on the wrong side?

There I was with the best wife of all in Port d'Andratx at a viewing. The little hunger stirred with me and the colleague, who showed us a beautiful house, recommended the Verico Port d'Andratx "opposite the Club de Vela". We didn't know that, had always been stuck on the lively "tourist side" in Andratx. And went in search of it.

The restaurant is somewhat elevated with a glassed-in dining room in the front. In the building itself there is a kind of bar, in total there are so estimated 20 - 25 tables. The glazed room is pleasant even in winter, the windows are sufficiently insulated not to create an unpleasant jet cold.

Verico Port d'Andratx

In Google, the Verico is rated with an extremely respectable 4.8 points, so my expectations were correspondingly high. The menu itself is very reduced in winter. We would have had the choice between three main courses. But I was taken with the very interestingly priced tasting menu at 65 euros. For the best wife of all, we tried to coax a beef tenderloin from the kitchen. Then a chicken breast. But there was nothing to be done and it ended up being a combination of two side dishes, grilled vegetables and potatoes. I found that a bit of a shame, I would have hoped for and expected a bit more flexibility for allergy sufferers or other culinary "special cases" at a restaurant of this category. Even if you certainly do not go to the Verico Port d'Andratx, not to try one of the delicacies on the menu. But not every guest is completely free in his decision.

"the finest and most creative ..."

My appetizer consisted of scamorza cheese baked in a fine tempura batter. And which was accompanied on the beautifully arranged plate a tomato jam as a sweet counterpoint. Wonderful! Great textures, great taste.

Scamorza cheese, by the way, is made in a rather unusual way: The actually hard curd cheese, typically common in central and southern Italy, is stirred with hot water to form a paste. Then it is braided into a plait or worked into the typical pear shape. To cool it goes into a water bath and later another more or less salt brine. It is traditionally hung on a string, but this is hardly practiced today.

Thrilled with the appetizer, I turned to the next course. A classic consommée of small porcini mushrooms, which by the way were perfectly on point. In it homemade ravioli-like pasta (I forget the name...). Poem. Fine gradations of flavor shades in the more mushroomy realm. The earthiness, the forest floor. A very fine course that pleasantly stood out from the appetizer and in its own way was a counterpoint but also a great continuation.

"...what Italian cuisine has to offer".

The main course at Verico Port d'Andratx fell a bit short for my taste. There was a white grilled fish on a bed of vegetables, which further down ended in a kind of tomato paste - paste. As a garnish, a blanched cabbage leaf was draped on the fish, nice counterpoint. The whole thing could have been even a touch more exciting in deep fried. Even more bitter flavors and also something crunchy on the plate, which was otherwise missing here.

The plate was beautiful. The cooking point of the fish perfect, the fine flavors of fish and vegetables good, but a bit bland. The tomato paste in its quantity and intensity unfortunately for me in this combination a no-go. No problem, it could be removed. So not bad. But at the high level of this cuisine just a pity!

Dolce per me

With the desserts I could let it rip. I liked that the choice of dessert was free in the tasting menu. So I opted for a crème brulée of passion fruit on coconut ice cream. And a fondant au chocolat. The fondant was exactly as expected. Artisan prima. No surprise, positive or negative. Ideal for the conservative eater.

The crème brulée, however, was a revelation. In fact, not quite stoked. But a nice consistency for my personal taste. The subtle flavors of all the ingredients were not plastered by the passion fruit, it was a balanced composition. And with that, the (purchased) coconut ice cream: perfect. A fine creamy taste, not this often penetrating coconut flavor. Fantastic!

Price / performance at Verico Port d'Andratx

The price / performance ratio of the Verico Port d'Andratx is perfectly reasonable. But also not very good. You already pay an extra - surcharge for place and kitchen. I found it difficult, for example, that we got unsolicited bread with very tasty truffled foam. That then but later with 6.90 per person appeared on the bill. No drama. But could have been communicated.

Great service!

The service was otherwise extremely nice, our waiter spoke French, Spanish, English and German and was not only extremely friendly, but also very competent.

In short, "Luca and Gianfranco, our team in the kitchen, conjure up the finest and most creative that Italian cuisine has to offer on their plates" is, shall we say, an advertising statement brimming with opulence and self-confidence. And perhaps a touch exaggerated in view of the menu, which is significantly limited in winter. In any case, Verico can claim to interpret Italian cuisine in an exciting, creative and outstandingly good way. Together with the excellent service, the Verico Port d'Andratx offers me one of the best fine dining experiences on the island outside of star gastronomy. And that is well worth a visit. Especially now in winter, when the staff can and do pay close attention to the few guests.