Down an inauspicious to many, yet highly recognisable to those in the yachting industry, road, just off the Paseo Maritimo, you find yourself entering the heart of Real Club Nautico, one of Palma’s many dry fitting docks. Just on the left before you enter the true workspace of the thriving maritime industry you will find Restaurant Ca n’Eduardo. Originally built in 1943 as a fisherman’s cantina, above the still vibrant working market at the start of the well-known Club Nautico dock, this wonderful fish restaurant has carved out quite a reputation amongst Mallorquian locals, ex-pats and the yacht industry alike.
Turning 75 this year, the restaurant, which has been a constant presence on the site since the Paseo and all of its elements began to be developed, was taken over by Gabrielle and Toni in 2008. For the next year they worked tirelessly to refurbish the space, creating it into the lovely, spacious and modern environment that you find today.
The night we visited was not a typical Palma night – the heaven’s had opened, the hatches had been battened and the normal restaurant going folk had opted for Netflix and a takeaway. Not so for Ca n’Eduardo. Whilst it was a quieter night than was normal, the restaurant still buzzed and the atmosphere was one of quiet solidarity – we had all braved the weather to make it out for fantastic food and the most convivial of welcomes.
Johnny, head chef since 2009 and now the third partner in the triumvirate gave us the heartiest welcome and was happy to spend time talking us through the food and wine menu. And for you pescatarians reading (though there is also much to be found for meat eaters, vegetarians and vegans alike), what a menu it is. All of the fish and seafood is fresh from the working market below. Much of which will have been caught in the nets that are a constant reminder that we don’t just live in a pleasure boat world, but that Palma is still very much a living, breathing fishermans’ domain.
Nowhere was this more obvious than in the food itself. For our first starter (we many have gotten a little carried away) we were invited to a delicious selection of tapas including flavourful cipriones, crispy calamares, tasty croquettes and juicy pimientos de pardons. It was just the start we needed to lead us into our second first course of six delectable Sóller prawns. Resplendent in their almost glowing pink armour they were a joy to dig in to, and even more delicious to eat. There is just something about a Sóller prawn, especially one fresh off the boat that day, that makes its flavours hard to put in to words.
Wondering what could possibly be next we were not disappointed. The dishes that my ever wonderful photographer Anouska and I were presented with were both a visual and gustatory delight. First was the freshly caught Hake served in a beautiful bright red tomato sauce with raisins, pine nuts and wilted spinach. The Hake just fell away and was sweet and succulent. This was closely followed by the mouth-watering fillet of Turbut dished up on a bed of tomato risotto and accompanied by perfectly crunchy asparagus spears and a Beurre Blanc sauce. Neither of us were able to choose a favourite and the plates looked as though they had been licked clean.
Needless to say by this stage we were in need of a breather and during a timely break in the inclement weather Johnny took us for a quick tour of the restaurant. What I am very much looking forward to is returning to Ca n’Eduardo and taking advantage of the views that both inside and the terrace afford of the marina, the stunning cathedral and Palma in general. On the terrace itself is a wonderful representation of Palma in the 1950’s where it shows the Paseo, or lack thereof, in all its glory. It’s fascinating to see which buildings had already started to populate our now beloved marine boulevard and which were still to come and shape what we know to be Avinguda Gabriel Roca today.
After our brief sojourn to work off some of the dishes we had already consumed with vigour, we returned to our final course. Again we were not disappointed. What was presented to us were two desserts. Firstly a completely decadent, typical Mallorquian, Dark Chocolate Cuarto Enbatumat which was full of marshmallow, topped with crunchy toasted almonds and rounded off with a vibrant and tart raspberry jus. And just to make sure that we both returned to our gyms the next day Johnny followed up with a lemon meringue pudding that my grandma would have been jealous of, flambéed at the table with a perfectly theatrical flair.
All in all we had a delightful evening and left Ca N’Eduardo with a skip in our step feeling as though we truly had had the freshest catch of the day, in the friendliest of atmospheres.
The restaurant is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner (though closed on Sundays from Nov-Feb). It seats between 120-150 inside with a further 150 outside and is available for weddings, parties and private events.
Tel: +34 971 72 11 82
By Victoria Pearce
Photos Credit: Anouska Foss
