In this episode, Vic is joined in the studio by Jan Edwards from Eat Drink Sleep Mallorca, (https://eatdrinksleepmallorca.com) writer and restaurant reviewer, for a lively catch-up on what’s worth booking right now across the island.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review on your podcast app. You can also find links and references in the show notes.

This episode was actually recorded before Christmas, but all of the info is still relevant now.

Highlights

1. Little Jarana (Palma): Jan’s latest restaurant-of-the-week, a small, intimate spot built around sharing plates and a counter view of the kitchen. Chef-owner Abraham Artigas keeps things Mediterranean with playful international touches, and it is one of those places you will want to book ahead. https://www.littlejarana.com/
2. Mallorca’s Michelin conversation: A quick, friendly breakdown of what the latest guide recognition means on such a small island, and why you do not always need to dress up, even in star territory.
3. Terrae and the rise of zero-waste dining: Jan talks sustainability, “use everything” cooking, and why zero-waste restaurants are so compelling right now.
4. Can March (Manacor) turns 100: A centenary celebration for a long-running family restaurant, plus a newly published book covering the story and recipes (with more languages expected). https://www.canmarch.com/en/
5. Tomeu Caldentey in Sa Coma: Jan shares a packed-room tasting menu experience, the appeal of chef-counter dining, and why some chefs choose freedom over the “golden shackles” of constant awards pressure. https://tomeucaldentey.com/en/
6. Restaurant discovery and marketing: Instagram rabbit holes, why character-led marketing works (including a shout-out to Annabelle’s), and why “book ahead” is the best stress-reducer in Mallorca dining season.

More links!

https://fincacanbeneit.com/en/gastronomy/

https://www.brutrestaurante.com/

https://nuspalma.com/

https://mesquidamora.com/es/

https://www.instagram.com/canmel_casconcos

Podcast Transcript: Vic with Jan Edwards

Vic (Host):

Today, in the new studio, we have the lovely Jan Edwards from Eat Drink Sleep Mallorca. How are you?

Jan:

Thank you very much. I’m well, thank you. Pleased to be back, in a different studio, you’ve had a move about.

Vic:

We’re still in the process of moving in. There are things to happen and at some point in the new year we’re going to start filming. I like a bit of a turnaround, so we’re in a new space.

Jan:

Do you know, I used to be like that with houses, I’d always be moving the furniture around.

Vic:

Yeah, well, where we are, our rooms are so small we can’t move anything, so that’s cured a bad habit.

Jan:

I would be like that in my house if I could.

Vic:

It’s not a bad habit. It’s good to refresh your space.

Jan:

I think it is actually, you look at it in a new way.

Vic:

I always get excited when I’m sitting at a different desk and I get all inspired and begin again. It’s like having a new notebook.

Jan:

New notebook, love those. I had a Secret Santa new notebook at the writers’ lunch, it’s a beautiful one. I love a new notebook, so that was the perfect gift.

Vic:

Is it a good one?

Vic:

I’m a pen addict and a notebook addict. I have a notebook problem. I was actually thinking I was normal until it turned out that’s a really big sign of ADHD.

Jan:

Really?

Vic:

Yeah. I mean… what do you think, do you think you’ve got it?

Jan:

I don’t think I’ve got ADHD, but I do have a little obsession with notebooks. And also, when I’ve filled them, I can’t throw them away.

Vic:

Well, that’s different. I don’t even get halfway through them and then I have to start a new one.

Jan:

You have got it bad.

Catch-up and Restaurant of the Week

Vic:

So how’s life been in Mallorca since last time I saw you? That would be probably six weeks ago or so.

Jan:

Busy, busy, busy. Time has flown by. I’ve found time to eat out every week, well, I do my weekly Restaurant of the Week, for Mallorca Sunshine Radio, so that keeps me going out and being busy. We had a lovely experience last week.

Vic:

No way, yes, well done.

Jan:

We went to a place I’ve wanted to go to for a long time. It started as a pop-up in Deià for the summer and is now a little backstreet restaurant in Palma. It’s called Little Jarana, which means “little party”. It’s one of these great little places where you go in, you share plates of food, nine seats at the bar, ten seats at tables, so it’s really small, intimate, cosy, friendly, great food.

Vic:

What’s the food style?

Jan:

Small plates, Mediterranean, but interesting, very interesting.

Vic:

And what does “jarana” come from, what language?

Jan:

It’s Spanish for a party… not fiesta, I think it’s more of a kind of family party.

Vic:

I’ve not come across that word before.

Jan:

I hadn’t actually, and I thought it was something else, but a friend of mine has a Spanish husband and she was saying he’d had too much jarana one weekend. I wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but I thought, right, okay, too much party.

Vic:

Or a resaca, which is hangover.

Jan:

Right, yeah. Now I don’t know that, of course, because I don’t need to.

Vic:

I’ve never experienced one. I think as you get older you try very hard to avoid them. A three-dayer, forget it, don’t have the time. So, Little Jarana, where is it?

Jan:

It’s on Carrer Menorca. So if you know where the police station is, on the Passeig de Mallorca, you walk down that street towards the Protur Naisa Palma Hotel, and you turn right at Carrer Menorca, it’s just down there and it’s very discreet. You could walk straight past it if you weren’t careful.

Vic:

What are the prices like?

Jan:

It’s a good place, so you probably pay 15 to 20 euros for a sharing plate, but it’s lovely stuff, all very fresh, and the menu changes every week. There are two staples that are always there, but we had some amazing things. Scallops, prawns, vegetable dishes, and it was all prepared as we watched at the counter.

Vic:

How nice.

Jan:

Vic:

That’s a bit like the El Camino style then, being prepared in front of you and you’re sitting at a bar. But that’s almost impossible to get into.

Jan:

Oh I know. Richard always hopes we can get in. It’s the same school as Eddie Hart who owns it.

Vic:

Little Jarana, would you have to book in advance?

Jan:

You would. It’s open weekday evenings, because he’s a daddy and he wants to spend time with his partner and child at weekends. I love that. It’s like Vida Meva, they do the same thing, open in the week, closed at weekends, so they can be with family. And it means the two chefs who work with him also have weekends off.

Vic:

I love boundaries.

Jan:

He opens Friday lunchtime as well, other than that it’s weeknights, and it’s very popular with chefs on their night off.

Michelin Stars and the Island’s Food Scene

Vic:

I heard the Michelin stars have been released recently. Any congratulations?

Jan:

Yes. There are no new “normal” stars. We still have two stars for Voro. And Andreu Genestra, Béns d’Avall, Dins Santi Taura, Es Fum, Fusion19, Macarena de Castro, Marc Fosh, Sa Clastra and Zaranda have all retained their stars. So that’s 10 restaurants, 11 stars all together.

Vic:

Well done, everyone.

Jan:

Only one new star arrived and it was a Green Star for sustainability. It’s called Terrae (I’m never quite sure how everyone pronounces it), and it’s zero-waste. I’m intrigued to go and find out more.

Vic:

How does that work, do you look in the bin?

Jan:

Nothing in the bin at all. What bin? Wouldn’t that be amazing. Probably finding ways to use scraps people might throw away.

Vic:

It’s not too shabby for such a little island, is it? Did you say ten restaurants?

Jan:

Ten restaurants, eleven stars.

Vic:

I don’t go to Michelin star restaurants very often, Jan. I can’t remember the last time I was even invited to one.

Jan:

Vicki!

Vic:

But that’s okay, I don’t think I’d fit in. Do they make you feel comfortable? Do you have to dress up?

Jan:

I remember the first time we went to Es Fum at the St Regis Mardavall, Richard dressed up in his suit, looking very smart, and there were people eating in jeans and t-shirts. He was a bit miffed. I think it’s worth making a bit of an effort, the chefs put a lot in, the team works hard, but it doesn’t seem necessary here.

Vic:

The difficult thing is you can’t eat in a Michelin star restaurant in the winter except in Palma. The others are closed because it’s only tourists who can afford to go.

Jan:

It depends on the time of year, yes.

Vic:

So of the ten, which would you recommend for a birthday, a bit of spoiling?

Jan:

That’s really hard. It depends on the time of year. For the past few years we’ve had our wedding anniversary at Can Beneït in Binibona, which is lovely, for February.

Vic:

February, February.

Jan:

In February your choice is smaller. Marc Fosh should be open, Zaranda, and Dins Santi Taura is always good.

Vic:

I’ve heard really good things about Santi Taura.

Jan:

He’s a great chef and a lovely person. He researches old recipes and modernises them, authentic Mallorcan recipes. And as far as I know, he’s almost always there, which isn’t always the case with Michelin-starred places.

Vic:

Once they’ve got their stars they tend to open other places off the back of the award, don’t they?

Jan:

It’s interesting, people like Andreu Genestra and Macarena de Castro have places in Palma that are cheaper, still very good food, and it means people can eat their food without going to the Michelin-style restaurant.

Can March in Manacor, 100 Years

Vic:

What else have you been up to this month?

Jan:

I went to a very interesting event at Can March.

Vic:

I saw a video of that. What’s the story behind Can March?

Jan:

Vic:

You can’t just turn up and get a table, can you?

Jan:

It’s always busy, but they celebrated the 100 years with a little party and I got invited. There were chefs there and people from the wine world. Tomeu Arbona was there from the bakery in Palma, Fornet de la Soca, and they made an incredible cake.

Vic:

How did they get it from Palma to Manacor without it sliding off the board?

Jan:

They assembled it in situ, like wedding cakes. It was a really lovely evening. And Miquel has published a book, the history of Can March and recipes. At the moment it’s in Spanish and Catalan (Castellano), but next year it should be available in German and English.

Vic:

I know people who’ve asked me for Mallorcan cookbooks and I struggle to find anything they can understand.

Jan:

This is a really lovely book. Of course I had to buy it because I have an obsession with recipe books as well as notebooks.

Vic:

Same.

Jan:

There was a lovely moment when Tolo and Miquel gave each other a big hug and kiss, it was one of those moments.

Booking Culture, Sa Coma, and Tomeu Caldentey

Vic:

Everything you talk about, you do have to book. You can’t just show up casually, especially in summer. It’s not worth the stress.

Jan:

It’s always good to plan in advance.

Vic:

We’re not very good at planning in advance, we’re quite spontaneous. Right, you mentioned Sa Coma?

Jan:

Yes, Sa Coma on the east coast, between Cala Millor and Porto Cristo. It’s quiet this time of year, but there’s a restaurant open, Tomeu Caldentey Cuiner. He’s very famous. He gave his Michelin star back, he wanted to “release himself from the golden shackle”. There’s a lot of pressure. If standards drop and the inspector comes calling, it’s good night.

Vic:

Better to take control and say no thank you.

Jan:

Exactly. He was the first Mallorcan to get a Michelin star and he gave it back after 14, I think 15 years. The food is still great, but he does something more affordable. He has two businesses in the same building, tasting menus, three tasting menus, and if you’re lucky you can get a seat at the counter and watch it all happen in front of you.

Vic:

Again, right in the action.

Jan:

He also has a more economical lunchtime menu, which I’ve spoken about before. We had a voucher and we went for lunch, ten courses, small plates, but a big variety.

Vic:

Ten courses at lunch, that’s a lot.

Jan:

Vic:

How much is the tasting menu, if anyone wants to buy us a present?

Jan:

I think they go from about 45 to 80 euros, depending on the menu and wine pairing.

Vic:

But there’s no hotel open over there at this time of year. What do you do after all that wine?

Jan:

You just watch your partner drinking the wine and think, that would have been lovely.

Vic:

Or you sleep in the car.

Jan:

A campervan and a blanket.

Awards, Condé Nast, and Local Recognition

Jan:

There have been other awards I’d like to mention. Can Beneït and its restaurant Mirabona, Condé Nast Traveller Spain named it best traditional cuisine for Spain.

Vic:

Congrats, wow.

Jan:

They’ve got a young chef, Raül Linares, who’s really come on. They’d been closed for a few weeks but were opening again on 23 December for Christmas.

Jan:

And Diario de Mallorca had a gastronomy supplement, it was Mangiaria, now replaced by Delicia, and they’ve launched the first Premios Mallorca Delicia.

Jan:

Brut (also zero-waste) got best restaurant in Mallorca for the year. Best chef was Irene Martínez, who has a place in Santa Catalina called NUS. Very simple, lovely, modest chef, worked with Santi Taura, worked with other major names. There’s a lovely story, the long table in the restaurant was her father’s workbench, he was a carpenter.

Vic:

That kind of detail really matters.

Jan:

Best bodega was Mesquida Mora, Bárbara. She’s great, and she’s always got different glasses every time you see her.

Cas Concos and a Hidden Find

Jan:

I should mention another place in Cas Concos. Officially it’s Cas Concos des Cavaller, between Felanitx and Santanyí. It’s a very small village, under a thousand people, and it has a restaurant, a petit hotel and a shop all under the same name. The restaurant has a Mediterranean menu, reasonably priced, and also a sushi menu, small at lunchtime, bigger at night, and you do have to book at night.

Vic:

How did you find it?

Jan:

We were in Degusta in Manacor for lunch and a guy called Christian mentioned it as one of his favourites. Next day we went. We didn’t book because I thought it would be quiet. It wasn’t too quiet, but lunchtime was fine.

Jan:

I only had one Japanese thing, edamame, which I’m addicted to, along with notebooks. Then we went Mediterranean for mains, it was a cold day. I had pasta, Richard had chicken, and I had dessert afterwards, carrot cake made on the premises. We’ll go back for Japanese.

Eating Habits and Winter Driving

Vic:

How many meals a day do you have?

Jan:

Three. But we don’t always eat at night. In winter we tend to have our main meal at lunchtime. It’s easier to digest, and if we’re going out we don’t have to drive in the dark. I’ve become obsessed about worrying about running things over at night.

Vic:

I get it, I’ve stopped my car to help hedgehogs and tortoises across the road.

Jan:

I think it’s because we lost a cat at Christmases ago, so I’ve turned into an old lady driver at night.

Vic:

Main meal in the day is probably better.

Jan:

It’s better for digestion, and it’s what the Spanish do, big meal at lunchtime.

Vic:

But Spanish breakfasts are not great.

Jan:

True.

Breakfast Spots and Fun Menus

Vic:

I find it hard to find a reliable breakfast out here.

Jan:

There aren’t many. (Breakfast places mentioned are unclear in the transcript.) There used to be El Sol in Son Serra de Marina in the mornings, and one of the items was called the “hangover breakfast”, an aspirin, a cigarette and a black coffee, which I always thought was funny.

Vic:

Menus are fun when they don’t take themselves too seriously.

Jan:

Exactly, which is why we love Annabelle’s marketing campaign. Well done, Annabelle’s.

New Restaurant: Indian Street Food in Palma

Vic:

I’m helping to open a new restaurant in January. It will be near Bellver in Palma. It’s Indian street food.

Jan:

Wow, I love Indian food.

Vic:

The people behind it are Annie, who’s from South Africa, she’s a chef, and her husband Baldeep is from Punjab. Very authentic food, with a modern international feel. We’re going to do fun marketing as well.

Jan:

Looking forward to it already.

Christmas, Cooking, and Wellington Chat

Vic:

Have you adopted any Mallorcan or Spanish traditions into your Christmas?

Jan:

Not really. Last year we did guinea fowl, because turkey, if you buy a whole turkey you’re eating it forever. But I don’t think our oven works, we’ve been talking about replacing it all year. When you’ve lived somewhere for 21 years, everything starts to fall apart, it’s been an expensive year.

Vic:

Tell me about it, the roof of our house is sliding off backwards.

Jan:

Oh no.

Vic:

My stepbrother fixed it, thank God.

Jan:

I have an air fryer, but I don’t know how successful I’ll be doing Christmas dinner in an air fryer. I don’t have a microwave either, so I can’t do parts and reheat.

Vic:

You need a friendly chef to invite you to lunch.

Jan:

I’ve been tempted by Marc Fosh, his Fosh Food catering outlet is doing a salmon Wellington, I think a pork one too. I read that Wellingtons are big this Christmas, Marks and Spencer did one, and I think they only had 2,000, and they sold out quickly. They were about £200 each.

Vic:

£200?

Jan:

It was a recipe from Tom Kerridge. Put a famous chef’s name on it and you can up the price.

Vic:

If anyone listening bought one, we want to know if it was worth it.

Jan:

The official one has a thin pancake layer to stop the pastry getting wet. I’ve made it before, but we don’t eat much beef now.

Vic:

Everything’s expensive now.

Jan:

Love is free, that’s what we have to remember at Christmas.

Vic:

My husband and I have basically bought each other a piece of the car, two new swing arms.

Wrap-up

Vic:

Jan:

And a Merry Christmas to you and your son.

Vic:

We’ve been here a long time. I hope you’re enjoying Jan’s experience of the restaurant business and exploring Mallorca, especially the east and the centre, because without her lots of these places would go unnoticed by international listeners. Thank you so much, Jan.

Jan:

Very welcome.

Vic:

And when the new Indian street food restaurant is ready, I’ll be ringing you up.

Jan:

I look forward to trying it.

Vic:

It’s a labour of love, they’re rebuilding it themselves. It’s going to be called Bhukkad Boca, which means “hungry mouth”, a mixture of Punjabi and Spanish, a greedy mouth really. Good luck to them, and we’ll speak again in January.

Jan:

Happy Christmas to all your listeners.

Vic:

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