Badal Corner

Meat is what this is all about

The good thing about the Badal is that you can add extra toppings, that the starters look amazing and that if you run short - which is rare - you can side it all with potatoes or sweet potatoes.

Author: Joan Ramis Boscana

Undoubtedly, Palma is an enclave that houses several hearts that breathe life into the city. One of those that pumps the most energy and Mallorcan spirit is the Mercat de l'Olivar, the point where floods of locals come together to do their weekly shopping. It is Saturday at noon when we meet a couple of friends at the entrance of the market. And although our task is far from running errands, we can't take our eyes off the numerous stalls that flood the place. Our eyes jump from Mahon cheese to Balearic olives, from black pork sobrasada to almonds from this land. After having a bite to eat at the bar Ca'n Jaume, we go out in search of a place to eat. In a corner of the square we see the terrace of COR Barra i Taula, a restaurant where we will go someday because its gastronomic offer attracts us like a magnetized treasure. But the Badal Corner burgers are just around the corner, a lure we do not think to avoid.

We're lucky to have managed to get a table for three on a busy Saturday like this one. The project put together in 2016 by Marga Mira and Patrick Battenberg is the agora where meat sybarites gather. Over the last few years, the people from Palma have grown fond of Badal, a predilection associated with what they offer on their menu: hamburgers that have earned the respect of the llonguets, who flock to the interior of the premises due to the effect of some kind of hypnosis. The establishment, on the other hand, follows the line of interior design that almost all the gourmet hamburger restaurants we have visited follow too: industrial. Thick pipes in full view of the public are attached to the wall, behind a bar where one can sit down thanks to stools lined up next to the counter. Once seated there, we could get a close-up feel of what goes on behind the scenes as we savored our order. 

But we have been assigned to a wooden table in a corner of the premises, from which we can see how customers enter and leave a smaller Badal than the other, located in the Son Rossinyol industrial estate. As we download their menu, one word resonates in our head: variety. Then another word echoes loudly in response to the first: hunger. Each one of us orders a different hamburger. The reason is simple: we want to share them. After a while, the waiter approaches with a smile on his face and our choice in his hands. The introductions begin: Un día de chimenea, Chili cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese and Monsieur Jack. Those are the names of the burgers that will keep us company while they last. In Badal, there are thirteen monuments built in honor of the meat stuffed between these buns, among which there is also a vegan alternative and an option for children. Here they understand tastes and preferences.

The first bite is given to A Chimney Day, which has Mexican reminiscences represented by the guacamole and others with a more grilled flavor, given by the bacon and roasted bell pepper. A winning combination that sets a very high standard for the others to follow. But the Monsieur Jack attacks with a well marked French accent, as marked as its meat is by the grill in which the brie cheese makes its presence obvious. It is difficult to describe what happens to our taste buds, which awaken with pleasure at the mixture conferred by the dried tomato jam and mushrooms. Surprising is not enough. The Chili cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese, which dares to use three different types of cheese on a bed of chili and jalapeños, is no slouch either. Mexico strikes back again, but this time with a serving of red onion that goes great with it. 

The good thing about the Badal is that you can add extra toppings, that the starters look amazing and that if you run short - which is rare - you can side it all with potatoes or sweet potatoes. The good thing about the Badal is the Badal itself.