sobrasada and one of camaiot (typical local sausage). Whether there is a secret or not, we do not know, but the sandwiches crunch as they melt in your mouth. In our thoughts we award him the gold medal. We had been told that the 'Isleño' promised… And the neighbors of the neighborhood “of all life” –says the owner– who have breakfast sitting next to us, vouch for it.
Next stop, route by car through Cúber, passing through Gorg Blau and ending in Sa Calobra. we want to see where Antonia Vicens , a Majorcan writer and poet, was inspired to write her work Banco de Madera. Traveling through interior roads and visiting several towns, we imagined which bank would be theirs, if they would be all of them or, in fact, none of them.
we finished the tour sitting on some rocks, facing a vast and imposing sea, under a clear sky and we tried to absorb all that peace that we had been looking for. The magic of the island surrounds us and prepares us to enjoy, now yes, Clandestí Gastronomic Workshop.
An old garage converted into a gastronomic space
NEIGHBORHOOD AND BAR
They meet us early in a street in the neighborhood of Bons aires and in front of a lowered blind we accumulate a series of strangers. Different groups of people who try to find, surreptitiously, a poster or label that places us and confirms that we are in the right place.
The name of the place manages to make you feel the owner of a secret that you cannot share. And in the midst of the struggle between doubt and intuition, the door opens and the show begins.
The chefs Pau Navarro and Ariadna Salvador They welcome us at street level under the red light of the candles that illuminate the entire premises from the entrance. At that instant, what seemed from the outside to be a warehouse or a garage , is transformed into an authentic culinary scene and they make you feel at home. Because as topical as it may sound, that's how they feel.
FIRE!
El Clandestí arose from the need to create something of its own and unearth the best of Majorcan cuisine to offer a proposal with a lot of personality in which they have ended up intervening: local product, music and lighting.
Everything happened in a natural way, Pau points out. “It should be logical that cooks could continue doing what has always been done, what our grandmothers already did, dignify the island's cookbook and put people in context”.
The star piece of the place is, without a doubt, a very long Krion table, 10 meters long, backlit. It acts, at the same time, as a stage and as a link between all the (un)known people that we find here today. Once the stools have been awarded, the team tells us what will happen tonight. But without wanting to be very specific since the intention –they point out– is relax, enjoy and let yourself be surprised.
surprises are guaranteed
The music plays, the lights dim and the stoves turn on. The cooks exchange glances and smiles and before you know it, everything flows around you. Fire, tattoos, rock songs and a very punk look they mix and blend creating a single visual fabric.
From the beginning they decided that there would be no letter so as not to establish rules , to have room for maneuver and so that the menu could change every day according to what was on the market.
Evidently there are iconic and timeless dishes that have been maintained that over time as the variation (the flagship cap of the islanders), the frog with absinthe, the burballes (typical Majorcan pasta) stewed with rancid wine, herbs, game meat, Majorcan sheep or kid; and, of course, the star dessert: 'El Beso'.
An iconic dessert with which to end a culinary experience of five senses. The latter represents very well the concept of the place. The kiss appears without cutlery to eat it directly from the plate at the same time that Bésame mucho sounds in the background and the place is bathed in a set of night lights.
Burballes stewed with rancid wine, herbs, game meat, Majorcan sheep or kid
Pau and Ariadna are young, carefree and manage with self-confidence. They want both food and drink to be something made with care. And for this they support and collaborate directly with producers who work like them, in an honest and loving way.
Pau has always turned to local producers or neighborhood markets: “I like to buy vegetables at the Pere Garau Market , the fish in the S'Olivar Market and wine from international micro-producers or wineries on the island, such as 4 kilos Some colleagues who do a magnificent job. Betting on the product from here is essential and almost mandatory”, adds Navarro.
After visiting El Clandestí, we left impregnated with its good vibes, enthusiasm and authenticity. If we had to recommend something to those who want to discover it, it would be to go with little information, a lot of attitude and a desire to gobble up Mallorcan roots.
Pau and Ariadna, the architects of Clandestí
Address: Carrer de Guillem Massot, 45, 07003 Palma, Balearic Islands View map
Telephone: 663 90 90 53
Schedule: Open on Wednesdays from 8:30 p.m.; Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.; Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Rest of days, open for groups from 10 pax according to availability.