What better way to spend a Friday lunchtime than in the wonderful company of my Editor Simon and his lovely wife Helen, while being charmed by brothers Pau and Marc Mora Llabres as they show off their gastronomic skills and fabulous front of house humour at their still young restaurant, Temptacions, located on the corner by the Industria windmills in Santa Catalina.
Temptacions opened in April 2019 , but then sadly had to close for 9 months due to the pandemic, however the boys are back stronger, brimming with enthusiasm and even more determined than ever to make Temptacions the resounding success it so clearly already is. I ask what inspired the name and they say it’s because of all the small delicacies that they have on the menu that tempt you to want to try each and every one of them. They had a few other ideas for names which they ran through for us, but they weren’t entirely suitable for print. See what I mean about the sense of humour.
The boys’ background is fascinating. They are the grandsons of the wonderful gentleman who took over the Suau distillery from the Suau family in 1939. Their grandfather was at the helm for decades, bring the name of Suau to the forefront of the minds of those who love their spirits such as gin, rum and brandy. The name Suau has a romantic history, which I feel may have rubbed off on the boys.
In the first half of the 19th century, the Mallorquin entrepreneur Juan Suau and Bennassar was sailing the Atlantic aboard his ship El Mallorquín between Mallorca and Cuba, where the original distillery was founded. On one of his trips, Suau fell in love with a young Mallorquin woman, the daughter of his father’s business partner. He was forced to consider his choices and decided to settle down in Mallorca and move his business of distilling spirits to the island in 1851 and it is still going strong today with the Mora family at the helm.
The boys are both clearly proud of their family’s history and are happy sit and talk to any guests who wish to know more. But moving into the distilling business was not their primary passion, though they can still be found helping out around the Bodega and hosting special events there. What they always wanted from early adulthood was to open a restaurant. This was a dream that needed to wait a short while though, as sensibly they first decided that they needed a career behind them in which to learn their trade and so off they went to different ends of the earth.
Marc the eldest by two years spent a lot of time in Asia, and Tokyo especially, honing his Asiatic dishes, but always with a mix of Mallorca. He says this is not an easy thing to do, but he definitely achieved his goal if the food in the restaurant is anything to go by. Pau, as part of his learning curve, chose the Peruvian route and at one point spent four months working with Chef Virgilio Martínez in Lima’s flagship restaurant, Central, which, incidentally, was voted Peru’s number 1 restaurant. What you get from all of this experience are two very complimentary styles, with each brother having a strength. Marc’s are definitely his rice and noodle dishes and along with Pau’s ceviche and love of wine, they make the perfect partnership.
With all the talk of food we decide it is time that we try some. We had been waiting in anticipation for the first course which we decided to do tapas style. Somewhere I had heard the words pork scratchings and my ears immediately pricked up. In actual fact they are called Torreznos de Soria and are succulent chunks of cured pork prepared in the oven and pan. Any British pub would be on their knees to be able to serve these up as pork scratchings. We ordered half a plate and shared. Though if I’m honest I could happily have ordered the whole plate just for myself! They were simply put, divine.
After that dish after delicious dish kept coming. The beautiful hummus with the most delicate of mandarin flavours served with white asparagus and black garlic, was like no hummus I had tasted before. This was swiftly followed by croquets of octopus and butifara. Combined. It may sound unusual, but it really worked. Try it for yourself and see.
Then we had the Croaker Fish Ceviche. With all the complex flavours of celery, lime, ginger, onions and garlic and a dash of lemon and orange juice it was tart, but sweet and the meaty chucks of Croaker were the perfect vessels. Afterwards was the dish we had all been waiting for and which the boys had kept dangling at us. They’re nearly ready, almost, in a minute… Such was the anticipation that they had barely touched the table before they disappeared. And what were they? The pulled pork Bao Buns. Steamed buns that are doughy, but light, with the pulled pork steeped in the richest of sauces that still didn’t overtake the gentleness of the buns. And if you were feeling a little brave then there was an oh so spicy sauce to dip them in. I for one am a fan of the hot so loved it, but for those that aren’t try just a little before going for the full dunk.
Next up was definitely the party favourite. The Bon Bon. I don’t want to say to much about it and spoil the surprise, as a wonderful surprise it is. But I implore you to try them when you go. You will not be disappointed. From our expressions, laughter and smiles, we certainly weren’t.
It was finally time to turn our attention to the mains. As you can probably imagine from what I have mentioned we had eaten so far we were definitely on the pleasantly full side of the hunger spectrum, however, we were not to be beaten. So we ordered the tuna tataki on a bed of udon noodle and vegetables followed by the beef cheek. They were opposite ends of the menu and perfectly summed up the weather transition we are experiencing on the island at the moment. From the light fragrant tuna of summer to the mellow, melt in your mouth, winteriness of the beef. We felt warmed just thinking about it afterwards.
Thinking there was not much more we could possibly experience and full to the brim with deliciousness, we were about to pass on dessert when Pau insisted that we at least try a mouthful their cheesecake that is so creamy yet light that is actually wobbles. A mouthful. Ha! The whole thing disappeared in a manner of moments. I think the beautiful medusa patterned seats were beginning to regret us sitting on them, but we would definitely do it all again.
Temptacions is just that. A temptation of the senses, of your tastes, your love of food. And it is Pau and Marc’s love of food that shines through in every dish they describe and present, every glass they pour along with its story. They are wonderful hosts, serving up wonderful food and we wish them all the luck in the world and bid them hasta proxima!
By Victoria Pearce
www.facebook.com/Restaurant-Temptacions
