You don’t have to be a gym bunny – glowing from a post-workout shower and toting a kit bag – to eat or drink at Es Club, the restaurant of the impressive Palma Sport & Tennis Club.
When I went for lunch, most of the other people eating and drinking here looked like local office workers enjoying a middle-of-the-day break. Es Club is open to all for breakfast, lunch, and (an early) dinner, or just for hot and cold drinks. It’s also ideal as a place to hold informal meetings over a coffee or snack.
If you want some respite from the bustle of Palma – particularly during the summer months – Es Club is a body-and-soul-nourishing oasis. Just don’t tell too many people.
The place
Palma Sport & Tennis Club is part of the Swedish-owned group comprising, amongst other businesses, the stylish Portixol Hotel & Restaurant and Port de Sóller’s Hotel Espléndido. I’ve recently had recommendable lunches with visitors from the UK in just the past few weeks in both these hotels.
Es Club’s interior style is unmistakeably Scandi-chic: white walls, abundant use of wood, plentiful natural light, and accents of colour. It’s spacious, with a choice of seating and table styles. One rectangular table can seat eight but, if you’re eating alone and wouldn’t mind company, you could sit here and see who joins you.
The bright modern kitchen is open fronted, so you can see the chefs working on your order.
In fine weather you can go alfresco, taking in the leafy surroundings of the garden terrace and listening to the birds singing in the trees. The terrace overlooks the club’s tournament tennis court and is close to the huge heated outdoor swimming pool and its own terrace. You may not want to leave…
What I ate and drank
Es Club’s menu is a large printed card in both Spanish and English. On one side are the breakfast dishes – which include several healthy options, such as porridge and grilled bread with avocado and poached egg. This side of the menu also details the hot and cold drinks, wines available by both glass and bottle (including Sincronia and Gallinas y Focas from Mallorca), and other alcoholic drinks. There are also ‘super zumos’ – a choice of three combos at 6€ each.
The menu for lunch or dinner offers sandwiches, salads, a variety of other dishes, and a selection of specially designed post-exercise dishes. Every item on the menu shows the possible allergens, making it easy to identify suitable dishes, and the vegetarian dishes are marked as such. As well as the Es Club menu, a separate list of suggestions of the week is offered. I spotted an appealing vegetarian poke bowl with azukis, feta cheese, and avocado at 18€.
I had some difficulty choosing my lunch at Es Club as there were quite a few dishes I wanted to try (I shall return). As work beckoned in the afternoon, I opted for a feta cheese, beetroot, spinach, and crispy bacon salad. After I’d committed it to Instagram – it did look very appealing – I enjoyed every well-dressed mouthful. By the time I’d finished, I was comfortably satisfied, with regrettably no room for dessert. However, I did find a small space for a rather moreish home-made truffle with my post-lunch Americano coffee.
Verdict
Recommended when you want an escape from Palma’s buzz for a while. It does your soul good to be in this oasis in the city and, if you like to nourish your body when you eat and drink, you’ll have a good choice of healthy options to tempt you. I also liked the service, which was friendly and efficient.
My bill
My lunch – the salad, half-a-litre of sparkling water, an Americano, and a truffle – came to 20,50 euros, which I felt was good value for a tasty lunch enjoyed in a very stylish, comfortable, and relaxed setting.
Good to know
Guests staying at Portixol Hotel are entitled to a day pass to use the impressive facilities at Palma Sport & Tennis.
Es Club restaurant is open daily from 08:00-21:00h.
Es Club
Palma Sport & Tennis Club
Joan Maria Thomás, 4
Palma
Tel +34 971 282 000
Written by Jan Edwards
 |
About the authorJan is an English freelance writer, blogger, and radio broadcaster, who moved from Oxfordshire to Mallorca in 2004. She and her husband – aka The Boss – have since lived in rural tranquillity in a solar-electricity-powered finca near Manacor. They share their property with eight cats – only one of which moved to the island with them. A former BBC local radio presenter, Jan hosts a weekly show on the English-language station Mallorca Sunshine Radio. Jan has had numerous Mallorca-related articles published in print and online. She also blogs about her country life on www.livinginruralmallorca.com and two favourite subjects – gastronomy and hospitality – on www.eatdrinksleepmallorca.com. She has had several short stories published and is currently writing a novel.
|