Temple Natura

A paradise on earth

Temple Natura is a vegan and vegetarian restaurant with a beautiful garden. Right in the center of Palma, it is a place with Mediterranean spirit and Colombian personality.

Author: Joan Ramis Boscana

The old town of Palma becomes one of the biggest attractions of the island, an attraction that both locals and foreigners know well. We see them wandering through the streets of the historic center, consulting a map to guide them through the urban labyrinth formed by its facades. We just left a store that opened a few weeks ago: Estiu Concept Store. A space where creative workshops are taught and where you can purchase the work of many local artists. A place that exudes taste and elegance, near the Museum of Mallorca, and from which we left dazzled. What happens when we extend our walks is that hunger, without warning, makes us aware of its existence. When we raise our heads, we realize that a sign greets us from the heights. Its name says it all: Temple Natura, an oasis of vegan cuisine that is anything but not real. 

We pass under the lintel of the door and a fresco painted on the bar already warns us of something: Temple Natura is not just any place. The plants entangled in a wooden screen, located at the entrance, are the prelude to what we are going to find in its garden, the crown jewel of a place we would never have imagined. We cross a room full of tables where a gold-plated Buddha blesses the space. Some steps invite us to climb, attracted by the brightness of midday. It is already outside when we understand what the waiter has just told us: at Temple Natura things happen in the patio. And what a patio. A gigantic tangerine tree presides over an enclave immersed in the vegetation. Wooden tables covered by awnings, a banana tree that also offers shade, stone statues not exempt of mysticism and a well that tells of an advanced age. For a moment, they have to remind us that we are in the center of Palma; the scenery indicates otherwise.  

Despite the Stendhal syndrome of which we are almost victims, hunger does not go away. The menu is a kind of declaration of love to healthy gastronomy. A proposal with Mediterranean soul and Colombian sparkles. It makes our mouths water when we read all the dishes, sheltered in a garden of overwhelming beauty. Fortunately there are not many people the day we eat at Temple Natura, which when the good weather arrives becomes an enclave only suitable for the most intimate concerts. Our table is white, wrought iron and adorned with a potted plant with a small ficus. The only thing missing is the food, which soon arrives after the waiter has treated us kindly.

We start with some snacks and order a special bread with vegan aioli and black olives. A classic Mediterranean appetizer that at Temple Natura takes on another meaning. As its name suggests, the bread is very special. Toasted, crunchy, ready to dive head first into a delicious aioli. The chirping of birds is the soundtrack to a scene that takes place almost in nature. After a while, the only thing left in the bowl are the olive pits, because everything else is completely gone.

Fortunately, two wonders called tingano burrito and vegan chilli suddenly appear. Their presentation is most appetizing, with very bright colors, and the first thing that makes us open our eyes is the size of the dishes. The amount of food is copious. The burrito is loaded with a formidable sauté of heura, bell pepper, tomato, lettuce and onion. Everything is bathed in a soy yogurt and mustard sauce. The ingredients melt harmoniously in each bite, with the help of knife and fork. The vegan chilli does not fall short either, on the contrary. Textured soybeans find their place in a crushed tomato that makes room for corn kernels and bell pepper pieces. Bean sprouts and coriander sprouts have made their peak on a mound of rice with slices of avocado and sweet potato. How about the mix? Just marvelous.  

If we liked the Temple Natura in daylight, it must be a delight when illuminated at night.