Restaurant Antic Grill Bunyola

Restaurant Antic Grill Bunyola sits in the middle of Bunyola's old centre, a few steps from the Mercat Municipal, and makes no secret of what it is about: meat, fish and shellfish go on the grill here. The house sums up its own programme in a single line — a restaurant in the centre of Bunyola with bold flavours. Bunyola lies at the foot of the Serra de Tramuntana, on the old link between Palma and Sóller. Eating here means sitting not on the coast but in a village that lives off its own people for most of the year. That sets the tone: unhurried, without scenery, the attention on the produce and on the fire. Two origins carry this kitchen, and the house names them itself. Basque Beef, Galician Seafood The meat comes from the Basque Country, the shellfish comes from Galicia. In Spain, neither is a throwaway line. Basque beef traditionally means older animals with a deep red colour and a thick, yellowish rim of fat; Galician shellfish means the cold Atlantic rather than the Mediterranean on the doorstep. A grill house on Mallorca that has both brought across half the peninsula is making a decision you can taste on the plate. The fittings include a maturing chamber of its own for the chuletón. The house therefore ages its beef itself instead of buying it ready-aged — an effort many grill restaurants avoid, because it costs space, patience and weight. Anyone who likes aged beef will recognise the difference in the nutty, almost cheesy depth that builds up over that time. What the Antic Grill Bunyola Kitchen Sends Out Beef is the centre of the menu: chuletón, T-bone and solomillo, along with aged loin. Coming as a pair or a threesome and sharing one large cut on the bone is the way the house is used. The other half belongs to the sea. Vieiras, meaning scallops, are paired with jamón ibérico — a classic that sets the sweetness of the shellfish against the salt of the ham. Alongside them come bluefin tuna tartare, octopus from the embers, and cod. Fish and shellfish cross the grill just as the meat does; that is the thread running through this kitchen. The menu is rounded out by daily suggestions that are not printed anywhere, by an offer of its own for groups, and by individual dishes made to advance order. The desserts are made in house; cheesecake, apple crumble with ice cream and brownie are among them. There is a wine list of its own as well. A Village House in the Tramuntana Antic Grill stands on Carrer Santa Bàrbara, in the grown-up core of Bunyola among the market hall, the plaça and the village bars. There are seats outdoors too. The appeal of the house lies not in a view, though, but in a menu that limits itself to a few things and takes those seriously. Bunyola itself is a good start and end point for routes into the Serra de Tramuntana, and still sits close enough to Palma to be reachable for an evening. A reservation is advisable: the business keeps a number of its own for it and takes tables that way. Anyone with a large, long-aged cut in mind is best off asking about it when booking.