Port Petit Cala d’Or
2023, May 15th | by Jan Edwards
For a high-quality restaurant to survive in Mallorca for 35 years, it must be something special. The smart Port Petit in Cala d’Or is such a restaurant. Not only does it have a great location and gorgeous views over the marina from its dining room and terrace, but also a well-deserved fine-dining reputation. It’s recommended in the Michelin Guide for 2023.
French chef Gérard Deymier first opened his Port Petit restaurant in 1988. Today, his chef son Màxime is in charge. The Mediterranean cuisine reflects French heritage but also international influences. Choose from à la carte, gourmet or tasting menus or, at lunchtime, the Bistro Menu.
For our Sunday visit, we parked easily on the street a short walk from the restaurant. Once seated on the terrace, we studied the Bistro Menu, with its choice of three starters, three mains, and two desserts. Lunch included a promising start of warm bread roll, alioli, tapenade, and olives. I chose a crisp pastry tart of seasonal vegetables with warm sobrasada vinaigrette and salad; my companion had the marinated salmon with cauliflower pickles and beetroot ketchup.
For mains, my delicious seafood tempura included pieces of salmon, mussel, prawn, and squid, with a seasonal salad; I declined the accompanying black garlic alioli. My companion ate and relished his confit leg of duck, sautéed potatoes with mushrooms, bacon, and poultry jus.
We ended with a refreshing pineapple carpaccio roasted with black pepper and served with coconut sorbet, and a more calorific French petit choux craquelin (a type of brioche) with pistachio cream and orange compôte.
The Port Petit wine list has a good choice of Mallorcan, Spanish, and French wines, and two wines from their own vineyard, Viña Querel, which Gérard planted in 2008. I enjoyed a glass of the rosado, Flor de Cerezo.
Service from Paco and the team was excellent, and they didn’t know I was reviewing the place. So, taking everything into account, the Bistro Menu at 26,50 € (including VAT) is good value. We shall return.
Port Petit is open for lunch (13:00 – 14:45 h) and dinner (19:00 – 22:30 h) but is closed all day Tuesday and on Wednesday lunchtime.
Photos: Jan Edwards
Prices correct at time of writing.