Buga: 14.08.2016
The new Mercado San Juan in s'Escorxador has something to offer aesthetically and gastronomically
Modern Art Nouveau design
The conclusion right at the beginning: it turned out great!
Design & Concept
The elegant-rustic design, which perfectly captures and modernizes the Art Nouveau specification by Gaspar Bennàssar, who designed the former slaughterhouse (s'Escorxador) in 1905, already impresses visually. Responsible for this was the interior designer Santos Moreno and his team from G4Deco.
Last Friday, the Ghaben yourself put a lot of effort into putting together the right mix. No offer is the same as another, so as a guest you have a choice of currently 14 - four more stands are not yet assigned - different flavors and cooking styles. The operators are professionals who partially operate the market branch and are also successful and well-known with their other gastronomic businesses.
Pintxos, Tortillas & Llonguets
If you start at the main entrance on the left, you will first come to a stand with up to ten different Basque pintxos for 1.50 euros each. The operator is Germán Cano, who also runs the bar-restaurant Sa Ronda on Avenida Argentina. "In Ronda we have more normal tapas, here we focus entirely on Basque variations," says Cano.
His neighbor is Ramón Llabrés, who has decided on a "Vermut & Tortillas" stand with a partner. Around ten different vermouth varieties - and of course other drinks - are available for selection, starting at 2.50 euros per glass. In addition, various tortillas are offered, which are available in the classic version, but also enriched with squid, tuna or Sobrassada (2.50-3 euros). In addition, small snacks that go well with vermouth are served, such as skewers with pickled vegetables and fish, large stuffed olives or stuffed pickles.
Third in line is none other than Cap Rocat head chef Victor García, who has opened a llonguets stand with three partners - including Cap Rocat maître Bruno Selles Sinibaldi. The famous Palma rolls are made for the "Mestre Llonguet," as the stand is called, by one of the best bakeries in Palma, Reina María Cristina, as García tells. Eight cold and four warm varieties are topped with the best local ingredients. The mix was thought up by García: There is warm pork fillet with hummus, smoked bacalao with trampó, or tuna with egg and olives - delicious at fair prices (2.50-3 euros). "In the future, we also want to offer rolls with ham and sausages from Xesc Reina, as well as cheese platters with local cheese and Menorcan cheese," explains García.
Sushi, Thai & Sea Creatures
A few meters further, you will come to the oyster-seafood-mussel stand. The operators Tolo and Toni Torrens also manage the two stands in Mercat Olivar and offer the same quality and the same prices here (oysters 2-3.50 euros/piece). In addition to the oysters, Ariel Bázan from the recommended Japanese restaurant Daruma in Carrer San Miguel has set up his branch and prepares around 20 different dishes fresh daily - from ceviche to sushi rolls, including vegetarian options.
His neighbor also offers Asian cuisine, noodle-chicken and noodle-gamba dishes from Thailand, costing 8.50 and 9.50 euros per (large) portion. Operator Christian Deola recently opened his Thai takeaway "Bon Thai" in Cala Mayor.
Next to Thailand, it becomes very Mediterranean again, because the La Parada del Mar fish restaurant by Pedro Truyols has its branch "El Rincón de Parada" and offers fried fish, fish skewers, gambas, calamari, or chipirones (portion of chipirones 4.50 euros, Seewolf skewer 4.50 euros, sea bass 5.80 euros).
Arrozes, Fideua & Ham
On the other side of the hall, cook Nuria Ramos conjures up Mallorcan rice dishes (for example arròs negre for 5.50 euros) and typical local dishes such as stuffed eggplants or frito mallorquín.
At the second stand of the Torrens brothers, there is Ibérico and Bellota ham from the renowned Casalba brand - "this brand also has Michelin-starred chef Martin Berasategui," says Torrens - matured for 24, 36, and 48 months (7-10 euros for half, 14-18 euros for whole portion). "We were the first to sign the contract for the new market months ago because we believe in the project."
Finely made noodles form the basis for the fideua dishes - an average of three to four different ones per day - which chef Raúl López from the Agrofinca restaurant Can Canals offers. On the test day, the variants were chicken teriyaki, seafood, or a meat-fish version (6, 7, or 8 euros for half, but very large portion. 10, 12, and 14 euros for whole). Also highly recommended is the freshly mixed sangria, which he is the only one offering (half a liter for 5 euros, a liter for 10 euros).
Pizza, Burger & Chuleton
We continue with Italy: Mattia Priori offers fresh pizza, pasta, and other Italian dishes at his stand. His neighbor Gabriel Ribas Martorell processes the best meat from Menorcan cattle at his stand as "Hamburguesas Gourmet". The expert has tried for a long time to find the right meat for his stand. Only as much fat as necessary, otherwise pure meat in tartare quality, with which he creates four different burgers alongside a cheese version: American, Italian, Mediterranean, and Mallorcan style. The latter is the special tip and combined with Sobrassada. All sauces are prepared in-house, and the other ingredients are of high quality (from small mini burgers for 3 euros to large ones for 9 euros).
At his neighbor "Pal Meat," everything is also about meat, namely from Asturias from the supplier Trasacar. There are pork and lamb skewers (2.50-2.95 euros), steak tartar (5.95 euros), Angus burgers (5.50 euros), and even the finest chuletón - although this comes from Germany and is sold by weight (32 euros/kilo).
The sweet finale
If you feel like something sweet after all these savory treats, you can help yourself at a branch of the well-known bakery-patisserie "Madeleine de Proust" in the side wing. "In the near future, we will also open in the morning and expand our cake selection specifically for the San Juan market," says owner Laurent Techt. Highly recommended is the