FORMENTERA - SANT FERRAN DE SES ROQUES - LA MARITERRANEA
- Miguel Renoir Spanish Guides
- Sep 2, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 28
LA MARITERRANEA
Our friend Jonathon Lipsin is back in Formentera for the summer. Here is his visit to La Mariterranea. I walked by this raffish-looking restaurant last night. It has a funky patio and an equally funky kitchen, where a cook feverishly works over a fire and multiple pots and paella pans.
This could be The Place, I thought to myself. You know, that place that is off the main road, away from the fancy high-end restaurants where the food makes all the difference, and you will find yourself talking about it many years later. My nose started twitching, and I decided to follow in my footsteps from last night and check it out.
I persuaded my vegan companion to join me as I followed my nose. We walked in and made reservations for 30 minutes later.
We found out the chef is a Brit who has lived in Valencia, Spain, for some 20 years, the mother of paella dating back to Roman times. I rubbed my hands in anticipation.
We walked down to the hippie bar Fonda Pepe in the centre of Sant Francesc Xavier (San Fernando) village, where I had washed up some 47 years ago as a 20-year-old world vagabond hippie. I ordered two glasses of red wine. They always serve a superior one, most likely from the "payès," which means country wine from the island.
Jonathon outside the bustling Fonda Pepe in Sant Francesc, enjoying a glass of vino tinto.
We bantered with the owner, who has known Bernadette for 40 years, and sat outside people-watching. Here is where the action all is. After finishing our wine, we walked a minute away to the restaurant in a forgotten street off the centre. You can pass it by and not blink; that is how unpretentious it is, unlike the Can Forn restaurant across the way, which boasts serving "local Payus" food for tourists to try.
Various starters are available, such as pulpo (octopus).
The paellas come in various shapes and sizes, like this seafood one.
The server is a stunning Spanish girl who speaks modest English and helps me decide. I ordered a vegetarian paella for Bernadette and me, and a dish of dorado (gilthead bream), the local fish, sure to be fresh. It is similar to the sea bass but has a deeper body and slightly sweeter flesh. We started with the house-made aioli, and I declared it the best I had ever had. We ravaged it greedily with chunks of excellent, crusty bread. It had the right amount of garlic, just this side of a healthy dose, which set this ali-oli apart from the pedestrian ones I have had. Each swab with the bread begged for another until it was all gone. We waited as I licked my lips for our main courses. A large paella pan arrived loaded with grilled vegetables studding the yellow saffron rice. Mushrooms of all kinds, some mysterious zucchini, white Romano beans, green beans, and many other morsels.
It was terrific as we scraped the rice that sticks to the bottom of the pan (known to paella aficionados as the Socarrat), often my favourite part of paella. My vegan companion was pleased.
The fish arrived, two large pieces pan-seared and served with capers, tomatoes, and scalloped potato slices on the side. It was good and fresh. I would have preferred a whole grilled fish, but this was fine enough, especially when paired with the hearty paella. I took a bite of the paella and then tasted the delicate white fish, adorned with sprigs of herbs and encrusted on the skin.
Johnny was a happy boy as I savoured each bite, surveyed the growing darkness of the street, and watched as lovers walked hand in hand to seek out some bar to have a tete-a-tete, perhaps.
Spain is a passionate one and the paella pan was scraped clean I asked our server who was having fun with us to talk to me about dessert.
She exclaimed, "You must try the cheesecake!" I replied, "I know cheesecake like no other, and I am reluctant. I was raised at the Carnegie Deli in NYC, so I am spoiled. I have tasted cheesecake worldwide," I boasted, much to the scorn of my companion, who had heard this before. I doubt I will be happy with your cheesecake here in San Fernando village," I said smugly. She fixed me with a confident eye that said, "Don't mess with me, outsider gringo," and shot back, "I make the cheesecake, Señor, and my cheesecake is the best !" Who am I to say no?
She served it. After professionally twirling it in the air for a second, I dipped it with a fork to find the right rhythm, then dove in. It was damn good, piled high with the right amount of sweetness and covered in delicious fruit preserves. "Can I marry you?" I said to her, purring and content as I tucked away in.
I confess that the paella and the fish were so much that I couldn't eat all of it, so I took the rest to go, albeit reluctantly, and later that night, we caught up with friends from Italy, Davide and Jana, and I gave it to them.
I saw Jana this morning. She ran to me with her eyes wide open, extolling the cheesecake she and Davide ate for breakfast. "Bellissimo", she cooed. "Well, I know cheesecake," I rejoined with a wink.
Words © Jonathon Lipsin
Jonathon's music picks can be found here:
LA MARITERRANEA Calle Major, Sant Ferran de ses Roques, 07860, Formentera, Spain +34 674 274 298
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