LASSALA GRILL, Es Pil·larí

2023, June 5th | by Jan Edwards

Fans of the TV series ‘Friends’ will know that “Joey doesn’t share food!”. If you have a friend like Joey Tribbiani, don’t take them to Lassala Grill in Mallorca. Go with a foodie friend or two and order a few of the delicious dishes created specifically for sharing by executive chef Andrés Benítez – who is also behind the critically acclaimed plant-forward cuisine at Botànic restaurant in Palma.

Open all year for lunch and dinner, Lassala Grill offers an à la carte menu that will have you salivating as you read. Benítez takes his inspiration from around the world, using fresh, local produce. Dishes are under the headings of Salads, Vegetables, Rices, Skewers, and Desserts.

Each of the eight salads on the menu reflects the cuisine and culture of a different place. Our dining-chair ‘journey’ took us to Lebanon, Tuscany, and Latin America; sharing these salads enabled us to enjoy each one’s distinct flavours, textures, herbs, and spices. If Andrés Benítez intended to create Mallorca’s most interesting restaurant salads, I’d say he’d succeeded.

Each of the vegetable dishes is a star turn – perfectly cooked and with its own ethnic flavour. We tried sweet potato with sour cream and pickles; artichokes with pickled minced vegetables and mustard, tenderstem broccoli and asparagus tips with chipotle romesco sauce, and roasted cauliflower with sesame and turmeric sauce. Who needs meat or fish?

If you do, don’t miss the skewers, cooked over fire on the Robata grill. Of the eight different types, we tried Vietnamese (Iberian pork), Mediterranean (monkfish), Moroccan (lamb loin), and Argentinian (entrecote).

Three different rice dishes – finished in the charcoal oven – are offered: pescatarian (monkfish), vegetarian, and carnivorous (rib eye). We shared the rib-eye rice, which won praise around the table for its flavour and the beef’s tenderness.

Dessert for me was the roasted pineapple in Amazonas rum with herbal honey, chocolate sauce, popping candy, and the best coconut ice cream I’ve ever eaten. I’d have sacrificed the chocolate sauce for another scoop of such deliciousness. And yes, I did share it with my lunch companions. My name’s not Joey.

Lassala Grill is at the countryside hotel Posada d’es Molí in Es Pil.larí, only six kilometres from Palma airport. This makes it a good place to eat before or after a flight if the timing is convenient. And being only a short drive from Palma, Lassala Grill is the perfect place to escape the summer bustle of Mallorca’s capital for a memorable lunch or dinner. Eat indoors or on the attractive terrace.

Photos: Jan Edwards

Prices correct at time of writing.