Zaranda: Mallorca's Culinary Masterpiece Behind Castle Walls

There are restaurants you visit. And there are restaurants you experience. Fernando Pérez Arellano's Zaranda belongs firmly in the latter category — at the very top.

Hidden within the walls of Hotel Es Príncep in Palma's old town, you enter Zaranda through its own separate entrance. Inside, a world of ancient sandstone meets modern minimalism. Tables are generously spaced, lighting subdued, the atmosphere almost reverential. This isn't dining — it's ceremony.

The twelve-course “A Flor de Piel” tasting menu moves through three distinct rooms. Each course tells a story: of Mallorcan produce, of Arab influences, of a chef who trained at El Bullí and Mugaritz yet forged his own path. The pickled appetisers reference the building's history as a former tannery — intellectual and sensual in equal measure.

The fish from Palma's bay was flawless: cooked to translucent perfection on a bed of citrus foam with sea fennel. A course that tastes of Mallorca but speaks a language understood worldwide. The island lamb, slow-cooked for 48 hours with a jus that revealed hours of patient reduction — a quiet triumph of culinary craft.

Fernando Pérez Arellano cooks by Joan Miró's maxim: “To be universal, you must be local.” 95 percent of each ingredient is used: peels become aromatic oils, bones into deep broths, trimmings into edible decoration. Sustainability here isn't marketing — it's philosophy.

Service walks the fine line between attentive and invisible. Every course is explained, never lectured. The wine pairing is superb — again with a focus on Balearic and Spanish bottles you'd rarely encounter elsewhere.

At 165 euros for twelve courses or 220 euros for the full eighteen-course “Plena Flor” experience, Zaranda sits where you'd expect for this level. What you receive is far more than dinner: it's a culinary manifesto for the Balearics. Adults only. Reservation essential.