On a warm mid-summer Saturday night we reserved a table at Fera in Palma.

Having picked up rumours about Executive Chef Simon Petutschnig creative gastronomy which blends Mediterranean and Asian flavours, we were very much looking forward to a wonderful tasting experience at Fera to start of a romantic Saturday night.

Tucked away in one of Palma’s many little streets, just steps away from Jaime III in the heart of Mallorca’s capital we were welcomed by an inviting front courtyard. The upper floor houses Circulo Mallorquin, a social-cultural organisation founded in the mid-19th century. The ground floor houses Fera, the restaurant with a magnificent style and excellent taste.

Right of the bat, the ambience was warm and elegant inviting us through glass doors, where we were greeted by the establishments hostess, leading us to our table in the magnificent inner garden with Asian and Mallorquin influences and décor. It was obvious that the owner’s wife applied her expertise in Feng Shui when designing Fera’s magnificent stylish interior.

The attention to detail was amazing. Next to our table a little Japanese style table was placed to rest the lady’s purse on and a stylish air conditioning unit kept us cool and comfortable on a very hot evening. A small table lamp with ambient lighting was placed on the table dimming the light to create a wonderful romantic atmosphere. Al fresco dining to perfection!

Our tasting menu kicked off with homemade olive bread from their Son Naava farm and their Demeter certified olive oil, made with olives from the Son Naava farm.

Followed by these wonderful appetizers; a crispy nori seaweed roll stuffed with Simmental steak tart with an avocado emulsion, an esterification of Son Naava olives with kimchi almond and Soller orange and a tartar of bluefin tuna with jalapeño foam.

The Sommelier, Milen and his assistant Abril, greeted us at our table presenting us with our first ‘espumosa’ or sparkling wine, a VARDON KENNET, characterised by a high acidity with a very own style. On the nose, citrus notes and fresh fruit come rushing in. Notes that smell of toast, brioche and pastry essence. The palate was fresh and gourmand with a persistent elegance. Its freshness and acidity made it an ideal companion for these wonderful appetizers.

Worth mentioning is the choice of glass wear, stylish, refined and shaped to allow you to enjoy the wonderful aromas.

Our tasting menu continues with Kvitsoy salmon tatami served with ponzu caviar, avocado emulsion, mango and mirin onions. This tasteful dish was paired with ENTER SAKE SILVER, a Ginjo sake with honeysuckle aromas on the nose and cherry blossom notes. A Sake produced by techno DJ Richard Hawkins. It had a good weight on the palate, with notes of mango, Asian pear and Chinese melon, and a clean, delicate finish.

The roasted scallop with carabineros, carrot puree with curry and coconut and citronella foam was paired with AMBAR DE ESTILO “ORANGE”. A wine with an intense and complex nose, notes of quince, orange peel, aromatic Mediterranean herbs, balsamic, menthol, flo-wer potpourri and dried fruit as well as complex oxidative notes.

The palate was dry, intense and complex, low in alcohol with a friendly and balanced entry accompanied by a fresh citric acidity. It was a well-structured and balanced wine, the ageing with lees in clay amphorae gives it mineralogy and sapidity, glyceric, a Mediterranean character, soft tannins with a long finish accompanied by a pleasant subtle astringency that invited us to enjoy another glass. A perfect wine to pair with oriental, fusion and exotic food, cold starters or oily fish.

The wild sea bass that followed was accompanied by celeriac puree, a foam of beurre blanc and fennel with sautéed cherry tomatoes and paired with SON NAAVA SAUVIGNON BLANC, a wine made from Demeter certified, bio-dynamically farmed grapes that had quite intense aromas of fresh herbs, cedar and leather. Immediate palate that grew in intensity thanks to a clean, bright and citrusy acidity followed with a touch of dry mineral that passed the baton to soft sweet oak to finish.

The attentiveness of the staff was something worth mentioning, always focussing and never intrusive, they made sure that nothing was left to surprise. from the airflow of the aircon to the dimmed light, to ensuring our glasses were never empty, nothing escaped their attention, making our stay in this wonderful garden extremely comfortable.

Our next tasting course was a grilled Simmental beef sirloin with perigee sauce, turnip puree, roasted artichokes and ‘patatas bravas’ paired with a RODA I RESERVA red wine. This wine’s volume was evident in the mouth; it’s fruity complexity gently envelops the mouthfeel and made one notice it’s abundant and melted tannins. The wine lengthened, marking the memory through the nasal passage each time was breathed. There was this lingering sensation of fruit and freshness that invited us to continue drinking it.

To refresh our palate we were offered a pre-dessert, very peculiar version of the classic “Cosmopolitan” cocktail. Followed by a base of yuzu sorbet and strawberry tartar, red fruit foam and crunchy meringue and a white chocolate lemon with grapefruit core, tangerine gummy and Soller lemons ice cream on a thyme, almond and mint crumble, which were both paired with LA CHAPELLE LAFAURIE PEYRAGUEY, a Sauterne with notes of peach, flowers and vanilla on the nose, showing a dark straw yellow colour and on the palate peach, honey and a powerful balance between sweetness and acidity.

These contemporary and innovative desserts were nothing less than amazing. It is obvious why Xavier Donnay has been awarded Best Pastry Chef in the world.

To conclude our wonderful gastronomic journey, we had their award-winning Difference Coffee, which was founded with the aim to identify the world’s best coffee and is made with a difference.

What defines Fera most, other than its wonderful setting and exquisite styling, was the attention to detail and the effort that was put in to every single aspect of our stay.

What was truly remarkable is that when tasting their wines and sake it is a celebration of quality and taste, however, when paired with these respective dishes, the flavour of the wines and sake became something completely different making this tasting menu something out of the ordinary.

Special praise needs to be given to Juanma the restaurant Manager, The Sommeliers Milen and Abril and the rest of the staff. Knowledgeable, attentive, going the extra mile in every way which made our evening at Fera a memorable experience. It’s the ‘zest’ that sets Fera apart making the experience complete.

When visiting Palma, Fera should definitely be on your bucket list. One could not wish for a better start for a memorable and romantic evening out on the town in Mallorca’s emblematic Capital.

A: Carrer de la Concepcio, 4 07012 Palma
T: +34 682 31 94 71
W: Fera Palma