Tapas La placita

Tapas La Placita sits on the Plaça de Sant Joan in the middle of Son Servera, and the name means exactly that: the little square the place belongs to. An Andalusian family runs it, and the host was born in Jerez. The house files its kitchen simply as Andalusian – and it means it. The heart of that kitchen is the fritura, the fried fish repertoire of the south. Calamar and chipirones a la andaluza, boquerones, cazón en adobo and tortillitas de camarones appear one by one on the menu and once more together on a platter meant for two. The cazón – dogfish steeped in vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano and paprika before it goes into the flour and the oil – is the signature of the province of Cádiz. On Mallorca you rarely meet it as matter-of-factly as here. What Tapas La Placita brought up from the south Alongside the fritura stands the row of tapas you find in every bar in Andalusia: pimientos de padrón, champiñones al ajillo, patatas bravas, huevos rotos with Ibérico ham or with vegetables, house-made croquetas, gambas al ajillo, torrezno de Soria. Then there is the ensaladilla la Placita, which the house treats as its own signature and likes to hold up against the notion that all it does is fry. The meat dishes turn Iberian: presa, lomo with Ibérico ham and fried pepper, pierna de cordero and rabo de toro, the Andalusian oxtail. In among them the carrilleras, braised pork cheeks left in their sauce until the lightest pressure pulls them apart. From the sea come pulpito de lonja and calamarín off the grill, lubina a la espalda and gallo San Pedro with onions. Anyone eating vegetarian or vegan will find dishes marked as such on the menu. Andalusia and Mallorca on one menu The second leg the house stands on is emphatically Mallorcan. Pa amb oli is made, by its own account, the way tradition prescribes, and the menu carries seven versions – each named after a place on this coast. Son Servera comes with lomo, serrano ham and fried pepper, Cala Ratjada with salmon and avocado, Cala Bona with calamares a la andaluza, Artà with sobrassada, goat cheese and honey, Porto Cristo with grilled octopus. That is more than a gesture: it is the map of the neighbourhood, laid on bread. On top of that come daily dishes from the fresh market run, with no printed line on the menu – Andalusian recipes that change with what the market offers. The desserts stay home-made throughout: cheesecake, apple tartlet, pudding. The square, the house, the visit The terrace stands in the pedestrian zone of the square, so cars play no part out there; inside it is air-conditioned. The tone is that of a family house, the portions are generous, and the mix of guests runs from locals through Spanish holidaymakers to the German-speaking regulars from the bays next door. Booking is worth it. The house takes tables through its own online reservation system and by phone, and it is well known in the village – especially at the weekend. There is room for groups and larger families. For parking, the restaurant itself points to Carrer del Tren and Carrer des Cos, both only a few steps away.