Alubia plant power

Alubia sits on the Passeig de Mallorca, the wide avenue that follows the canalised torrent straight through Palma, and it is an entirely plant-based house. No meat, no fish, no dairy, no egg — not as an extra column beside an ordinary menu, but as the basis of the whole operation. What sets Alubia apart from the other plant-based addresses in Palma is the register. The cooking here is neither ascetic nor demonstratively refined. The house states its own aim plainly: eating vegan should be easy, quick and healthy, and the menu reads accordingly — burgers, kebab, filled focaccia, wraps, pizza, gyoza, tex-mex rolls, bowls. Dishes you reach for when you are hungry, only without the animal. Alubia is simply the Spanish word for bean. Pulses really are the foundation here, not the side dish. What Alubia makes from pulses The burger patties are built from pulses and mushrooms rather than a bought-in meat substitute. Anyone expecting the smooth industrial disc gets something coarser and more idiosyncratic. Alongside them come sweet potato wedges, spiced creams and dips to share, bowls, and cookies or energy balls to finish. Portions are generous, the price bracket stays everyday, and gluten-free dishes are part of the offer. The menu is available in Spanish and English. Medalovers: the house's own frozen line Alubia does not only cook, it also produces. Under the name Medalovers it makes medallions of pulses, grains and vegetables, sold frozen and without artificial additives or preservatives. The house describes the route itself: grains, pulses, seeds and nuts are first activated in water, meaning soaked, then cooked, seasoned, shaped, chilled and packed. The varieties read like a cross-section of the kitchen — escalivada with quinoa, mung bean with beetroot, carrot with red lentils, black bean with sweet potato and curry, chickpea with tomato and rosemary, millet with spinach. The medallions can be bought at the restaurant itself and in the Agromart shops around the island, and other businesses order them wholesale. Order a burger in the dining room and you get the same medallion in the bun — the product line and the kitchen are one and the same thing here. From breakfast to tardeo The house divides its own day into three parts: breakfast, lunch and tardeo, that Spanish habit of spending the late afternoon over small plates and drinks rather than waiting for dinner. Coffee is core business here rather than an afterthought, and breakfast and brunch carry a good part of the day. Dogs are expressly welcome; the house calls itself pet friendly on its own pages, so this is a policy rather than quiet tolerance. Much of the menu travels, a table can be held through the house's own booking, and alongside the frozen products Alubia also sells shirts and bags with its own designs. Catering on land and on board For celebrations and company occasions Alubia keeps six menu lines ready that adapt to the event: paella, barbacoa, tex-mex, finger food, pizza party and brunch. Then there is a variant that belongs to Mallorca as almost nowhere else: catering on board. If you charter or have a boat of your own, the kitchen will put together a brunch or a dinner for the trip — plant-based, of course.