The Paseo de Maritimo’s first ever bar since 1951!
With its prime location on what was the original Paseó Marítimo (Passeig Marítim) at the bottom of Avinguda de l’Argentina, Bar Nou Marítim has been a firm favourite for over seven decades for Mallorquíns and just about every other nationality that finds itself in Palma. This bar/restaurant is nestled at the base of the old rock face that was once part of the City’s defence wall in the 1300’s and just along to the left of the bar you can see the statue of Santo Domingo de la Calzada by Tomás Vila set against the marés stone wall. At the top of the wall are the old fishermen’s houses in the barrio of Es Jonquet, and the trendy market area of Santa Catalina is just behind. There are still some of the original Mallorquín windmills sitting majestically along the top facing out over the beautiful bay of Palma.
Steeped in history, this stalwart of the Palma bar/restaurant scene has been run by the same Mallorquín family for over four generations and they even have a fascinating booklet full of nostalgic old photos of family members and the original area that now forms part of the main marina. There is also a fantastic black & white print that takes up a whole wall inside the bar and shows the original Paseo Marítimo and the very basic little casita that was the first version of Bar Marítim. The appeal of this place is immense as the outside terrace is situated under vibrant orange trees, swaying palms and the elegant branches of madroño trees, providing the perfect shady environment to escape the summer heat and enjoy a refreshing caña or glass of wine and a bite to eat.
I went for lunch with my trusty(?!) translator Damian and as it was a very hot and balmy day, we chose to sit under the magnificent madroño trees to peruse the carta in cool comfort. To start with, we opted for the Burrata Salad along with some Jamon Iberico Croquetas and lightly fried Calamari.
The burrata salad was refreshingly tasty with a fine selection of tender salad leaves and juicy sun-blush tomatoes in a delicious citrusy-sweet marinade which formed the perfect dressing for the salad. But the piéce de résistance had to be the creamy white burrata cheese sitting proudly atop the colourful salad. If you are not familiar with burrata cheese, it is known as the Queen of Italian cheeses and is a real delight to cut into as it has an outer skin of mozzarella that is carefully twisted at the top to envelop a creamy but tangy combination of shredded mozzarella (fior di latte) and a specially imported cream (panna) from Italy. As you break open the purse-shaped mozzarella parcel it positively oozes sumptuous flavours and textures. The combination of the cheese with the citrusy-sweet salad was absolutely divine.
The homemade Jamon Iberico croquetas had a robust smokey taste to them that was very appealing and the calamari were light and crispy, simply served with fresh lemon to keep the flavours well balanced. We then sampled the typical Mallorquín tapas variats of pica pica, champiñones, albóndigas, pimientos de padrón, ensalada rusa and ‘gildas’ – a new word for my limited Spanish vocabulary – which are a Basque-style pinxos of pickled guindillas (peppers), olives and traditionally also have anchovies. Everything was attractively served on taster-style plates which we enjoyed picking at before moving onto the main dishes of the day.
I opted for the bacalao (cod) with tomato salsa and Damian had pork lomo with tumbét. The bacalao was a sizeable chunk and cooked to absolute perfection, being both firm but juicy with a crisp golden top, and the salsa was well-seasoned with the slightest hint of mint. This was served with sliced potatoes, pimientos de padrón and some julienne carrots. The pork lomo was served with tumbet – Mallorca’s version of ratatouille – which includes thinly sliced potatoes, onion, garlic, aubergine and peppers that are then baked in the oven in a rich olive oil and tomato sauce. The flavours were well-balanced and the pork was juicy and not dry.
All of the above was perfectly accompanied by a crisp and wonderfully dry Albariño served at just the right chilled temperature. As I started to feel like a ready-to-burst burrata, it was time for dessert. The selection was pretty basic so we sampled the gateau with ice cream and something known as a Cardenal de Lloseta, which for some reason gave us both a good chuckle. It consisted of soft and slightly chewy meringue which was lightly caramelised on top, but very unusually for Mallorquin desserts, it had fresh whipped cream inside which was of absolute perfect consistency. It was a very rich and filling dessert that warranted a lovely strong espresso afterwards which left us satiated and suitably satisfied – even if we couldn’t find out quite how the dessert got its name – the mind boggles!
The interior of the bar/restaurant is light and airy with industrial style décor and everything is open-plan – even the kitchen, which is always nice to see. There is a brunch menu option at €14.50 which is served between 10:00-13:00, and they also have a weekend set menu between 13:00-15:30 which includes starters, mains, dessert, drink and coffee for €20. They can also cater for events with a capacity of up to 150 inside and 80 outside.
Although we went for lunch and it wasn’t particularly busy, one can see how this place comes to life at night and indeed I felt my very own nostalgia as I remembered strolling along the Paseo Marítimo with my Mallorquin grandparents 40 years ago, stopping for a drink and feeling cocooned by the wonderful ambience of the warm summer night and the chatter of local families out with their children. This establishment will always be popular for its location alone and has a typically laid-back Mediterranean vibe but these days it’s not just locals that find themselves here but tourists of every nationality and yachties alike, all enjoying a relaxed drink and/or the local cuisine accompanied by a gentle sea breeze. Bar/Restaurante Nou Marítim is quite simply one of those places where you really feel like you are in Spain and is the perfect way to end a long, hot summer day!
BAR/RESTAURANTE NOU MARITIM
Paseo Maritimo 1
Palma de Mallorca
Tel: +34 971 735132
Email: info@barmaritimo.es
Web: www.barmaritimo.es
Written by Lisa Thompson
