Terragust, Manacor

This Restaurant of the Week doesn’t have four walls and a roof,so it’s not strictly a restaurant but an al fresco, farm-to-table experience from the Manacor company, Terragust, owned by Matias Adrover Sitger. Depending on the season, you could be at a table in an orchard, among grapevines, or in an olive grove on one of the farms in the countryside outside Manacor.

I attended one of the first Terragust experiences back in 2019 and was sure that the concept would be a success. Five years later, that’s proved to be the case: their six dinners each week for this September are fully booked, but it’s worth joining the waiting list in case of a cancellation. From October, with the cooler evenings, Terragust will change from dinners to lunches, offering four each week.

Terragust is a Mallorcan gastronomic and rural tourism experience. You have the choice of a tour of the crops grown on the chosen farm, with Matias, followed by a four-course, seasonal, tasting menu – or just the tasting menu.

I’ve been to several of these Terragust events and for the one we attended last week, opted for the tasting menu only. After you’ve booked and paid online, you receive an email with the location of the venue. Comfortable shoes are recommended as some farmland walking is involved.

Our table was in a long line of tables between vertically growing grapevines and underneath a string of lights. It was a romantic setting that said ‘Mediterranean’, with a menu that said Mallorcan.

Dinner began with their version of ‘pa amb oli’: their own artisan bread made with an old variety of wheat known as ‘xeixa’, accompanied by local extra virgin olive oil, ‘ramallet’ tomatoes, olives, and local cheeses and sausages. We also had delicious, mini Mallorcan cocas with seasonal vegetables.

For the second course, Terragust served a tasty aubergine ‘escalivada’ with silky hummus, yogurt, rocket, and confit cherry tomatoes.

Pork was the star of the main dish. It was meltingly tender, served with apple and sweet and sour sauce and vegetables.

Dessert was a pannacotta with the perfect degree of wobble, served with crumble and fig. Delicious. The Terragust experience includes white and red wines from Manacor bodega Pere Seda, water, coffee roasted in Mallorca, and a shot of their own ‘hierbas’.

All this food is prepared and served from the mobile Terragust kitchen, where Mallorcan chef Biel Llul Galmés – nicknamed ‘Cornet’ – works his magic. He’s been with Terragust since it started and told me he still loves what he does.

Kim, a warm-hearted and friendly Dutch woman who speaks several languages, is the host, leading the service team. She explains the dishes at each table and has made the Terragust gastronomic and rural Mallorcan tourism experience even more special with what the Spanish call ‘don de gente’ – people skills.

Photos: Jan Edwards

Prices correct at time of writing.