Dinner Delights At Villa Mercedes

Villa Mercedes in San Antonio has long been a favourite destination of ours to drop in for sundowner cocktails, a meal with friends, a little dance to the venue’s infectious DJ sets or… all of the aforementioned. Overlooking the harbour and glittering sea in the popular resort, the beautifully converted mansion offers plenty of ambience, a relaxed atmosphere and stunning views to enjoy alongside its fantastic culinary offering. On Friday, we eagerly paid a visit to the trendy cocktail bar and eatery to check out its brand new menu for the 2017 season.

Arriving just a smidgen before the sun set on another day on the White Isle, the yachts we could see floating on the Mediterranean and Villa Mercedes’ lush garden were bathed in a golden glow, a sight we toasted with a classic fruity Strawberry Daiquiry and effervescent Aperol Spritz spiced up with a branch of fresh rosemary. While it was still a little too cold to sit outside, the glass-fronted dining room granted us the same vast vistas as eating al fresco would, except we could enjoy the sizzling flames of the indoor heaters for added cosiness. General Manager Fabio and his team greeted us warmly, picking a selection of treats for us to try.

Having arrived hungry, we wasted no time in tucking into a selection of sharing plates for starters, a mix of Asian-inspired and Mediterranean dishes. From the second I, the humble writer of this review, set sight on the tuna tartar, which came served in a hollowed out scallion (that’s a green onion to you and me) and with a generous serving of creamy guacamole, I knew I was going to love it. Topped with crispy onion slices, it was a heavenly combination of zesty flavours, delicate raw fish and crunchy textures, and I shall return To Villa Mercedes promptly to fuel my newfound food obsession. A flatbread was generously topped with juicy prawns, sweet slices of satsumas, guacamole and citrus jelly; an unexpectedly sweet concoction that left the whole table swooning. Delicate but flavoursome carpaccio topped with small squirts of Taleggio cheese and drizzled with a light lime dressing completed our spectacular round of starters, which left us with high expectations for the courses to follow – and we weren’t disappointed.

As I’m writing this, I realise that every time I get particularly excited about something I switch to first person, and on this occasion the reason is Villa Mercedes’ utterly incredible octopus. Served on a bed of deliberately chunky potato puree mixed with fresh herbs from the island, I spotted the huge tentacle approaching our table from several meters away. Despite its size, the meat was so tender and soft to cut, we almost couldn’t believe it was actual pulpo – despite distinctively looking like one. Together with the creamy potatoes, it was utterly addictive and I will make a bold statement in saying that it was the best octopus I have tasted on the island so far (and I have tried a lot of them).

We also tucked into a delightful hake fillet, delicate and completely boneless, which, served with a rather intriguing combination of oyster leaves, roasted chicory and celery cream, saw the distinctive taste of each side providing a mosaic of flavours that came together beautifully. A fragrant roast baby chicken with crackling brown skin and topped with aromatic rosemary was cooked to perfection and had us arguing over the last bite, while the juicy Galician fillet steak is another highlight to look out for on the menu.

In between courses, we sat back to take in the gorgeous views, which, by now, had turned into a night-time scene with sparkling lights flashing across the dark, inky waters. Desserts arrived and, despite our full tummies, our eyes turned big when we spotted for indulgent creations approach. An absolute must-try is Villa Mercedes take on the traditional Ibicencan Café Caleta – usually an alcohol-fuelled coffee – but the eatery’s interpretation is served as a luscious helado accompanied by shredded coffee grains and fluffy cream. I believe my exact words were, ‘It’s like eating a cloud!’ If you like tiramisu, you are going to LOVE this. Creamy merengue ice cream was topped with lashings of red berries and blood orange, a sweet but light explosion of fruitiness juxtaposed by heavenly creaminess.

The homemade chocolate brownie was satisfyingly dense and, accompanied by vanilla ice cream, made for an all-round table pleaser, while the restaurant’s homemade cheesecake provided a final showstopper for the night. Simple in concept but perfect in execution, it was delicate, creamy and, topped with strawberry marmalade, truly delicious. Between us four diners, we ended up leaving Villa Mercedes with at least three new foodie favourites, talking about the quality of the food we had just enjoyed long after we had left San Antonio behind us.