Mallorca - El Olivo
Summer 2008
Frank's view 
'Well worth a visit but don't make a special journey'
This camel is a fan of Orient Express Hotels.
From The Observatory in Sydney, which is an excellent hotel in an odd location, to the Villa San Michele overlooking Florence. From the wonderful Hotel Caruso in Ravello, which has terrace suites offering amazing views across the Mediterranean, to La Residencia in Mallorca and its stunning hillside position in Deia.
The one failing of Orient Express Hotels is their restaurants, so we were intrigued to try out El Olivo, widely regarded as one of the best restaurants in Mallorca.
From the top of the hotel drive, walk along the front of the hotel towards the bar, and follow the building round. Ahead is a stone archway, which leads into the courtyard where El Olivo is located.
As is the case with so many Mediterranean restaurants, there are two dining options, inside and out. Make sure you dine on a fine day (not difficult in Mallorca). The courtyard setting is stunning.
The menu is the same for both lunch and dinner.
We took the opportunity to enjoy both, during our three night stay at La Residencia.
The maitre d’ recommended a lunchtime starter of:
Tuna terrine from the Mediterranean with foie gras, pear sorbet and wasabi (€28.50).
It was every good, although the Camel’s companion reminded me of the dish we loved at Cottage Point near Sydney, where tuna was accompanied by apple and wasabi sorbet.
To follow we both chose fish:
Wild turbot with squids and king prawn tortellini over artichoke and Jabugo ham ragout (€38.50).
Grilled Mediterranean fish on “bomba” rice with squid (€38.00).
The dishes were exactly as described, not over complicated and, as one would expect, created from first class quality produce.
And so to dinner. Having experienced the A La Carte, we progressed to The Chef’s Tasting menu.
Guillermo Mendez is relatively untravelled for a prestige restaurant chef. Clearly La Residencia believes they have a trophy chef in Guillermo, who has spent all his career in Mallorca.
The 7 courses included..
Beef and foie gras carpaccio with “Rio frio” caviar
“Bomba” rice with mushrooms and truffle, egg, scallop carpaccio and hibiscus salt
Pigeon from Navarra with grilled pineapple and cinnamon sauce
At €95 + 7% tax (€102), a price comparable with other gourmet tasting menus around Europe, this was good but not great. Thierry Marx’s Cordeillan Bages in Bordeaux, Gerrard Passedat’s Le Petit Nice in Marseilles and Gordon Ramsay’s Hospital Road gourmet offerings are all in a different league.
The ambience makes El Olivo. The food is good but expensive relative to the quality of the cuisine. If you’re staying at la Residencia, El Olivo is definitely worth a visit. Also try Ca's Xorc, which is only a few kilometres down the hill.
El Olivo
La Residencia
Deia
Mallorca
+34 971 63 9011
Link to El Olivo
From The Observatory in Sydney, which is an excellent hotel in an odd location, to the Villa San Michele overlooking Florence. From the wonderful Hotel Caruso in Ravello, which has terrace suites offering amazing views across the Mediterranean, to La Residencia in Mallorca and its stunning hillside position in Deia.
The one failing of Orient Express Hotels is their restaurants, so we were intrigued to try out El Olivo, widely regarded as one of the best restaurants in Mallorca.
From the top of the hotel drive, walk along the front of the hotel towards the bar, and follow the building round. Ahead is a stone archway, which leads into the courtyard where El Olivo is located.
As is the case with so many Mediterranean restaurants, there are two dining options, inside and out. Make sure you dine on a fine day (not difficult in Mallorca). The courtyard setting is stunning.
The menu is the same for both lunch and dinner.
We took the opportunity to enjoy both, during our three night stay at La Residencia.
The maitre d’ recommended a lunchtime starter of:
Tuna terrine from the Mediterranean with foie gras, pear sorbet and wasabi (€28.50).
It was every good, although the Camel’s companion reminded me of the dish we loved at Cottage Point near Sydney, where tuna was accompanied by apple and wasabi sorbet.
To follow we both chose fish:
Wild turbot with squids and king prawn tortellini over artichoke and Jabugo ham ragout (€38.50).
Grilled Mediterranean fish on “bomba” rice with squid (€38.00).
The dishes were exactly as described, not over complicated and, as one would expect, created from first class quality produce.
And so to dinner. Having experienced the A La Carte, we progressed to The Chef’s Tasting menu.
Guillermo Mendez is relatively untravelled for a prestige restaurant chef. Clearly La Residencia believes they have a trophy chef in Guillermo, who has spent all his career in Mallorca.
The 7 courses included..
Beef and foie gras carpaccio with “Rio frio” caviar
“Bomba” rice with mushrooms and truffle, egg, scallop carpaccio and hibiscus salt
Pigeon from Navarra with grilled pineapple and cinnamon sauce
At €95 + 7% tax (€102), a price comparable with other gourmet tasting menus around Europe, this was good but not great. Thierry Marx’s Cordeillan Bages in Bordeaux, Gerrard Passedat’s Le Petit Nice in Marseilles and Gordon Ramsay’s Hospital Road gourmet offerings are all in a different league.
The ambience makes El Olivo. The food is good but expensive relative to the quality of the cuisine. If you’re staying at la Residencia, El Olivo is definitely worth a visit. Also try Ca's Xorc, which is only a few kilometres down the hill.
El Olivo
La Residencia
Deia
Mallorca
+34 971 63 9011
Link to El Olivo
A table at El Olivo
Be Frank: agree or disagree? What do you think?
