X Etapas · Tapas gamberras

What “tapas gamberras” means at X Etapas

Whether the claim holds is settled by three dishes. “Alma pringá” takes pringá — the meats that fall apart at the end of an Andalusian puchero — and sets them on a block of crisp rice in the shape of a nigiri. The piononos wrap the Mallorcan winter dish llom amb col, pork loin with sobrassada and botifarró in cabbage, into the rolled form of a pastry from Granada and add smoked allioli. And the ensaimada, otherwise sweet and eaten at breakfast on the island, arrives here filled with Asturian chorizo and cheese.

That is the register of the house: never a break for its own sake, but two origins meeting in a single mouthful. The sobao pasiego, a Cantabrian butter cake, also turns up savoury, with blood sausage cream and Manchego. And instead of the usual patatas bravas there is a bomba on the menu, filled with Andalusian “papas aliñás”.

The menu: Spain in stages

The name is the programme — the menu reads as a sequence of stages across the country. From Huelva comes mojama, air-dried tuna, served with roasted red peppers and a vinaigrette of quince and walnut. From Aracena come the Iberian pork cheeks, braised in dark beer. Piquillo peppers are stuffed with pork jowl and prawn, and cazón is steeped in an Andalusian adobo marinade and brought to the table with fennel salad.

The island is represented by the Coca Xeixa, baked on the old Mallorcan wheat and topped with braised aubergine, cream cheese and honey. From the fish market comes the gamba carabinera, grilled and accompanied by nothing more than a green aliño of parsley and mustard. The cauliflower is called “Madre nuestra” and is prepared esparragá style, with spinach gel and chestnut honey. Alongside them: cuttlefish and squid as pica pica in corn tortillas, scallops with truffled potato, and octopus with caramelised peppers.

The desserts stay true to the same principle: a cheesecake made with Manchego and Mallorcan cheese, a tocinillo de cielo on almond sponge, a cake of cocoa and biscuit. Gluten-free versions are provided for, and the allergens are set out on every line of the menu.

El Terreno and Plaça Gomila

El Terreno is bohemian Palma, and Plaça Gomila is its centre. The quarter combines street art, cafés and that same bohemian energy, along with the coloured buildings of the Proyecto Gomila. X Etapas is one of the houses carrying that movement — close enough to the Paseo Marítimo to be reached on foot, and far enough from the tourist runs of the old town to remain a neighbourhood place.

Who is behind it and who it suits

Behind X Etapas are Silvia and Carmen, who opened the restaurant with a clear idea: every visit should feel like dinner at the home of someone who cooks very well. The tapas change with the seasons and with inspiration, and the local ingredient is looked for first.

The room is small and fills quickly, so booking is advisable. For larger parties the house takes groups of up to around forty people — company meals, family celebrations, travel groups — with tapas in the middle of the table rather than a set sequence of courses. Anyone expecting the usual tapas standards will be surprised; anyone willing to follow the stages gets Spanish cooking that knows where it comes from and still enjoys bending it.