Don Neko Sushi

Don Neko is a small sushi bar on Avinguda de Joan Miró in Sant Agustí, at the point where Palma runs west towards Cala Major. What the house says about itself fits into a single line on its own menu: it works with fresh produce, and everything is made only once you order it. That has practical consequences. If you want to leave an ingredient out or add one, you simply say so — the menu is meant as a starting point, not a boundary, and you are welcome to ask about dishes that are not on it at all. Because nothing sits ready and waiting, the house itself suggests placing orders with a little lead time. What sets Don Neko apart from other sushi bars The kitchen's own handwriting shows most clearly where the rice disappears. The Tamago rolls are wrapped in a thin egg crêpe, with no rice and no nori — Tiger with salmon, Philadelphia and avocado, Tamango with mango, Furaido with crisp sweet potato and a honey-mustard sauce. The Geishas take the same path by different means: little rolls whose wrapper is salmon itself, again without rice and without seaweed, filled with avocado, prawns or mango. Alongside that runs the line of flamed rolls. In the Lucali, prawns, mango and Philadelphia sit inside flamed salmon, with crisp sweet potato and teriyaki; in the Foie, foie gras is wrapped in flamed salmon and joined by a red-fruit coulis and fried rice noodles. The tempura rolls arrive hot in a panko crust, the Osaka wraps prawns, cucumber and ginger in red tuna, and the Maneki carries the same idea in tuna and wakame. The South American thread The second thing that stands out is geographical. Next to nigiri, sashimi and maki, Don Neko keeps a section that comes from Peru: ceviches of diced fish or shellfish marinated in citrus with red onion, coriander, corn and pepper. One is simply called Nikkei and is made with salmon, the other combines prawns and salmon. They come with sushi-rice croquettes and sweet potato chips — a pairing you rarely find on a Japanese menu on this island. The tiraditos continue the thought: salmon carpaccio in a citrus marinade with sprouts and pine nuts, and a carpaccio of hamachi in a sauce of ají amarillo and passion fruit. The thread runs on through the menu — one roll is called Buenos Aires, another Tex Mex with red tuna and guacamole, and among the homemade desserts you find a cold chocolate and dulce de leche mousse, a torrija with banana ice cream and a passion fruit cheesecake. Pokés, vegan cooking and allergens The poké section is broadly drawn. You can pick a finished bowl — from Salmon Crispy through Spicy Tuna to Hawaiian with pineapple, mango and peanuts — or build your own: first the base of basmati, salad, quinoa or sushi rice, then three accompaniments from a long list, then the protein, then the sauce. Vegan food is no footnote here. There is a roll range of its own, with Sofia of red pepper, Bio Mexican with tofu and homemade guacamole, Spicy Tofu and Vegan Caprese with basil, plus a fully vegan selection, a vegan poké bowl, one with hummus, vegetable gyoza and a vegan chocolate and banana dessert. Useful for anyone with an intolerance: every single dish on the menu carries allergen symbols, from gluten and sesame through to celery and mustard. Together with the willingness to swap ingredients, that adds up to a very concrete form of consideration. The room and the surroundings at Don Neko The place is compact. Out front there is a small street-level terrace, closed off with covers when it turns windy or wet; inside, a long narrow room stretches back, with the bar along the left where the drinks are made and the kitchen at the far end of it. The furniture is kept low, the colours restrained and carefully chosen. Manu and Delfi are the hosts, and they look after their guests themselves. Takeaway and delivery have been part of the idea from the start. And anyone making the trip out here is already half at the water: the marina of Port Calanova is close by, and the bay of Cala Major lies a little further west.