Plat a Plat

A different way of eating

A somewhat risky bet because umami’s taste differs from the one that predominates in our recipe book. Coconut and cabbage make this flavor softer as we feel excited by it.

Author: Aina Coll

Photographer: Jaume Oliver

Plat a plat is a different restaurant in this world, the hotel business, and in a context, Mallorca, where the gastronomic offer is overwhelming. It is different in its concept -a restaurant in the hall of a hotel building-, in its proposal -a vegan menu created without gluten and sugars- and in its customer service -close, communicative and impeccable-.

We saw it for ourselves one Friday night when we arrived at Maria de la Salut and stood in front of a large house -with a garden and a swimming pool- converted into a hotel. Like an old Mallorcan possessió moved to the epicenter of the village and preserved with care and respect, Curolla houses in its interior Plat a plat, a large room that is also the hotel reception and breathes a leisurely atmosphere that invites you to relax and enjoy.

Among diners who, we sense, are also guests, Vero accommodates us and explains in detail the menu and the history of the restaurant, which opened its doors in 2023 with the aim of transforming the way we eat, dish by dish, without haste and with a healthy perspective. The idea is undoubtedly tempting, and the menu is in tune with this feeling. Changing and seasonal, this week Plat a plat's kitchen is cooking onion tartlet, oat and coconut bites, and green gazpacho to start; azuki and beet, zucchini noodles, quinoa with seed cheese and roasted eggplant, and coconut yogurt red cabbage, with tamari and miso, as their main dishes.

Everything is appetizing when Vero recites the menu, but we decide to start with the green gazpacho which, in reality, is much more: a plum pickle on the gazpacho meet with millet spheres with vegan mozzarella, eggplant skewers and pip cheese topped with vegan ricotta. An elaborate dish, with infinite textures and flavors all assembled with great success.

After this triumphant entry, we move on to the main courses: the roasted red cabbage fillet is accompanied by a smooth coconut cream enhanced by the umami of tamari and miso. A risky bet because the taste of umami is very different from the one that predominates in our recipes, but thanks to the coconut and the cabbage, it is softened while at the same time making us feel excited about it.

We also tasted the azuki and beet dumplings in beet and onion sauce, accompanied by sautéed leeks and pistachios. Tasty and generous - halfway through we are already full, but the dish demands to keep us eating -, we are afraid we won't be able to make it to the dessert options. Something we would have regretted because the cocoa delights have been calling us. A sponge cake with coconut cream and spices, artisan chocolate and strawberries make our mouths water and make a perfect end to Plat a plat.

The beverage proposal, undoubtedly, accompanies and rounds off the culinary experience. We chose to toast this new discovery with a homemade gingerale, refreshing and citrusy, based on apple, pear, lemon and ginger, and a glass of 3030 Blanc de Bodegues Àngel, a dry, fresh and light white, ideal for a relaxed evening in the Mediterranean.

Different doesn't have to be synonymous with extravagant, outlandish or superficial. In fact, it can be the opposite. In a frenetic world in which ultra-processed food fills so many fridges and in which we think perhaps too little about what we eat and why, Plat a plat bets on an atypical menu, short but thoughtful, vegan but elaborated, healthy but original. Far from clichés and basic recipes that prove that plant-based cuisine can offer endless possibilities.

Dare to try it -and at the same time support local projects that encourage us to take a perspective of what we eat- is, in Plat a plat, a pleasure. A gift that you can complete with a treat, such as homemade sweets, cookies and granolas to take home, or even with one of the brunch offers or workshops that Curolla organizes almost weekly. It's different. It's unique. It's special. And we love it.