Periplo in Portixol - The Update

I was absolutely thrilled by the new Periplo in Portixol. You can read about it here. But now I went back with a few colleagues. And we ordered more and had more time...

Let's start from the end. We had good wine with the Terras Gauda 2021, a few beers, water, and the four of us ate well. The price of around 270 euros would have been almost a bargain for the quality I expected based on my last visit.

Reclaimed Wood from Tyrol — Yeah Right...

It started with the attentive service asking if we fancied fresh prawns from Sóller. Sóller is a picturesque little town in the northwest of the island, which includes Port de Sóller. And that's where the famous prawns come from. Now I don't want to accuse anyone of anything. But: Do you know all those houses or gorgeous tables made from "reclaimed wood from Tyrol"? Do you have any rough idea how every alpine meadow must have once been covered in huts to supply the enormous quantities consumed by the market? Something similar occurs to me — on principle — about the Gambas from Sóller. The harvesting area is relatively small. Almost every restaurant that's even slightly upscale offers this delicacy... Hmm... So, as a preface and adding that I am NOT a seafood expert, I simply enjoy eating it...

Gambas from Sóller — at Periplo in Portixol

So we took the gamble and were disappointed. Plain and simple. Not because any of us could really have judged whether Gambas from Sóller should taste exactly like this or differently. But because none of us liked either the texture, which was partly slimy, or the borderline overpowering fishy taste. The kitchen, informed by the service, let us know it was supposedly fresh catch from today. As I said, I'm no fish expert. But I can only say: if completely fresh produce from Sóller tastes like this, I wouldn't just not want to pay a premium price for it. I wouldn't order it for less money either.

In fact, the price per kilo on the bill at 27 euros was absolutely fair. And honestly also suggests they weren't Gambas from Sóller at all. If you buy Gambas from Sóller at the Mercat de l'Olivar, you're looking at around 100 euros per kilo. Sure, restaurants have different sources and buy different quantities. But hmm...

Different Kinds of Bread

The Pan Tostada we ordered was, in my opinion, a Pan Cristal. That's a light, airy, crispy white bread with yeast, on which tomatoes and garlic are then rubbed. In any case, it was exceptionally delicious and good — which, as so often with actually simple dishes, is not to be taken for granted. So clearly an upgrade, because Pan Tostada often means those rusk-like dried mini-breads that our Spanish hosts use to enjoy their truly fantastic ham. For whatever reason...

The Pan Cristal is, if you will, a summery version of the Pan Catalàn, which is served in Catalonia and southern France. But there with a grey bread or rather a brownish white bread, as used in Mallorca for Pa amb oli.

The tartare was a visual poem, but you can see that for yourselves. A truly creative chef who conjures up something this beautiful. Hats off for this picture of a dish.

Opinions were divided on the "Atún Blue". For me, the fruit content was too high. And I found it distinctly too acidic — my colleagues liked it better than I did. The fish itself was great. Visually a poem. But taste-wise, as I said, only moderately convincing for me.

The ceviche wasn't really to my taste either, but objectively it was good. Here too, the acidity was dominantly in the foreground. For my taste, really too much of a good thing, even for a ceviche. Apart from that, a nice composition though.

The John Dory looked fantastic. But was unfortunately just a touch too dry. The vegetables were also good, but a shade less spectacular than the revelation from the week before at Periplo in Portixol. So both good, but nothing more.

For dessert I'd ordered a composition with puff pastry and pistachios. It looked nice but unfortunately wasn't my thing. The puff pastry was good, on top of which sat an elongated cube of a kind of semi-frozen pistachio creation. I found it far too heavy. And it wasn't pleasant to eat either.

Friends had written to me that they were dissatisfied with the service. I can't confirm that. On both visits, the service was very friendly and attentive, and on the first visit also highly competent.

Verdict of the second visit: Restaurants often need a while to find their groove. Kitchen and service need to establish their routines. And then suddenly there are guests. Shouldn't really be my concern as a guest, but that's how it is. I enjoyed both visits. And was only really disappointed on the second visit to Periplo in Portixol because the first time was so outstandingly good. Would I have been satisfied with the result of the second visit in isolation?

My Verdict on Periplo in Portixol

As a "total package", yes. The view is fantastic. The service is friendly. Visually, every dish was a small sensation. Taste-wise, the first time yes; the second time, half was very good, the rest drifted towards satisfactory to good. Price/value I find — always considering the location — still reasonable.

What do I wish for Periplo in Portixol and myself? Please manage to consistently match the great quality of my first visit long-term. I suspect it would be enough if Periplo in Portixol simply didn't get worse. Simply because there's so little front-line gastronomy at this level with a modern and truly exciting menu. And because Mallorca is so popular that average quality often suffices. As we can see with real estate too...

Step on It, Friends!

I'd love to have a reliable quality at the level of my first visit "just around the corner". And I'm writing this quite selfishly. Please, dear Periplo, put in that little extra bit of effort!

If you try Periplo in Portixol, please write a comment here and share your experiences. Just so the overall picture comes together! Enjoy your meal and bon appétit!