Contrabando

Clandestine Tapas with a Touch of Mallorca

We are pleased when we leave Contrabando, like someone who leaves the cinema after seeing a film that didn't need a bizarre plot be gripping.

Author: Aina Coll

Photographer: Jaume Oliver

Local produce and tapas to share define what Contrabando has to offer, a restaurant in Llucmajor where we go for dinner attracted by its menu, which brings together essential dishes we have all grown up with -salad, croquettes, anchovies and sardines, Padrón peppers and banderillas-, tartars (tuna, beef and salmon) and specialties of the house -chicken wings with BBQ sauce, octopus, scallops au gratin and pork tenderloin with sobrasada, among other delicacies that we can't resist trying.

As soon as we arrived at calle Jaume III in Llucmajor, at a fairly early hour for what a local considers dinner, we detected a small terrace with a few tables behind a wooden fence. There is Contrabando, a large space decorated with curious motifs that, precisely, live up to its name – and indeed, Llucmajor and the east of Mallorca were the capital of this illicit activity for decades after the Spanish Civil War.

As soon as we cross the threshold, we are struck by the kitchen, in full view of the diners and presided over by a bar where we can see baskets full of fruits and vegetables. Fresh and seasonal, peppers, courgettes, lemons and tomatoes waiting to be cooked are a great letter of introduction.

We take a seat near the windows overlooking the street and order two glasses of red wine that here is always served locally: Can Axartell, Sa Cabana, Can Vidalet, Miquel Oliver, Can Coleto, Ribas, and Can Verdura among many others – as the winery is very extensive – draw a map that leads you to the most iconic wineries and cellers on the island.

While we taste the wine, we go for a truffled beef tartare that is served with two slices of bread with olive oil. Exquisite is not enough: with surprising citrus touches, which combine in harmony with the powerful flavor of the truffle and the freshness of the beef, the dish is perfect to start seducing our palate.

Enthusiastic and expectant, we continue with pork cheeks that arrive accompanied by sweet potato puree and a small potato coca. Cooked in red wine sauce, we don't need a knife to cut them, as each bite melts in our mouth. Wanting to mix flavors and textures – you shouldn’t play with your food, but who said it couldn't be fun? – we arrange the meat on top of  the coca, as if it were a bun, and enjoy the sweetness provided by the combination of coca and sweet potato with delicious meat.

The culmination of our first – but not last – visit to Contrabando has even more local flavor. Among the homemade desserts that the staff suggest we have a clear preference: a carob mousse made, of course, with carob from Johannis, Es Garrover de Mallorca, a project with roots in Llucmajor that since 2015 has been making gourmet products - such as teas, coffee, nougat or carob spread - and carob flour that is used to create desserts like this one. The end point to this meal rounds off the whole experience.

We are pleased when we leave Contrabando, like someone who leaves the cinema after seeing a film that didn't need a bizarre plot to hook the viewer. With KM 0 product, passion for gastronomy and the good atmosphere created by all the staff who have served us, Contrabando does not require script changes. It's simple but tasty. Seemingly easy but perfectly executed. Like the stories that dazzle us. Like the food we like to discover, enjoy and share.