Mesón Ca´n Torrat ( Calvià,Pueblo )

Mesón Ca'n Torrat sits on Carrer Major in the middle of the village of Calvià, inland rather than on the coast. That already explains a good deal about the place: anyone eating here has made a deliberate drive up from the coastal resorts. Nobody passes this address by accident, and you can tell from the room. A mesón is the Spanish country inn, and Ca'n Torrat takes the word literally. Meat over an open fire is the centre of things; everything else arranges itself around it. The place is run by a family who stand in the kitchen and the dining room themselves, and that shapes an evening here more than any décor could. What comes off the open fire The menu is narrow and built around the embers. Suckling pig is the dish guests name first afterwards; alongside it come shoulder of lamb, lamb chops and lamb medallions, entrecôte, beef fillet, pork loin and ribs. It all arrives off the open fire and in portions sized generously rather than carefully. If you do not eat meat there are vegetables from the grill, salads and vegetarian plates — Ca'n Torrat is still not a house for vegetarians, and it makes no effort to pretend otherwise. Bread arrives unasked before the main course, with house-made aioli, olives and garlic butter. From the starters, the gambas al ajillo, mushrooms in garlic, pimientos de padrón and the pilotes, the Mallorcan veal meatballs, all repay ordering. If there are two of you, hold back when you order: the grill delivers more than the menu suggests. Island cooking at Mesón Ca'n Torrat Beside the grill, the kitchen cooks the dishes that are native to Mallorca and have all but vanished from the resort strips. Frit mallorquí is one of them, the classic of liver, potatoes and peppers that every village on the island reads slightly differently. Lomo amb col is on the menu too: pork loin wrapped in cabbage leaves and slowly braised, a dish that does not work without time and has become rare for exactly that reason. To finish, poached pears and crema catalana are the dependable choices, with ice cream alongside. You drink wine from a decent list or house wine from the jug, and sangría through the summer. The house and the village Inside, Ca'n Torrat is rustic and densely hung — old pictures, keepsakes, an accumulated clutter rather than a design scheme. Outside, tables stand along the village street, and the small terrace is the spot regulars ask for first. Calvià itself lies in the hilly interior of the municipality, the church stands above the rooftops, and the quiet here has little to do with Palmanova and Magaluf, even though all of them carry the same municipal name. Booking is advisable, and all the more so at weekends. The house is not large, its reputation is good, and the two together fill the tables reliably. If you are planning an evening here, do not schedule it tightly: Ca'n Torrat is not a place for a quick meal but one where the table stretches out by itself.