Healthy And Tasty In Yemanja

On the beach at the foot of the majestic Cala Jondal cliffs, with a direct view of the finest yacht collection around, Yemanja captures the authentic spirit of Ibiza while keeping up with the times. Our lunch there on Monday was a dream-like experience with every detail flawlessly taken care of.

A stone’s throw from the sea, Yemanja provides a chilled out atmosphere immersed in nature while retaining every comfort. Its Spanish cuisine with a healthy twist brings together over thirty years of experience with the most current culinary developments. The association with the Blue Marlin Ibiza Group right next door further adds to Yemanja’s long tradition and idyllic spot. With tables directly on the sand under large parasols, Balinese huts and enveloping trees, the Eden-like spot pulls in a sea breeze like none other, guaranteed to keep you fresh and pampered even on the hottest days. Were that not enough, the venue’s private descent to the beach carved out between the massive pebbles almost encourages a swim between courses.

Embraced by nature and offered a menu highlighting healthy choices, we started with a variety of drinks. The Provence with Grey Goose vodka, Martini bianco, lavender syrup, lime, apple, and Mumm champagne was a delightful and refreshing blend bursting with flavor, while the Diosa del Mar of Beefeater gin, Aperol, passion fruit syrup, lime, grapefruit, and Mumm champagne added a tropical twist. From the healthy and detox menu we selected an El Verde of kale, green grape, cucumber, apple and lime, just sweet enough to take in all the surge of green energy, and the Wonder Melon with fresh watermelon, pineapple, mint and ginger bringing that distinctly summery taste and refreshment.

From a menu specialising in Spanish cuisine amplified to include current health trends, we chose to try a little of everything. The salmon salad with goats cheese and a mustard vinaigrette glaze of whole mustard seeds, dill, avocado, olives and green peppers exploded with distinct flavours that came together splendidly. The carpaccio with rucola and parmesan was high quality and a great exemple of the dish. As our veg selections, we had the traditional pimientos de pardon, or fried green peppers, which brought Yemanja’s thirty years of experience with Spanish cuisine to the forefront, while the mixed grilled vegetables—of tomatoes, sweet potatoes, fennel, potato, asparagus, green and red peppers and onion—with basil pesto, were grilled to perfection and ultra-tasty. As supervisor Alvaro followed by Florin took care of our every need, we savoured the moment on multiple levels.

Amazed by the beauty of our surroundings, we wanted the moment to go on indefinitely but our main courses arrived promptly. The lamb chops with a balsamic glaze, rosemary and potatoes was remarkably tender and covered in a sweet sauce. We also had the grilled fillet of fish of the day with zucchini, potatoes, and tomato vinaigrette including zucchini noodles for an incredibly fresh and light taste. A rarity to find, Yemanja not only offers vegetarian paella, on top of traditional seafood and meat ones, but also makes a delectable one at that. Bursting with artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, zucchini, and organic rice, the paella could hardly be distinguished from a regular one. Part of the secret, explained Florin, is in the way the rice is cooked, boiled in vegetable broth, as well as the order of the succeeding steps when adding the various ingredients. Whatever it is, Yemanja’s paella was superb, illustrating decades of experience and pleasing of all tastes and fancies.

The desserts were absolutely decadent. Sampling four of them with ice cream, all homemade, we had the tiramisu with the exact Italian creaminess, accompanied by the chocolate brownie with hazelnut ice cream, which was super moist with pieces of extra flavor, while the ricotta cake with strawberries pieces and raspberry sorbet brought a nice variation of the cheesecake. Table favourite, the apple cake with pecan nuts and vanilla ice cream was absolutely divine, reminiscent of a crumble pie, with chunks of fruit delight. With three scoops of almond, hazelnut, vanilla ice cream on the delicious plate against the Mediterranean backdrop, the whole scene seemed something out of a beach fairy-tale.

Sharing the music with sister venue Blue Marlin Ibiza, Yemanja now offers the best of both worlds. As the owner’s daughter Lisa Steven explained, with a very health conscous and veg-friendly menu, including a detox drinks menu, gluten-free bread, special allergy-menus, and corn-fed island chicken, Yemanja is going with the flow. Also pet-friendly, it provides food and drink for your furry friends as well. Always enchanting, the place turns even more magical at night, a destination to be visited on any and every occasion. Yemanja is open 365 days a year.

Information & Reservations
t: +34 971 187 481
e: reservation@yemanjaibiza.com
w: www.yemanjaibiza.com