Cardamom city

Cardamom City sits on Plaça Miguel Capllonch, the square that begins one row of houses back from the waterfront in Port de Pollença and where one restaurant stands beside the next. The kitchen is Indian, working in the North Indian curry tradition that reached Mallorca by way of Britain: Balti and Bhuna share a menu here with Korma and Vindaloo. The house itself describes its cooking as the recipes of India and, more broadly, of Asia. Most of the eating happens outside, under an awning on the square. You sit in the middle of the resort without the promenade running past your table. If you would rather eat where you are staying, everything is available to take away. Cardamom City and its heat scale The menu is built as a grid, and that explains its size better than any list. You choose the main ingredient first — chicken, chicken tikka, lamb, lamb tikka, mixed vegetables, paneer tikka, fish or king prawns — and then the sauce. Korma and Pasanda sit on the mild side, Bhuna, Karahi, Dopiaza and Rogan Josh in the middle, Dansak, Pathia, Jhalfrezi and Balti with an edge, and then Madras, Vindaloo and, as the hottest entry the house prints, Phal. So that nobody orders blind, the menu carries its own heat scale, running from a touch through medium to hot, with every dish marked accordingly. Beyond that the kitchen adjusts the heat to order — one of the things guests mention most often. Alongside sits a chef's selection of dishes that do not fit the grid: chicken tikka in a mango marinade, with fresh fenugreek leaves, with achari pickling spice or with the naga chilli, plus lamb with spinach, Keema Matar of minced meat and peas, and a Butter Chicken Masala. From the clay oven The tandoor has a section to itself. Out of it come chicken on the bone, chicken and lamb tikka on skewers, a seekh kebab of minced lamb, king prawns and salmon, and Shahi Paneer Tikka made from house-made fresh cheese. One dish carries the name of the house: Cardamom Garlic Chicken Tikka. The breads come from the same oven, and here they are not a side but a chapter of their own. Peshwari Naan, the sweet one among the flatbreads, is named in guest reports more often than any other item on the menu. Beside it sit Keema Naan with its minced filling, cheese and garlic naan, a Cardamom Special Naan, Aloo Paratha, Tandoori Roti and Chapati. Vegetarian on the menu The vegetable section is not a token line. Tarka Dal, lentils with onion, garlic and tomato, heads it; beside it stand Bombay Aloo, Saag Aloo, Aloo Gobi, Chana Masala with chickpeas, Palak Paneer and Matar Paneer, mushroom bhaji and saag bhaji. Biryani comes with paneer tikka or mixed vegetables as well, and among the starters you will find vegetable samosa, vegetable pakora and onion bhaji. Anyone arriving with children will find a small menu of its own. And for those who want to stay on after eating, the drinks list runs from Indian beer through mojitos and daiquiris to a wine selection that puts a Mallorcan red beside the Spanish and French bottles.